The Best Case Scenario For The Lions In Week 16

The Detroit Lions have shocked the entire NFL from going 1-6 in their first seven games to 7-7 and very much in the playoff hunt. There are many case scenarios that would give the Lions a good chance to make the playoffs and be set for the future, but here are the best ones.

The Lions Beat The Panthers Away On Christmas Eve

This one is obvious because in order for the Lions to make the Playoffs they need to win as many as possible, preferably win out. The Panthers are an odd team to analyze because they have been an up-and-down team recently but are also pushing to win the weak NFC South. The Panthers’ offense has been lacking all year, but their defense has been on point recently, putting up a stellar performance on the road against the Seahawks and holding the Steelers to a minimum in last week’s loss. The Lions’ whole team has been on a hot streak, however, and it’s hard to see them losing this matchup. While anything is possible, the Lions should win this one, and it would be a great start for this scenario.

The Chiefs Beat The Seahawks At Home On Christmas Eve

The Seahawks currently have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Detroit Lions, so the Lions need the Seahawks to finish with one win less than them in order to finish above them. The Chiefs, despite losing Tyreek Hill in the offseason, are still playing like one of the best teams in the league and are fighting for the one seed in the AFC. The Seahawks have been on an extremely cold streak as of late, losing four of their last five, but are still playing with passion as they try to make the playoffs in the final push of the season. Even with the Cheifs playing sloppy as of late, the Seahawks may be playing sloppier and the Chiefs should be able to pull off this home win somewhat easily to help the Lions in this scenario.

The 49ers Beat The Commanders At Home On Christmas Eve

The Commanders are a game ahead of the Lions due to their tie with the Giants in their first matchup but in this scenario, it would put the Lions ahead of the Commanders because they have the head-to-head tiebreaker. The 49ers may be one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment, and the Commanders are seemingly falling apart these past few weeks. It’s hard to see the 49ers losing this game at home, and would have the Lions holding the seven seed in the playoffs in this scenario.

The Dolphins Beat The Packers At Home On Christmas

This doesn’t help the Lions in playoff seeding but would help them for their Week 18 matchup as the Packers would be eliminated from playoff contention and have nothing to play for. The Dolphins should win this game without a doubt, as the Packers have been playing some of their worst football of the past decade and the Dolphins have been one of the best teams in the league this year. This scenario would help the Lions’ chances of winning out greatly, as the Packers may rest players in Week 18 due to being out of contention.

The Broncos Beat The Rams Away On Christmas

Both of these teams have been horrendous this year, but the Lions need the Rams to lose this in order to move into the top three in the draft. The Broncos are coming off a nice win against the Cardinals, without having their starting QB, and the Rams are coming off an embarrassing loss against the Packers. With both of these teams being eliminated from the playoffs, they have nothing to play for, but the Broncos should probably win this and set the Lions up for the perfect scenario.