DETROIT – With a win over the Los Angeles Chargers this weekend, the Detroit Lions strengthened their grip on a top-three seed in the NFC, but the division is still a close race.
Detroit came out of the bye week firing on all cylinders -- at least on offense. Jared Goff and company put up 41 points and 533 yards against the Chargers, and Riley Patterson’s 41-yard field goal as time expired helped the Lions improve to 7-2 on the season.
That win helped the Lions solidify their spot as a top-three seed in the NFC, but that’s only if they win the NFC North Division.
NFC seeding
It’s starting to look more and more like the winner of the NFC South will be the No. 4 seed in the playoffs, which means the Lions (and Vikings) are battling with the East and West winners for positioning within the top three.
The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons both lost over the weekend, so now the leader in the South (New Orleans) is 5-5 -- a full 2.5 games behind the Lions.
Even if the Lions stumble down the stretch and go, say, 4-4 in their final eight games, it would take a 6-1 finish by the Saints or an 8-0 finish by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (because the Lions have the head-to-head tiebreaker) to vault them ahead of Detroit.
The Philadelphia Eagles were on bye this weekend, so the Lions also picked up a half-game in the race for the No. 1 overall seed. The Eagles play at the Chiefs and against the Bills the next two weeks while the Lions host the Bears and the Packers, so there’s definitely an opportunity to make a push by the end of November.
Don’t forget about the 49ers and the Seahawks, either. The 49ers got back on track with a blowout win on the road against a very strong Jacksonville team. Meanwhile, the Seahawks survived a scare from the Commanders to stay tied for first in the West.
The Lions lead both San Francisco and Seattle by one game, but they lost head-to-head against the Seahawks. In terms of seeding, it’s better for the Lions if the 49ers win that division.
NFC North race
As consistent as the Lions have been all season, the Vikings just won’t go away.
Minnesota won its fifth game in a row Sunday by taking down the Saints, so Detroit’s lead atop the NFC North remains at 1.5 games.
Despite the 1-4 start to the season, the Vikings have one of the more impressive resumes in the league. Not only did they beat the 49ers and Saints without their star player (Justin Jefferson), all four of their losses have been by one possession against solid teams.
The Vikings are no pushover, even without Kirk Cousins. Josh Dobbs has proven up to the task of keeping the offense afloat, and he’s going to get Jefferson back soon.
While both teams will probably be in the playoffs either way, those Lions-Vikings matchups in Week 16 and 18 are going to have massive implications for the division and overall seeding.
