Amon-Ra St. Brown talks Detroit Lions international game, Germany
Amon-Ra St. Brown said his mom, who is from Leverkusen, Germany, would request “50 or 60” tickets if the Detroit Lions played in Germany in 2026.
Will the Detroit Lions make the playoffs? What are the Lions’ playoff odds? Those are good questions entering Sunday’s Week 16 NFL action.
The Lions were roughly two minutes from controlling their own destiny on Saturday, with the Chicago Bears trailing the Green Bay Packers by seven and performing an onside kick. The Bears, however, recovered the ball and tied the game with 22 seconds left, then won it in overtime, 22-16, on a deep bomb from Caleb Williams to DJ Moore.
That means the Lions can win out and would still need help to make the playoffs in the form of one more loss from the Packers, either against Baltimore or Minnesota, OR a Bears loss at San Francisco next week. The Lions can still win the NFC North if both things happen and the Lions win out.
A Lions win Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field in Detroit would push their odds up to 41%.
Here’s a look at the NFC playoff picture, Lions playoff scenarios and odds.
Lions playoff scenarios
Here’s the latest Lions playoff odds and ways they can make it into the NFL playoffs in the 2025 season. They can still finish as the NFC’s 2-seed, 3-seed, 6-seed or 7-seed or miss the postseason.
Lions playoff odds
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Lions have a 29% chance of making the playoffs. If the Lions beat the Steelers on Sunday evening, their odds increase to 41%, per Next Gen Stats. A loss to the Steelers, though, would drop those odds down to a mere 6%.
NFC playoff standings
Here are the NFC standings entering Sunday’s games in Week 16, with playoff odds from NFL Next Gen Stats:
1. Seahawks, 12-3, clinched playoff berth2. Bears: 11-4, 94%3. Eagles: 10-5, clinched NFC East4. Buccaneers: 7-7, 81%5. Rams: 11-4, clinched playoff berth6. 49ers, 10-4, 98%7. Packers: 9-5-1, 79%*Lions: 8-6, 29%*Panthers: 7-7, 19%
*Currently out of playoffs
How Lions can make playoffs
Here are the Lions’ playoff scenarios after Saturday night’s Packers-Bears result:
If the Lions go 3-0 in their final three games and finish 11-6, they will make the playoffs if the Bears lose both their final games, including a loss to the Lions in Week 18. The Lions would also make the playoffs at 11-6 if the Packers lose once. … An 11-6 Lions team could also theoretically overtake the San Francisco 49ers for a wild-card spot, but that would require the 49ers to lose their final three games. San Francisco would win the tiebreaker due to a better conference record than the Lions.If the Lions go 2-1 in their final three games and finish 10-7, they will have a very difficult time making the playoffs. If that loss is to Chicago, they’re eliminated, unless the Packers lose their final two games to finish 9-7-1.If the Lions go 1-2 or 0-3 in their final three games and finish 9-8 or 8-9, they will miss the playoffs.Lions schedule next gameWeek 16, Sunday, Dec. 21: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 4:25 p.m., CBS.Week 17, Thursday, Dec. 25: at Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 p.m., Netflix.Week 18, Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 3-4: at Chicago Bears, TBD.Bears schedule next gameWeek 17, Sunday, Dec. 28: at San Francisco 49ers, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC.Week 18, Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 3-4: vs Detroit Lions, TBD.Packers schedule next gameWeek 17, Saturday, Dec. 27: vs Baltimore Ravens, 8 p.m., Peacock.Week 18, Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 3-4: at Minnesota Vikings, TBD.When do NFL playoffs start?The wild-card round is Jan. 10-12, with two games Saturday, three Sunday and one on Monday night.NFL playoffs scheduleWild-card round: Jan. 10-12.Divisional round: Jan. 17-18.Conference championships: Jan. 25.Super Bowl 60: Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.
Need to catch up on the news during your lunch break? Sign up for our Sports Briefing newsletter to get daily summaries of Detroit sports!Â