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The Detroit Lions miraculous turnaround in the 2022 season continued in Week 17. The Lions needed to beat the Chicago Bears to truly keep their playoff hopes alive, and they did more than beat them, as they throttled their division rival by a score of 41-10 to prove that they mean business heading into the final week of the season.
After a 1-6 start to the season, the Lions have gone on a roll, winning seven of their last nine games to push their record up to 8-8 on the season, making them one of three teams in the NFC contending for the final wild card spot. Considering how things were going earlier this season, that's a big accomplishment in its own right for Detroit.
The problem is that of the three teams competing for that final spot, the Lions have the most difficult path to the playoffs entering Week 18. But Detroit has had the odds stacked against them all season long, and there is simply no way that they can be counted out ahead of this game. So let's take a look at what the Lions would have to do to clinch a playoff spot, and then what potential wild card matchups they would have on their hands if they did end up in the playoffs.
Lions playoff scenarios
Nothing about the Lions 2022 season has been easy, and that will continue into Week 18 of the season, where they face some tall odds of making the playoffs. The Lions will enter Week 18 as the eighth seed in the NFC, which is seemingly a decent spot, but they will have some stiff competition with the Seattle Seahawks just in front of them and the Green Bay Packers right behind them.
Coincidentally, the Lions will be taking on the Packers in Week 18 in a game that will have some truly huge repercussions in the race for the seven seed in the NFC wild card race. It goes without saying that the Lions will have to beat the Packers in order to find their way into the playoffs. If the Packers beat the Lions, though, their playoff hopes will be extinguished immediately.
Right off the bat this is a pretty tough challenge for the Lions. For as hot as they have been, the Packers have been even hotter as of late, and they just have to beat the Lions to leapfrog both the Lions and Seahawks to find their way into the playoffs. And even if the Lions beat the Packers, they would still need the Seahawks to lose to the Los Angeles Rams in order for them to clinch the seven seed.
So as you can see, a playoff berth isn't exactly a guarantee for the Lions here, and they have their work cut out for them over the final week of the season. Detroit has to have a couple of things go their way in order for them to make the playoffs, but they can't be counted out until they are officially eliminated.
In the event the Lions do find their way into the playoffs, though, they will obviously only be able to earn the seventh seed. That would set them up to play the number two seed in the NFC, which is still up for grabs right now. The San Francisco 49ers are currently the second seed, but there's a chance that the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, or Dallas Cowboys could end up in the second seed.
We won't get into all the ways that these teams could end up as the number two seed, but it's clear the most favorable matchup for the Lions here would be the Vikings. Detroit has already beaten Minnesota this season, and while they can't be taken lightly considering they are a 12-4 team, they appear to be the most vulnerable team of that group heading into the playoffs.
In the other three potential matchups here, the Lions would likely be heavy underdogs, and for good reason. The Eagles have been the best team in football this season, the 49ers have been fantastic even with Brock Purdy taking over under center, and the Cowboys, despite having some holes pop up recently, look poised to go on a deep playoff run this season.
In order for this to actually matter, though, the Lions are going to have to find their way into the playoffs. As we have outlined here, that is going to be a lot easier said than done, but it isn't impossible. Detroit has overcome long odds just to be in contention for the final playoff spot, and they will be looking to do so once again in Week 18 when they try to find their way into the playoffs over the Packers and Seahawks.
