How the Lions can get themselves back into the playoff picture in Week 15

If the 2025 NFL season ended right now, the Detroit Lions aren't in the playoffs. But the good news is that the season doesn't end right now. The Lions have a tough week ahead of them, but they can find themselves right back in the playoff picture this week if these few things go down. Here's what those few things are:

Beat the Rams

This is the big one right here. The Lions need to go out and beat the team in front of them. Beating the Rams would be a significant moment for them in not just this week's seeding, but at the end of the year if they can have a tie-breaker situation, even if that seems unlikely. But just beating the Rams on Sunday, even before you account for any other games, brings the Lions' playoff percentage from 44% to 65%

Browns beat the Bears

There's no doubt that offensively, the Browns are bad. They're 32nd in the league in offensive DVOA. But defensively, this is the third-best defense in the league. You're asking for a kind of miracle here. But the Browns have already pulled off some wonders this year. Remember when they beat the Packers? If they can squeak one out against the Bears on Sunday, the Lions are back in, and in shocking form, the Bears would be out of the playoffs a week after being the first seed. This can happen because both the Lions and Bears would have a 9-5 record, and the Lions hold the tiebreaker here because of their Week 2 win over Chicago.

Packers lose to Broncos

Things don't really change a whole lot in Week 15 if the Broncos beat the Packers, but they could change quite a bit later. The Lions can still win the NFC North, and losses for the rivals are going to help that. The Broncos are a real deal team with one of, if not the best, defenses in the league, and they're fighting for the first seed in the AFC. They're not going to lay down in this game. This is not going to be easy for the Packers. A Broncos win really helps.

Other things that could be nice

If the Titans could pull off a miracle against the 49ers, that would bring San Francisco down to 9-5 and help the Lions out more, so they don't have to just rely on winning the division being the only way in. Saints beating the Panthers just helps fight off another NFC team trying to make it in.

What it looks like if all these things happen.

In one week, the Lions' playoff chances would go from 44% to somewhere in the 71-74% range. That's going to help out dramatically. Here's what the NFC playoff picture would look like:

1. Seattle Seahawks (11-3)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-4)
3. Green Bay Packers (9-4-1)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
5. Los Angeles Rams (10-4)
6. San Francisco 49ers (9-5)
7. Detroit Lions (9-5)

This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Dec 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.