Playoff Standings: Lions In Tough Battle For No. 1 Seed

The Lions still control their own destiny for top NFC seed.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (9) shakes hands with Hip-hop artist Flavor Flav. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions have officially clinched a playoff spot. Now, their attention turns to claiming the top seed in the NFC and home-field advantage for the postseason.

Detroit is on an 11-game win streak, and yet their advantages for the top seed and in the NFC North are just one game. The Philadelphia Eagles remain in close pursuit at 11-2, while the Minnesota Vikings are also just a game back for both the division and the top seed.

It won't get easier for the Lions, as they host the Buffalo Bills this week in a game that could be a potential Super Bowl preview. Detroit also has road games at Chicago and San Francisco on the schedule before returning home to take on the Vikings in a game that could have major divisional and playoff seeding implications.

Detroit is locked into a top-two seed, as it has a four-game advantage over the third-place Seahawks along with the head-to-head tiebreaker after defeating them in Week 4. However, the Lions will need to either win out or get at least one more loss from Philadelphia and Minnesota to earn home-field advantage and a first-round bye.

The Lions could also earn the top seed over Philadelphia with two wins and have the Eagles lose to an NFC opponent. The Eagles have Washington and Dallas still on their schedule after a Week 15 game against Pittsburgh.

More: How Jared Goff Factored Into Lions Late Fourth-Down Decision

The bye afforded to the top seed in each conference would be pivotal for the Lions, as it would give them a week of rest and an additional week for some of their injured players to potentially get healthy.

#Lions 2024 Playoff Odds dependent on every outcome in the final four weeks per NY Times#OnePride pic.twitter.com/mqIB0ga4k9

— ʟɪᴏɴ ᴋɪɴɢ (@LionsRoyalty) December 9, 2024

Here's a look at the updated NFC playoff picture ahead of Week 15.

1.) Lions (12-1)

2.) Eagles (11-2)

3.) Seahawks (8-5)

4.) Buccaneers (7-6)

5.) Vikings (11-2)

6.) Packers (9-4)

7.) Commanders (8-5)