Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NFL Week 13 panic meter: Chiefs, Lions in serious trouble

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated Dec 3, 2025 11:58 AM ET

As we approach the end of the NFL regular season, a few contenders are surprisingly fighting for their playoff lives. How worried should they be about possibly missing the postseason?

Detroit Lions (7-5, 3rd in NFC North)

Panic meter rating: 8/10

It's officially full-on panic mode in Motown. By losing to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving, the Lions dropped to the eighth spot in the NFC and now have a 40 percent chance to make the playoffs, per NFL.com. If they lose to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, that figure drops to 20 percent.

Scoring a much-needed win this week will be a tough task considering Detroit has nine players on injured reserve and seven offensive starters, including star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, on the injury report. This is shaping up to be a lost season for the reigning NFC No. 1 seed.

Kansas City Chiefs (6-6, 3rd in AFC West)

Panic meter rating: 8.5/10

We've been hesitant to press the panic button in Kansas City all season, but it's time to face reality. The Chiefs are in the 10th spot in the AFC standings and would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers.

With their loss to the Cowboys, the Chiefs now have less than a 50% chance of making the playoffs.

One more loss will likely knock them out. pic.twitter.com/PPmYNPepNL
— Mike Bundt (@Mike_Bundt) November 28, 2025

If the Chiefs lose to the Houston Texans on Sunday, their chances of making the playoffs would drop to 11 percent. Kansas City must go 5-0 or 4-1 down the stretch even to have a shot at the postseason, which is a shocking sentence to type out in 2025.

Baltimore Ravens (6-6, T-1st in AFC North)

Panic meter rating: 5.5/10

The Ravens are coming off an embarrassing 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving in which they turned the ball over five times. Lamar Jackson's return to the field was supposed to get this team back on track, but the two-time MVP hasn't looked like his usual self.

Jackson is averaging a career-low 5.8 rushes and 29.3 rushing yards per game this season. He's been hesitant to scramble and hasn't looked explosive or shifty in the open field, which is contributing to Baltimore's offensive struggles. The panic meter isn't higher because the rest of the AFC North is a mess, but a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday would sound the alarms.

Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty has been writing professionally since 2015, contributing to publications such as GoPSUSports. com, Centre Daily Times, Associated Press, and Sportscasting. com

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