How Bears' Win Over Packers Affects Lions' Playoff Hopes

The Detroit Lions' showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers is a must-win.

Detroit's playoff hopes are dwindling as they sit in eighth place in the NFC, just outside the seven-team playoff picture.

Things took a turn on Saturday night, when the Chicago Bears rallied from down 10 late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Green Bay Packers in overtime. Detroit's playoff percent dropped from 27 percent to 22 percent, according to the New York Times Playoff Predictor.

It was an improbable victory for the Bears, as they connected on a field goal to draw within one score, 16-9, at the two-minute warning. They would recover the ensuing onside kick, and a touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker sent the game to overtime.

A fumbled snap on fourth-down gave the ball to Chicago in overtime, and Williams hit D.J. Moore for the game-winning touchdown.

The Bears' win gives the Lions an opportunity to win the division still. Detroit plays the Bears to end the regular season, and with a win they would sweep the regular season series with Chicago and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker should they finish with the same record.

If the Lions win their next two games and the Bears lose to the San Francisco 49ers next week, it would set up a matchup in Week 18 with the Division on the line provided that the Packers lose one of their final two games and finish no better than 10-6-1.

However, the Bears' win limits the Lions' margin for error over their final three games. Detroit's playoff percentage drops to just 4 percent with a loss to the Steelers on Sunday.

After the Steelers game, the Lions will travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings on Christmas. The Bears will play the 49ers, while the Packers will play the Ravens. Detroit and Chicago play each other in the regular season finale, while the Packers will take on the Vikings.

The Lions will not be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss on Sunday, but their margin for mistakes is clearly running low. There are four scenarios where the Lions can still make the playoffs, with the smoothest being for them to win out and the Bears to lose to both them and the 49ers next week.

Detroit can still get into the playoffs if they win out and the Packers lose one of their next two games, or if they win out and the 49ers lose each of their next three games. The 49ers play the Indianapolis Colts on Monday, the Bears next week and the Seattle Seahawks to finish the regular season.

The only way the Lions can get into the postseason should they lose one of their next two games is if they finish the regular season with a win over the Bears and the Packers lose to both the Ravens and Vikings.

Here's an updated look at the NFC playoff standings heading into Sunday's slate of NFL action.

1.) Seattle Seahawks (12-3)

2.) Chicago Bears (11-4)

3.) Philadelphia Eagles (10-5)

4.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)

5.) Los Angeles Rams (10-4)

6.) San Francisco 49ers (10-4)

7.) Green Bay Packers (9-5-1)

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