The Detroit Lions are the hottest team in the league.
They defeated the Green Bay Packers in a close game on Thursday Night Football to win their 11th straight game.
With the win on Thursday Night Football, the Detroit Lions are the first team in the NFC to clinch a playoff spot.
Below, we look at the Thursday Night Football contest and whether the Lions must remain first in the NFC to make it to the Super Bowl.
Thursday Night Football: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions Recap
The Detroit Lions narrowly defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-31 in a very good Thursday Night Football contest.
Despite an excellent rushing attack, both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs struggled to get going on the ground. Montgomery had 51 rushing yards on 14 carries and Gibbs had 43 rushing yards on 15 rush attempts.
Even star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown was held in check, recording five catches and 43 receiving yards.
It was a balanced effort on offense for the Detroit Lions. Jameson Williams led the team with five catches and 80 receiving yards. Sam LaPorta had five catches and 54 receiving yards. Tim Patrick had six catches, 43 receiving yards, and two receiving TDs. David Montgomery had five catches and 33 receiving yards. Jahmyr Gibbs had six catches, 30 receiving yards, and a receiving TD.
Jordan Love only attempted 20 passes on the night and had 206 passing yards and one passing TD. While Josh Jacobs scored three rushing TDs, the Lions still held him in check. Jacobs had 18 rush attempts but only managed 66 rushing yards. Christian Watson had four catches and 114 receiving yards. No other player had more than 50 receiving yards on the night for the Packers.
The game came down to a 4th & 1 play with just over 40 seconds left from the Green Bay 21-yard line. Instead of kicking a field goal, the Detroit Lions went for it and David Montgomery got seven yards for a first down. They drained the clock and called timeout with two seconds left. Jake Bates nailed a 35-yard field goal attempt to win the game.
Not only did the field goal win the game but clinched the Detroit Lions a playoff spot.
Do The Lions Need Home Field Advantage In The Playoffs?
The Detroit Lions are first in the NFC with a 12-1 record. Philadelphia is 10-2 with a week 14 home game against the Carolina Panthers. The Eagles are massive favorites and should be 11-2 after week 14.
Detroit needs home-field advantage much more than Philly does. Jared Goff struggles on the road and in poor weather conditions. He will not perform well if he has to play in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia matches up with any team well and can win any kind of game. Philadelphia can go into Detroit and defeat them while it will be more difficult for the Lions to beat Philly on the road. If the Eagles can finish first in the NFC and have home-field advantage in the postseason, they would be the favorites to win the Super Bowl.
The Lions have a challenging remaining schedule. They are home against Buffalo in week 15 followed by two road games against the Bears and 49ers then a home matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in week 18.
Philadelphia is at home for their next two games which are against the Panthers and Steelers. Then they’ll be on the road in week 16 against Washington. The Eagles will be at home in weeks 17 and 18, taking on the Cowboys and Giants.
Philadelphia can easily run the table in their final five games while the Lions have a much more challenging schedule. Detroit’s final game against the Vikings could wind up being for first place in the NFC North.
If Detroit ends up being first in the NFC and can hold their lead over Philly, the Lions will be favored to make it out of the NFC. However, if the Eagles end up first in the NFC, Philly would be favored to make it to the Super Bowl.
The Detroit Lions need to finish first in the NFC to have the best chance of making it to the Super Bowl.
