If the Vikings beat the Packers on Sunday, the Lions can clinch the NFC North with a win in Week 18 no matter what they do vs. the 49ers.

The Detroit Lions watched Washington beat Philadelphia on their cellphones following a 34-17 bounce-back win at Chicago that helped them keep pace with Minnesota in the race for the NFC North title and top seeding in the conference.

After the Detroit Lions saw their fortunes take a pleasant turn with the Washington Commanders’ upset of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon, it appeared possible the Minnesota Vikings would extend the favor by losing to the Seahawks in Seattle.

Is Detroit on a collision course with Minnesota for the top seed in the playoffs? Despite the best season in franchise history, their division rival may derail their plans for a first-round bye.

A late 39-yard touchdown from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson lifted the Vikings to their eighth straight win.

Evidence of such a crime against the Purple can be traced to the social media platform X, where the Detroit Lions on Tap account minimized Minnesota's successful season, exclaiming with obvious sarcasm "Great job" after pointing out the Vikings' modest strength of victory statistic.

With two games to go, here's what the Lions need to have happen to clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed and secure a first-round bye.

The Detroit Lions are a win and one Minnesota Vikings loss vs. Seattle or Green Bay from clinching the top NFC playoff seed and NFC North.

Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings won in Week 15, creating a tie atop the NFC as all three teams have 12-2 records. As it stands, Detroit currently holds the advantage over both teams. The Lions have a better record in the NFC than the Eagles, while they have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Vikings.

The Detroit Lions picked up their 13th win Sunday, the most in franchise history, with a 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 16.

Chicago (4-10) rides an eight-game losing streak into a matchup with Detroit (12-2) on Sunday, December 22, 2024 at Soldier Field. The Lions are notable favorites in this one, with the spread

Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels threw five touchdown passes as the Commanders rallied for a 36-33 victory over Philadelphia that halted the Eagles' 10-game NFL winning streak.In Seattle, Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold hit Justin Jefferson with his third touchdown pass of the game with 3:51 to play and the Vikings escaped with their eighth straight win.