How the Detroit Lions actually lost twice in Week 12

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Jim Caldwell Carolina Panthers Lions

Heading into their Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions and their fans knew it was essentially a must-win game if they wanted any shot at winning the NFC North.

Unfortunately, the Lions (6-5) started off slow (again) and the Vikings (9-2) held on for 30-23 win at Ford Field. With the win, Minnesota now holds a commanding three-game lead over Detroit in the North and the Lions only hope of making the playoffs seems to be via an NFC Wild Card spot.

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But, little did we know, the Lions actually ended up losing twice in Week 12.

In our weekly “Detroit Lions rooting guide,” we go through each NFL game for the week, identifying which games could potentially affect the Lions playoff chances. This week, we advised that you root for the following teams to LOSE this week.

  1. Carolina Panthers
  2. Philadelphia Eagles
  3. Atlanta Falcons
  4. Seattle Seahawks
  5. Los Angeles Rams

Well, as luck would have it, each and every team on that list WON their week 12 game and with that, the Lions playoff chances just got slimmer.

Even if the Lions were to win the remaining five games on their schedule (which, believe it or not, is possible), they will still need a little help from the teams ahead of them in the NFC standings if they want to claim a Wild Card bid.

Up next for the Lions is the defensive-minded Baltimore Ravens, who will be licking their chops to take care of business on their home field. It’s a game the Lions have to look at as another must-win game if they want to make the playoffs.

But we all know how that worked out the last time around.