Trailing by 10 points with 5:03 remaining, the Chicago Bears rallied back to force overtime thanks to an onside kick that the Bears’ Josh Blackwell recovered inside the final two minutes of regulation.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams connected with Jahdae Walker with :24 remaining in the fourth quarter to take the game into overtime. Then, Williams and the Bears walked it off in overtime with Williams’ 46-yard touchdown strike to DJ Moore for a 22-16 Chicago victory.
With the win, Chicago improves to 11-4 and Green Bay falls to 9-5-1. With Detroit at 8-6 entering Sunday’s date against the Pittsburgh Steelers, what does the result mean for the Lions?
Detroit Lions’ playoff chances
The Lions no longer control their own playoff destiny after the Bears’ overtime rally over the Packers. With a Week 18 date at Chicago still remaining on Detroit’s schedule, the Lions would have controlled at least an NFC wild card berth by winning out had the Packers toppled the Bears.
Now, what does the Lions’ updated playoffs picture look like?
Detroit Lions’ playoff scenarios
Per Next Gen Stats, the Lions enter Sunday with a 29% chance to reach the playoffs. With a win, that number jumps up to 41%. If Detroit loses to Pittsburgh, its odds to reach the postseason would plummet to just 6%.
Here’s a look at the Lions’ current scenarios to reach the playoffs after the Week 16 results so far:
Here’s a look at everyone’s remaining schedules for the teams directly tied to the Lions’ playoff hopes:
Detroit Lions: vs. Pittsburgh, at Minnesota, at Chicago
Chicago Bears: at San Francisco, vs. Detroit
Green Bay Packers: vs. Baltimore, at Minnesota
San Francisco 49ers: at Indianapolis, vs. Chicago, vs. Seattle
Detroit Lions’ path to winning the NFC North title
In addition to those playoff scenarios, there’s one scenario that would have the Lions capture a third-straight NFC North title.
Detroit wins the NFC North if the Lions win out combined with Chicago losing at San Francisco next week and Green Bay losing to either Baltimore or Minnesota.
Current NFC standings
Division Leaders
Wild Card Leaders
In The Hunt
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions’ playoff chances: How Bears’ stunner vs. Packers impacts Detroit
Reporting by Josh Helmer, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
