The Lions entered Saturday's game against the Panthers with a 48 percent of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight.com. They emerged with a 23 percent chance.
Their dream isn't dead, but the Lions will need help to bring it back to life.
Detroit will make the playoffs if it wins its last two games against Chicago and Green Bay, and Seattle and Washington both lose one of their last two games. The Seahawks host the Jets and the Rams, the Commanders host the Browns and the Cowboys.
The Lions (7-8) got the help they needed on Saturday when the Chiefs beat the Seahawks (7-8) and the 49ers beat the Commanders (7-7-1). But they failed to handle their own business in a blowout loss to the Panthers (6-9), who now have better playoff odds than the Lions by virtue of playing in the weak NFC South.
Detroit could also sneak into the playoffs by splitting its last two games if both Seattle and Washington lose out. But obviously, the Lions' best path to the postseason is by going 2-0 to finish 9-8. If they do that, they'll have a 69 percent chance of getting in, without regard to other results.
"We’ll be ready for Chicago," Campbell said Saturday. "That’s what’s going to happen. I’ll make sure they’re ready to go."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker