The Lions saw their three-game winning streak end in Carolina on Saturday. After being routed by the Panthers 37-23, the the Lions fell to 7-8 after Week 16.
Detroit had plenty of momentum toward an NFC wild-card berth before Week 16, but the team falling back under .500 hurts its already limited chances of making the playoffs.
Here's breaking down where the Lions currently stand in the NFL playoff picture:
MORE: Updated AFC, NFC playoff picture for Week 16 of 2022 season
Lions playoff picture
The Lions remain the No. 9 team in the NFC despite the loss. They failed to make up ground on the No. 7 Commanders (7-7-1), who still hold the final wild-card spot after they lost at San Francisco, and the No. 8 Seahawks (7-8), who lost at Kansas City.
Behind them, the No. 10 Packers (7-8) pulled even with their win at Miami on Sunday. The No.11 Panthers (6-9) also picked up a game head-to-head vs. the Lions.
What playoff tiebreakers are in the Lions' favor?
The Lions beat the Commanders at home (Week 2) and the No. 6 Giants (8-6-1) on the road (Week 11), but those head-to-head tiebreakers won't come into play unless the Lions tie in one of their final two games.
The Lions, however, lost to the Seahawks on the road (in Week 4). They did beat the Packers at home (in Week 9), but they have a rematch with that team in Green Bay in Week 18.
MORE: Explaining of NFL's tiebreakers work for playoff picture
Lions' remaining schedule
The Lions, before playing the Packers in the regular-season finale, get a favorable division matchup at home vs. the Bears in Week 17. There's a fair chance to rebound from the Panthers loss to close the season with two consecutive victories to get to 9-8.
Can the Lions still make the playoffs?
The Lions were looking at a 30 percent chance to make the playoffs before losing to the Panthers. They are down to less than 20 percent because they missed a huge opportunity to get into playoff position and also opened the door for the Packers.
