The Detroit Lions lost on Thanksgiving—again. But this 31-24 defeat hurts a little extra because it came against the division-rival Green Bay Packers as both are battling for the same playoff spots.
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It was the seventh time in the last eight years that the Lions lost on their Turkey Day special. But more importantly, it was their fourth loss in their last seven games this season. Since their 4-1 start, they have not won or lost more than one game in a row. Not the consistency you’d expect from a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
They now sit at 7-5, and they’ll have some work to do to get back in the NFC playoff picture, which is starting to get very crowded. On ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Cam Newton agreed that they’re very “discouraged” by the way the Lions have performed in recent weeks. Smith even went so far as to say that they are playing their way right out of the playoff picture altogether.
“I’m discouraged by Detroit. That is true. Amon-Ra St. Brown going down with the ankle injury certainly doesn’t help matters for them, no doubt about that. They could be in danger of missing the playoffs. If they lose to Dallas this weekend, I mean, my goodness, the Detroit Lions could be on their way out of the playoff picture if we’re really being honest about it.”
Detroit’s win-lose-win-lose pattern over the past couple of months simply won’t do down the stretch. Their 7-5 record puts them in the No. 8 seed just outside the playoffs, but only a half-game ahead of the red-hot Dallas Cowboys, who are now 6-5-1 following their big Thanksgiving Day win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
As Smith laid out, this race between the Lions and Cowboys to remain in the race for a playoff spot could be decided next week when the two teams meet for a Week 14 matchup. The winner of that could push on and leapfrog a team to make the postseason (though that’s not guaranteed), while the loser is likely to fall too far out of reach to make a late surge for a spot of their own.
Detroit’s remaining schedule is tough as well. After the Cowboys, their final four games are at the Los Angeles Rams, home for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and at the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears to wrap up the campaign.
The Lions aren’t out of it yet, though: the Bears sit atop the NFC North at 8-3 (and with a game against the Philadelphia Eagles coming up on Black Friday, they could be 8-4 soon) and the Packers are 8-3-1. So they’re not more than a game or a game and a half out of the division lead.
The Wild Card is crowded too, with the 8-3 Seattle Seahawks and 8-4 San Francisco 49ers also jostling for position. It should be a fun finish to the NFC playoff race this season.
