The Lions (8-8) go into Week 18 of the 2022 NFL season positioned as the No. 8 team in the NFC, one spot out of becoming the third wild-card team.
They are underdogs on the road against the NFC North division rival Packers (i.e. 8-8) on Sunday night.
Here’s breaking down what needs to happen for Detroit to earn the No. 7 seed and its chances of making the playoffs:
MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture for Week 18
Lions make the playoffs if…
The Seahawks lose to the Rams and they win. In this case, the Seahawks and Packers would both fall to 8-9 and the Lions would win the final wild-card spot outright at 9-8.
The Seahawks tie and they win. Here the Seahawks would be 8-8-1 and the Packers would be 8-9, again putting the Lions alone at 9-8.
Lions miss the playoffs if …
The Seahawks win. Should the Seahawks improve to 9-8, the Lions would be either be 8-8-1 or 9-8 with the Packers falling to 8-9. Should the Seahawks and Lions both end up 9-8, Seattle gets the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of winning at Detroit in Week 4.
The Seahawks tie and they tie. This would create another three-way tie at 8-8-1, in which the Seahawks would end up owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lions again once the Packers are eliminated from the equation.
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Lions’ updated playoff chances
The Lions have two major factors working against them. The Seahawks are even stronger home favorites than the Packers in Week 18. The Lions would need to pull off an upset at Lambeau Field after the Rams deliver a more significant one at Lumen Field.
That puts Detroit’s chances of earning the final wild card and making the NFC playoffs as a No. 7 seeds at around 10 percent.
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