The Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving Day loss at home to the Green Bay Packers has added more intrigue to an NFC North race that they looked to be running away with.
The Minnesota Vikings’ Sunday Night Football defeat in Denver put the Lions in a commanding position going into Thursday’s game, but they fluffed their lines on the holiday and now find themselves 8-3, two games ahead of the 6-5 Vikings.
If the Vikings beat the Chicago Bears Monday they will go into the Week 13 bye 7-5, knowing they still have two games to play against the Lions.
Detroit meanwhile will have to negotiate a tricky trip to New Orleans in Week 13 to face a team that’s also battling for a playoffs spot.
And while the Vikings are chasing down Detroit, don’t discount the Packers either, with Thursday’s win moving them to 5-6, just one place out a Wild Card spot.
Here’s a look at the remaining schedules:
VIKINGS
Week 12 – v. Chicago Bears
Week 13 – BYE
Week 14 – @ Las Vegas Raiders
Week 15 – @ Cincinnati Bengals
Week 16 – v. Detroit Lions
Week 17 – v. Green Bay Packers
Week 18 – @ Lions
LIONS
Week 13 – @ New Orleans Saints
Week 14 – @ Chicago Bears
Week 15 – v. Denver Broncos
Week 16 – @ Minnesota Vikings
Week 17 – @ Dallas Cowboys
Week 18 – v. Vikings
PACKERS
Week 13 – v. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 14 – @ New York Giants
Week 15 – v. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 16 – @ Carolina Panthers
Week 17 – @ Minnesota Vikings
Week 18 – v. Chicago Bears
Looking at the remaining games it’s easy to argue that the Lions have the toughest run-in, with four out of their six remaining games on the road with all of them carrying the potential for a loss, while their home games against the Broncos and Vikings no gimmes either.
The Packers have a tough home game against the Chiefs but then three eminently winnable games against the Giants, Bucs and Panthers before the visit to U.S. Bank Stadium, and could conceivably find themselves at 8-7 when they face the Vikings.
The Vikings meanwhile, should they beat the Bears on Monday, will come out of the bye on the road to two teams using backup quarterbacks in the Raiders and Bengals, before two home games against their NFC North rivals that are increasingly looking crucial for the playoff picture.
