The Detroit Lions have not only lived up to the expectations placed on them entering 2024, but they have exceeded them. At 14-2, the Lions entered Week 18 with a chance to win back-to-back division titles for the first time in nearly 70 years and to clinch a Wild Card Weekend bye for the first time since the 1991 NFL season.
However, to do that, they had to beat the Minnesota Vikings, who have surprised everyone to push the Lions all the way this season.
What Playoff Seed are the Detroit Lions?
The NFC North had set up nicely as a winner-takes-all situation in Week 18, with both teams entering at 14-2. The stakes were simple — if the Lions won, they would be 15-2 and leave the Vikings sitting at 14-3. If they lost, they would be the No. 5 seed, and the Vikings would be sitting at home next weekend.
The Lions also entered the game with the ability to clinch the division with a tie. While both teams would have been sitting at 14-2-1 in terms of their record, the Lions would have the advantage in the NFL playoff tiebreakers. The Lions beat the Vikings back in Week 8, so if they tied in this game, they would be 1-0-1 in head-to-head matchups with the Vikings.
Since the Lions won, they won the NFC North and clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed. This will leave them watching Wild Card Weekend and waiting to see who their opponent will be at Ford Field for the Divisional Round. They will also know that if they win on Divisional weekend, they will host the NFC Championship Game, having lost on the road in San Francisco last season.
In terms of their Divisional Round opponent, the Lions would face the lowest remaining seed. However, our current projections suggest that it could yet be the Vikings for a third meeting between the two sides. Our projections have the Lions favored in the second round against whoever they face, as they rank first in PFN’s Power Rankings entering Week 18.
If the Lions lost in Week 18, they would have been the No. 5 seed in the NFC. As the No. 5 seed, the Lions would have been on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. If that happened to be the case, our metrics had the Lions as road favorites. Entering Week 18, they were projected to beat the Rams 59% of the time.
To simulate all the different scenarios, head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to see how they change the playoff picture and the NFL postseason bracket.