Detroit Lions playoff odds grow with Sunday’s win, could really rise after Week 15
The Detroit Lions playoff odds improved pretty dramatically on Sunday, and if Week 15 goes a certain way those odds could really rocket up.
Week 14 went almost as well as it could have for the Detroit Lions as they look to make a run to a playoff spot. They of course beat the Minnesota Vikings to get to 6-7 with their fifth win in their last six games. The New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks also lost, which is where the rooting interest sat.
According to Football Outsiders, the Lions’ playoff odds went from 10 percent to 20.7 percent after Sunday and before Monday Night Football to close Week 14. That’s the third-highest jump in the league for the week.
FO Playoff Odds - Biggest Movers 📊
— Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) December 12, 2022
Los Angeles Chargers, +29.3%
Carolina Panthers, +11.5%
Detroit Lions, +10.7%
Jacksonville Jaguars, +10.6%
New York Jets, -13.8%
Miami Dolphins, -13.9%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, -17.2%
Seattle Seahawks, -24.2% pic.twitter.com/isom2oHAx4
FiveThirtyEight.com has the Lions with a 23 percent chance to make the playoffs. No matter where you look, Detroit’s playoff odds are somewhere around 20 percent now.
The Detroit Lions had a 7% chance to make the playoff prior to yesterday's games. They now have a 20% chance to make the postseason with the 4th easiest schedule remaining, according to @PFF.
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) December 12, 2022
With one of their two toughest remaining games in the books, though Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers looks more interesting than it did, the Lions are in a pretty good position. The Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders have some tough games on their remaining schedules. The Seahawks have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lions, and the Giants-Commanders Week 13 tie all but eliminates the Lions’ head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over those teams.
If the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seahawks on Thursday night to open Week 15 (possibly with Josh Johnson starting under center), and the Commanders beat the Giants on Sunday night, with a Lions win over the Jets of course…
If playoff odds are your thing, Lions currently sit at about 20%. If they can beat the Jets next week AND San Francisco and Washington win as favorites against the Seahawks and Giants, Lions' odds will jump to nearly 50%.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) December 12, 2022
In that scenario, the Lions and Seahawks would have matching 7-7 records while the Giants would be 7-6-1 and the Commanders would be 8-5-1. After their playoff odds a little more than doubled from the end of Week 13 to basically the end of Week 14, the Lions’ playoff odds would more than double again if Week 15’s results fall that way.
The Lions have to take care of their own business, first and primarily, and keep on stacking wins to keep their playoff chances afloat. But suddenly the help they need, at least for Week 15, doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
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