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The Detroit Lions have enjoyed a brilliant season and they have been viewed as the best team in the NFL for much of the year. However, that designation likely belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs now, as the defending Super Bowl champions go into the last week of the NFL season with a 15-1 record and have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Throughout the season, the Lions have been chased by their division rival Minnesota Vikings. Both teams enter Week 17 with 13-2 records, and they are fighting for the NFC North title as well as the top seed in the NFC playoffs.
If the Vikings can beat the Green Bay Packers Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the Vikings and Lions will play for both the division title and the NFC top seed in the final week of the season at Ford Field in Detroit. The Lions outcome vs. the San Francisco 49ers will not have any effect at that point. Even if the Lions lose that game, they will still have the edge over the Vikings since they beat Minnesota in the first meeting between the two teams.
A victory over the Vikings in the finale would leave both team with 14-3 records, and the Lions would have the tiebreaker with a 2-0 series record. The Philadelphia Eagles could also have a 14-3 record if they can win their last two games against the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. However, the Lions would still have an edge on Philadelphia because they have the better conference record.
The only way the Eagles could win the No. 1 seed would be to sweep their final two games while the Lions lose both and the Vikings lose to Green Bay.
Lions can clinch vs. Niners if Vikings lose to Packers
While the Vikings must beat Green Bay and Detroit to earn the No. 1 seed, the Lions could actually clinch the No. 1 seed and the division title by beating the undermanned 49ers while the Vikings lose to the Packers.
Under those circumstances, even if they lose to the Vikings, they would have a better division record than Minnesota. The win over the 49ers would ensure the Lions have a better conference record than the Eagles.
The Lions would appear to have a reasonable chance of accomplishing their goal this week. It will be very tough for the 49ers (6-9) to compete with the Lions for 60 minutes. At the start of the season the Lions and 49ers were considered the two strongest teams in the NFC, but head coach Kyle Shanahan's team has suffered a series of brutal injuries and have also failed to play to their expected level.
On the the other hand, the Packers are clearly peaking at this point in the season and they are looking for revenge after losing their first meeting with the Vikings. Minnesota registered a 31-29 victory over the Packers in Week 5 as the Vikings held on for the narrow win after building a 28-0 lead. The Packers have won 5 of their last 6 games and they have been beating their opponents by significant margins.
Packers motivated to beat Vikings
In addition to losing to the Vikings this season, they have only won one game against an NFC North opponent. Green Bay lost both of its games to the Lions, and their only division victory was a 20-19 triumph over the Bears in Week 11.
The Packers are sure to bring their best effort and would love to spoil the Vikings chances of gaining the NFC North title. Additionally, the Packers could possibly pass the Vikings for the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs if they beat the Vikings and the Bears in the season finale while the Vikings lose to the Lions in their season finale.
If the Vikings beat Green Bay and set up the winner-take-all game against the Lions, don't expect Detroit to rest starters or take it easy against the 49ers. That game would not have an impact on the standings, but head coach Dan Campbell said that his team was going to bring it against the 49ers and would not back down.
That means quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown will be in the lineup and attempting to beat the team that ended Detroit's season in the NFC title game last year
