Detroit Lions fans are not going to be happy with ESPN's latest prediction for how the rest of their season will be playing out.
After a projected victory in Week 16 against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Lions are predicted to then drop an even bigger game against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day. Talk about ruining the holidays.
Seth Walder of ESPN wrote of the Lions' postseason chances in his rest-of-season predictions:
"It came down to the final week. Detroit needed a win and a Packers loss to sneak into the postseason. That didn't happen. The Lions took care of their end of the scenario with a victory over the NFC North champion Bears, but Green Bay blew out Minnesota. The Pack's defense suffocated Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, coming away with two interceptions. The Lions can look to a Christmas Day loss to McCarthy at Minnesota as the game that ultimately cost them the playoffs."
Lions predicted to flame out against weakest opponent
Losing to the Steelers would somehow be more honorable than what Walder has projected to be the Lions' fate here. The team already experienced a demoralizing loss to McCarthy this season, which kick started a stumble down several power rankings. Who loses to a second-year quarterback who was prematurely anointed "Nine," and who subsequently went on to post some of the worst passing performances in recent NFL history? The 2025 Lions!
But, ideally, that was a one-off performance. You'd have to imagine that the Lions will enter their Week 17 contest against the Vikings with a lot more gusto, and with revenge on their mind. Minnesota's defense remains a strength, but they can be beaten on the ground. They're allowing 127.6 rushing yards per game, and the Lions are often winning games where Jahmyr Gibbs is rushing for more than 70 yards.
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Out of the Lions' three remaining opponents - the Steelers, Vikings, and Chicago Bears - it feels like their final matchup against Ben Johnson could be what kills them right before the postseason. Their pass game is electric when Caleb Williams can get free in the pocket, and the Lions don't have many answers in their secondary for his kind of long ball game.
But, Detroit has shown up in some big games this year, like against the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens in primetime. You just can't count them out until they're statistically counted out. And, it does feel like Walder's prediction of that coming true before the calendar turns to 2026 is a bit far fetched.