Predicting the brutal NFC playoff race: Do the Lions make it?

Playing with heavy hearts, probably for the rest of the season after a scary Jack Campbell injury, the Detroit Lions will have a little extra motivation to make the postseason in a brutal NFC playoff race.

There are a lot of good teams vying for seven playoff spots.

Unfortunately for the Lions, they happen to play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. The NFC North is loaded with four teams above .500, and the NFC West, too, is stacked with three legit playoff contenders. Between those two divisions, only five teams maximum can make the playoffs. That’s assuming the NFC East and NFL South have just one playoff team each (it’s looking likely for the South with all four teams under .500).

Detroit is sitting squarely in third place in the NFC North with a 5-2 record and while it’s in position to make the postseason, it’s going to take probably 6-7 wins in the final 10 games to secure a spot given the fact that the NFC has two loaded divisions.

Jeremy Reisman brought up a fantastic question on Twitter that has conjured up a debate. Only five of the top seven teams in the North and West can make the playoffs, so which two get left out?

How could two of those teams possible miss the playoffs?

Predicting the NFC’s seven playoff teams

Let’s start with the division winners.

The NFC East is only going to send one team, and unfortunately for the Eagles, they’re likely out of it with Jalen Hurts down and Saquon Barkley playing hurt. The Commanders could make a run, but the Giants keep finding ways to win. That won’t last. It’s going to come down to the Cowboys, Commanders, and Giants, and Dallas will find a way to take it.

The Bears are going to challenge the Lions for the North while I think the Vikings fizzle out a bit. They had been playing out of their minds, but that first loss could snowball. I’m going with the Lions to win the North despite all of the injuries. Yes, Detroit is headed back to the postseason.

In the NFC South, the Buccaneers are getting healthier and they could challenge the Panthers. Honestly, anyone could win this division, so it all depends on who has the easiest remaining schedule. There are some brutal schedules remaining but the Saints are a sneaky pick. It’ll be between the Bucs, Panthers, and Saints, but Baker Mayfield and Tampa will find a way.

Lastly, the 49ers are playing really well and I can see them hanging on in the West, but the Rams are going to make a run in what could be Matthew Stafford’s last year. The Rams are just too talented, but this division will produce a couple of playoff teams, with the Niners winning it.

So the division winners will be: Cowboys, Lions, Buccaneers, and 49ers.

As for the three Wild Card teams, two of them will come from the North, as the Vikings, Packers, and Bears will be duking it out. Heck, all could make it if the Seahawks, Rams, and Cardinals struggle from here on out, but I’ll go with the Vikings and Bears. Packers will be the odd team out, even though they’d win a division or two in this league.

The final Wild Card teams will be the Rams.

Here’s what your NFC playoff picture will look like:

1. 49ers
2. Lions
3. Buccaneers
4. Cowboys
5. Bears
6. Vikings
7. Rams

Talk about an absolutely loaded playoff picture with the reigning Super Bowl champs missing the cut due to a loaded second-half schedule on the road.

The Lions, though, will be back.

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