LOS ANGELES — As the Detroit Lions watched the Los Angeles Rams celebrate a clinched playoff berth on Sunday, they were forced to reckon with reality.

They officially no longer control their own destiny, as the Lions need to run the table across their final three games and get some outside help to make it. To put it simply, the Lions need to go 3-0 and either have the Chicago Bears lose one of their next two games, or the Green Bay Packers drop two of their final three.

But all of those scenarios require the Lions to go 3-0.

“So, we got three to go here, and we don’t control our own destiny, but we need to win these three, and it starts with Pittsburgh at home,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the 41-34 loss to the Rams.

NFL Network has Detroit’s current playoff odds at 41%, while the New York Times has the Lions with a 27% chance to make the dance.

The Lions finish with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the home finale, then face the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas and have a potentially marquee Week 18 showdown with the division-leading Chicago Bears.

A win over the Steelers this coming Sunday moves those odds to 35%, per the New York Times’ playoff simulator. It’s the final game against an AFC team of the season, but they’re all must-win games now.

With Detroit’s loss to the Rams, the San Francisco 49ers have clinched the tiebreaker over the Lions with a better in-conference record on the season.

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t mathematically eliminated yet, but their loss to the Vikings on Sunday night sinks their chances to the absolute brink. Another positive is that it looks like the NFC South and East will field only its division winner. But the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers swept the Lions, meaning that’s a tough hill to climb as Detroit sits 1.5 games back with three left.

The Seahawks, 49ers and Bears all won in Week 15, which didn’t help Detroit’s situation. The Green Bay Packers lost to the Denver Broncos, which was the only slightly positive outcome for the Lions.

See below for Week 16 games to watch and a guide for what to root for this weekend around the NFL, not to mention a look at the updated NFC playoff standings:

Week 16 games to watch

Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) at Chicago Bears (10-4) — Saturday night

Rooting interest for Lions: This is the big one to watch this weekend. As we noted last week, the best outcome from the Packers-Bears series is for whoever won the first game to win the second matchup. A Packers win over the Bears helps Detroit’s playoff odds by breathing more meaning into that looming Week 18 finale in Chicago. A Bears victory, even when paired with a Lions win over Pittsburgh, sinks Detroit’s odds to 29% as it closes the window even further.

If the Lions lose to the Steelers and the Bears split the season series with the Packers, those chances plummet to only 3% for the final two games, per the NYT.

Los Angeles Rams (11-3) at Seattle Seahawks (11-3) — Thursday Night Football

Rooting interest for Lions: The Rams clinched their spot by beating the Lions on Sunday. Detroit’s only hope to catch the Seahawks is for them to lose out. If Seattle dropped three straight and the Lions finish 3-0, then Detroit would own the NFC record tiebreaker. The Lions’ best path to a playoff spot involves catching the Bears or Packers.

San Francisco 49ers (10-4) at Indianapolis Colts (8-6) — Monday Night Football

Rooting interest for Lions: Dust off those Philip Rivers jerseys for this one. The 49ers will be hard to catch, but any loss keeps a path alive for Detroit. As noted, the 49ers have the NFC record tiebreaker, meaning the Lions will have to finish better than San Francisco, winning their final three while the 49ers lose out. Not likely, but that’s where things stand.

Current NFC playoff picture

1. Los Angeles Rams (11-3, clinched playoff spot)

2. Chicago Bears (10-4)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (9-5)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)

5. Seattle Seahawks (11-3, wild card)

6. San Francisco 49ers (10-4, wild card)

7. Green Bay Packers (9-4-1, wild card)

In the hunt:

8. Detroit Lions (8-6)

9. Carolina Panthers (7-7)

10. Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1)