It’s all still to play for in the NFC North this season, with just two wins separating the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears heading into Sunday’s gamesMichael Strahan has offered his opinionMichael Strahan has offered his opinion(Image: Getty Images)

Michael Strahan believes the Detroit Lions might miss out on this year’s NFL Playoffs.

The Lions, who were expected to be in the playoffs at the start of the season, suffered a 31-24 defeat to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving to slip to 7-5 for the year. Detroit is now third in the NFC North, behind the 9-3 Chicago Bears and 8-3-1 Packers.

If the Lions fail to win the NFC North, they’ll be dependent on a Wild Card spot to make the playoffs. But they’re projected to miss out, with the Packers, 8-3 Seattle Seahawks, and 8-4 San Francisco 49ers currently occupying those three spots in the NFC.

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Strahan, a Super Bowl winner with the New York Giants, was asked who out of the Bears, Packers, and Lions would win the NFC North during an appearance on FOX NFL Sunday. He replied: “Detroit could be the odd man out. I’m worried about them.”

Heading into Sunday, the NFC’s division leaders are the Bears, 9-2 Los Angeles Rams, 8-4 Philadelphia Eagles, and 6-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 2-10 New York Giants are the only team eliminated from postseason contention, but it’s fair to say the 2-9 New Orleans Saints won’t be in the playoffs this season.

The Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals are also struggling, boasting just three wins each, while the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings find themselves on four wins each. The 6-5-1 Dallas Cowboys and 6-6 Carolina Panthers remain in the hunt.

The Detroit Lions are strugglingThe Detroit Lions are struggling(Image: Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Over in the AFC, the 10-2 New England Patriots, 9-2 Denver Broncos, 8-3 Indianapolis Colts, and 6-5 Pittsburgh Steelers are leading the divisions. The Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills are all in contention for a Wild Card spot with seven wins each.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the form of the Kansas City Chiefs, who find themselves in danger of missing the playoffs after a 6-6 start. The Tennessee Titans boast the worst record in the NFL, as they sit at 1-10, but are not eliminated from the postseason yet.

Detroit’s head coach, Dan Campbell, admitted the Lions were in “a little bit of a hole” after slipping to 7-5. He said on Thanksgiving: “Like I told the team, ‘It’s frustrating, I know. We’ve got a lot to be thankful for even after a loss.’

“And look, we’ve dug ourselves a little bit of a hole, that’s the bottom line. We are in a little bit of a hole, but that’s just what it is. There’s nothing more than that.

“So all we’ve got to do is worry about cleaning up this and then getting to the next game and finding a way to win the next one in front of us.”

On his team’s loss to Green Bay, Campbell added: “Ultimately, look, we didn’t win the game. But as far as the way that I wanted to play that game offensively, that was the vision I had for it. We just got to convert.

“Those first two series that we had, we’ve got to find a way to convert on third [down] and then the fourth downs.

“So you’re talking about two or three plays, ultimately, against a good team, in that moment that made the difference.”