Welcome to a full Saturday of NFL Football and another Detroit Lions Rooting Guide!!! That’s right folks, there are three NFL games scheduled for today, and each one of them (some more than others) should interest fans of the Detroit Lions. Following their win this past Sunday over the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions are now sitting at 6-7 on the season, and their playoff chances, according to FiveThirtyEight currently sit at 25%. That being said, here is your Detroit Lions Rooting Guide for Saturday’s games.
Detroit Lions Rooting Guide: Which 3 teams should Lions fans root for on Saturday?
Let me begin by saying that, mathematically speaking, regardless of the outcomes of Saturday’s games, the Lions’ chances of making the playoffs cannot go up or down today. That being said, when thinking down the line, there are certainly some teams you should be rooting for today.
Here is your Detroit Lions Rooting Guide for Saturday’s games:
Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1) at Minnesota Vikings (10-3) – 1:00 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
Point Spread: Vikings -3.5 over the Colts
This is a perfect example of rooting for a team with the long game in mind. For the Lions to make the playoffs, they are going to have to leapfrog either the Giants and/or Commanders (I am assuming the Lions jump the Seahawks at some point) before the end of the season.
The Giants play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18, and the Lions may need the Eagles to win that game. But, if the Eagles have already clinched home-field advantage in the NFC, they may rest their starters, essentially throwing the game to the Giants. But, if the Vikings are in a position to take the No. 1 seed from the Eagles, the Eagles will certainly be doing everything they can to beat the Giants. Make sense? Good.
Detroit Lions Rooting Guide says to root for the Vikings over the Colts
Baltimore Ravens (9-4) at Cleveland Browns (5-8) – 4:30 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
Point Spread Browns – 3 over the Ravens
How can an AFC vs. AFC matchup impact the Lions? Well, mathematically, it cannot impact the Lions’ chances of making the playoffs, unless, once again, you are thinking about the long term. When you look at the remaining schedule for the Ravens and Browns, you will notice the Browns still play the Commanders in Week 17. That will be a game where Lions fans will be rooting hard for the Browns to win, so we will want them to feel good about themselves leading up to that matchup. If the Browns can get a little winning streak going, they could certainly go into FedExField and present a problem for the Commanders.
Detroit Lions Rooting Guide says to root for the Browns over the Ravens
Miami Dolphins (8-5) at Buffalo Bills (10-3) – 8:15 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
Ok, I just spent WAY TOO MUCH time trying to find a way in which this game can somehow, someway impact the Lions’ playoff chances! Chances are that the Lions will have to win out to make the NFL Playoffs, and if they do win out, the Green Bay Packers (5-8) can not catch them.
That being said, if the Lions and Packers both win their next three games, and the Packers then beat the Lions in Week 18, the Packers would jump the Lions in the standings.
The Packers Week 16 matchup just so happens to be against the Dolphins! So, we want the Dolphins to feel a little bit of extra pressure to win against the Packers. If the Dolphins beat the Bills, their playoff chances jump to 89%. But, if they lose to the Bills, their playoff chances drop down to 64%. Then, if the Dolphins were to lose to the Packers, their playoff chances would drop all the way to 45%!!!
In other words, we want the Bills to beat the Dolphins so that the Dolphins feel like they are in a must-win game against the Packers!
Detroit Lions Rooting Guide says to root for the Bills over the Dolphins (Oh, and root for lots of SNOW too!)
We hope you enjoyed Saturday’s Detroit Lions Rooting Guide!
