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Detroit Lions Playoff Clinching Scenarios For Week 15

By Matt Snyder

Dec 11, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game winning touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Lions win 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game winning touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Lions win 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Detroit Lions could clinch a playoff spot through the NFC North division title, but not a wild card berth in Week 15.

The Detroit Lions‘ 20-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 14 brought them one step closer to a playoff berth. They haven’t wrapped anything up yet, but they could clinch the division crown in Week 15, or take a big step toward securing at least a wild card berth.

The Lions currently sit atop the NFC North with a 9-4 record but could conceivably be caught by either the Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings need to win out and hope the Lions fail to win another game but the Packers could still beat the Lions on a head-to-head tiebreaker.

Here’s what needs to happen for the Lions to clinch the North and guarantee themselves a home playoff game.

NFC North Division

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings are eliminated from NFC North contention with one more loss, one more Lions win, or a tie by both teams (Lions magic number is one).

Green Bay Packers: The Packers are eliminated from NFC North contention with two more losses, two more Lions wins, one loss and one Lions win or tie, or one tie and one Lions win (Lions magic number is one and a half).

Chicago Bears: Eliminated

This means the Lions will clinch the NFC North in Week 15 with a win at the New York Giants and a Packers loss or against the Chicago Bears OR if they tie the Giants, the Packers lose, and the Vikings lose or tie.

Wild Card

None of the NFC teams with fewer than seven wins can pass the Lions at this point. That leaves four teams in competition with Detroit for two wild card spots: the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, the Atlanta Falcons/Tampa Bay Buccaneers non-NFC South winner, and the Packers/Vikings non-NFC North division winner.

New York Giants: A Giants win over the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football took away a wild card clinch scenario for the Lions in week 15. A Lions win over the Giants in week 15 puts the Lions up a game on the Giants and gives them a head-to-head tiebreaker with two games to play.

Washington Redskins: Washington will not be able to pass the Lions if they lose to the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football (Week 15) AND the Lions beat the Giants.

Atlanta Falcons/Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Lions cannot clinch over either the Falcons or Buccaneers in Week 15 and would need at least two more wins before tiebreakers would come into play (and at that point they’d have the division clinched so it wouldn’t matter).

Packers/Vikings: See division scenarios.

For Week 15, Lions can’t clinch a wild card berth but they would take a big step toward one with a win over the Giants and a Redskins loss to the Panthers.

Next: 10 Lions Players Who Could be Gone in 2017

The Lions have put themselves in position so that, no matter what else happens, they’ll win the division if they can beat the Packers at home in Week 17.

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