Heading into Week 18, the game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers has some intriguing playoff scenarios. With both sides entering Sunday morning with a chance to make the playoffs in the NFC, we could yet have a winner-take-all Sunday Night Football matchup. Let’s examine the Lions and Packers playoff scenarios for this week and what both teams need to happen in order to play in the postseason.
UPDATE: Seahawks Win Eliminates Lions; Packers Loss to Lions Puts Seattle Into Playoffs
A thrilling overtime victory by the Seattle Seahawks has eliminated the Lions from playoff contention and kept their own hopes alive. Then the Lions went into Lambeau Field on Sunday night and knocked the Packers out of the playoffs with some of the gutsiest playcalling we have seen. The end result? The Seahawks are into the playoffs as the seventh seed in the NFC.
Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers Has Unexpected Playoff Significance in Week 18
If you showed people the NFL standings after the Lions and Packers previously met in Week 9, not many would predict that entering Week 18, there would be the potential for both teams to clinch a playoff spot. After the Lions beat the Packers in Week 9, Detroit had a 2-6 record, with Green Bay sitting at 3-6.
However, with Detroit going 6-2 since that point and Green Bay winning five of seven, both teams have kept themselves alive entering the final week. Yet, by the time the game itself begins, we could be in a situation where only one of the two teams can still clinch a playoff spot in the final game of Week 18.
Lions Playoff Scenarios in Week 18
Of the NFC teams with a chance to clinch the seventh seed, FiveThirtyEight gives the Lions the lowest chance at just 17%. Not only do they need to go into Green Bay and upset their division rivals, who are a five-point favorite, but they also need some help elsewhere.
If you had told Lions fans six months ago that they needed the Los Angeles Rams to win in Week 18 to help them make the playoffs, the biggest nerves would have been around whether the Rams were resting players with nothing to play for. However, with the Rams’ season having disintegrated, Detroit now needs them to win as six-point underdogs with Baker Mayfield under center.
MORE: Lions vs. Packers Prediction, Odds, and Picks for Week 18
Unfortunately for the Lions, the Seattle Seahawks defeated them 48-45 back in Week 4. Therefore, if the two teams end up equal in terms of their record, the Seahawks have the key playoff tiebreaker to put them above the Lions in the standings.
If the Rams do manage to beat the Seahawks, then a win or a tie will be enough for the Lions. Having defeated the Packers in Week 9, they would have the head-to-head advantage over Green Bay (1-0-1) if they both finish with an 8-8-1 record.
Packers Playoff Scenarios in Week 18
For the Packers, it seems amazing to say it, but their playoff future is in their own hands. While they currently sit as the ninth seed because of the tiebreaking procedures, a win changes all of that.
Currently, Green Bay is behind Detroit based on that Week 9 result. As playoff rules state that divisional ties are broken before any other situation is considered, that immediately puts the Packers at the bottom of the three 8-8 teams.
Therefore, if the Packers defeat the Lions this week, they will remove that issue as they will be 9-8, while the Lions would be 8-9. If the Seahawks also win, Green Bay and Seattle would be at 9-8. However, the Packers would prevail with a superior conference record of 7-5, compared to 6-6 for Seattle. FiveThirtyEight gives the Packers a 61% chance of making the postseason, with home-field advantage in Week 18 playing a big part.