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The NFC North race is shaping up to be one of the NFL’s most competitive, just like it was in 2024, when the division winner – and NFC No. 1 seed – was decided in a Week 18 battle between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.
The Lions will have to battle back over the season’s final month to make it back to the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
Dan Campbell’s squad still has a winning record, but an up-and-down stretch in the middle of the season has them on the fringes of playoff contention. The Lions still have a path to win the NFC North – which is a three-horse race between them, the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers – but may need some help to climb back up the divisional and wild-card standings.
Things didn’t break the Lions’ way in Week 15. They lost to the Los Angeles Rams while the Bears beat the Cleveland Browns, giving Detroit little margin of error in its quest to catch Chicago. The silver lining for the Lions is that the Packers did lose, so they still have a couple of paths back into the divisional race.
Will the Lions make the playoffs? Here’s a look at their playoff chances as they prepare for a three-week sprint to the finish in the crowded NFC.
Lions playoff odds
The Lions have an estimated 41% chance to make the playoffs, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
The Lions entered Week 15 with a 55% chance to qualify for the postseason. Their probability would have increased to 75% with a win but their loss, coupled with other results, dropped them to the 41% chance.
Detroit was the lone team on the outside looking in of the NFL playoff picture to have a better than 50% chance to make the postseason. No other squad outside of the top seven in either conference had greater than a 35% playoff probability (Baltimore Ravens).
Lions remaining schedule
The Lions got one of their hardest remaining games out of the way in Week 15 against the Rams, but they still have the league’s 11th-hardest remaining schedule, per Tankathon. Two of their final three games are also divisional road matchups, with their Week 18 clash against the Bears serving as a potentially critical one for the NFC playoff race.
Below is a full look at Detroit’s remaining schedule for the 2025 NFL season:
- Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
- Week 18: at Chicago Bears
NFC North standings
The Lions entered Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season in third place in the NFC North standings. Detroit remains there after losing to the Rams.
Here’s a current snapshot of the NFC North standings:
- Chicago Bears (10-4)
- Green Bay Packers (9-4-1)
- Detroit Lions (8-6)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-8)
The Lions now need to make up multiple games on both the Bears and Packers to overtake either in the NFC North standings. Detroit has an easier path to catching Chicago, as the Lions earned a head-to-head win over the Bears in Week 2 and still have a game remaining against them on the schedule.
That said, the Lions need to close the gap quickly with the Bears. Falling further behind Chicago would eliminate Detroit from the NFC North race. The same can be said of the Packers, who currently hold a one-and-a-half game advantage over the Lions.
NFC playoff picture
- Los Angeles Rams (11-3, NFC West leaders)*
- Chicago Bears (10-4, NFC North leaders)
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5, NFC East leaders)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7, NFC South leaders)
- Seattle Seahawks (11-3, wild card No. 1)
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4, wild card No. 2)
- Green Bay Packers (9-4-1, NFC North leaders)
* Clinched playoff berth
In the hunt: Detroit Lions (8-6), Carolina Panthers (7-7), Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1).
