Matt Patricia Delays Lions Playoff Berth
The Detroit Lions will have to wait to clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs until at least Sunday after the Philadelphia Eagles dropped Monday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks.
A late touchdown pass from Drew Lock to Jaxon Smith-Njigba gave the Seahawks the lead, and Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts threw an interception on the Eagles' final drive.
An infamous figure was at the center of Philadelphia's late defensive collapse, as Monday was the first game for former Lions coach Matt Patricia calling plays for the Eagles' defense.
Patricia is a familiar name for Lions fans, as he held the head coach role for two and a half seasons. He finished 13-29-1 as head coach and was fired late in the 2020 season, with the Lions hiring Dan Campbell to replace him.
Now, the Lions can clinch a playoff spot as well as the NFC North division title with a win over the Minnesota Vikings Saturday. Since the beginning of the season, the Lions have held winning the division as their primary goal for the 2023 campaign.
"We came into this (year) saying we’ve got to win this division,” Campbell said. “That’s the goal, and that’s where it is. If something happens between now and then, hey that’s all good, but that is our focus. We talked about that this morning as a team. That was the focus when we entered it and that is still the focus.”
The Lions now control their own destiny in the NFL playoff race for the NFC's No. 2 seed. Winning their final three games of the season would give them that seed, as it would mean they defeated Dallas in their upcoming Week 17 meeting.
If they finish the season 13-4, they would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cowboys as well as a better record than the Eagles in games against common opponents.
A division title would be the organization's first since 1993.
