The NFL kicks off Week 14 with a huge NFC North showdown as the Detroit Lions host the Green Bay Packers. The game kicks off inside Ford Field at 8:20 p.m. on Amazon Prime Video. The NFC North remains wide open, but the Lions are in position to clinch a playoff berth in Week 14.
The Lions path to a playoff berth is simple this week. If they beat the Packers, they clinch a wild card berth. Detroit is a 3.5-point favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook. They faced Green Bay at Lambeau Field in Week 9 and beat them 24-14. A pick-six was the difference in that game and we can expect another tight contest.
Lions playoff berth clinching scenarios
If the Packers pull out the road win, the Lions do have other scenarios that would clinch them a playoff berth this week. There are nine such scenarios, but we’ll ignore the ones that require a tie. While ties do happen in the NFL, they’re unlikely enough that we can ignore them for the time-being. If the Lions lose on Thursday, they would clinch a playoff berth in one of the following scenarios (italics are for the Lions clinching at least a tie in Strength of Victory over the Eagles):
- Falcons loss, Rams loss, Eagles win
- Falcons loss, Cardinals loss, Rams loss
- Falcons loss, Seahawks loss, Eagles win
- Falcons loss, Cardinals loss, Eagles win, plus 3.5 or more combined wins from Cowboys, Bears, Steelers, Titans
- Falcons loss, Cardinals loss, Eagles win, Cowboys win, Bears win, either the Steelers or Titans win
- Bucs loss, Rams loss, Eagles win
- Bucs loss, Cardinals loss, Rams loss, Eagles win
- Bucs loss, Seahawks loss, Eagles win
NFC North clinching scenarios
Detroit currently sits atop the NFC North with a one game lead over the Vikings and a two game lead over the Packers. The Vikings host the Falcons this week. The earliest the Lions can clinch the division is Week 16.
NFC standings entering Week 14
1. Detroit Lions (11-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-6, 2-0 vs TB)
5. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
7. Washington Commanders (8-5)
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6, 0-2 vs ATL, 6-3 NFC)
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-6, win over LAR, 3-5 NFC)
10. Los Angeles Rams (6-6, loss to ARI)
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-7, win over DAL)
12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7, loss to SF)
13. New Orleans Saints (4-8, 2-3 NFC South, 3-5 NFC)
14. Chicago Bears (4-8, 2-5 NFC)*
15. Carolina Panthers (3-9)
16. New York Giants (2-10)* eliminated
Teams with an asterisk have been eliminated from their divisional races.
Teams with an “x” have clinched a playoff spot
Teams with a “y” have clinched their division
