The Detroit Lions let a golden opportunity slip by them on Thanksgiving Day as they dropped an ultra-important divisional game against the Minnesota Vikings. With the loss, the Lions (6-5) now trail the Vikings (9-2) by three games in the NFC North with just five regular season games remaining for each team.
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Chances are the Lions are not going to come back and win the NFC North, but they still have a shot at earning a playoff berth by getting one of two Wild Card spots that are available.
With the Lions already playing on Thanksgiving Day, you may think you can just ignore the rest of the Week 12 NFL action but you would be wrong. In fact, there are some very important games yet to be played this week that can either hurt or help the Lions playoff chances.
So, just in case you have not been following the NFL Playoff picture, we have you covered. Here are the games you should be paying close attention to on Sunday.
Carolina Panthers (-6) @ New York Jets
The Carolina Panthers (7-3) are a team you definitely need to root against today if you are a Detroit Lions fan. Not only do the Panthers have a better record than the Lions, but they also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. We realize this is an AFC vs. NFC matchup which means ALWAYS root for the AFC team to win but since it’s such an important game, we thought we would put it on the list. GO JETS!
Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (-14.5)
Sure, the Bears are in the Lions division but we will assume they are out of the playoff picture. Chances are the Eagles will win this one easily, but we will still be rooting hard for Chicago.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons (-10)
This is a similar situation to the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons (6-4) are a team that owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lions if it were to come down to it. A Buccaneers win today would be HUGE for the Lions playoff chances.
Seattle Seahawks (-7) @ San Francisco 49ers
This is another no-brainer as the Seahawks (6-4) will certainly be a problem for the Lions in terms of earning a Wild Card berth. The 49ers are awful, but we will be rooting for them today.
New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Rams (-2)
This one is not quite as easy, but the Saints (8-2) are for real and we will assume the Lions have no chance at catching them. The Rams (7-3) also lead Detroit, record-wise, but they do not own a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lions like the Saints do. Root for the Saints today.
NOTE: Also root for Jacksonville over Arizona and Pittsburgh over Green Bay. Those are both AFC vs. NFC matchups, so they are no-brainers.
