Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph has not played since a Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He practiced Monday, Dec. 1, in a knee brace.

To put it simply, going 3-2 down the stretch would require some monumental help, and even if they go 4-1 in those final five games, it will still be close.

There are losses still to be handed out in the NFC playoff race, and because Detroit has the opportunity to beat the Bears head-to-head—and maintain their primary head-to-head tiebreaker—they are the team Lions fans should be hoping to tank.

The first wave of Pro Bowl voting results has been released and a pair of Detroit Lions lead their respective positions. Right tackle Penei Sewell and linebacker Jack Campbell have garnered a significant amout of early votes for the 2026 Pro Bowl.

Campbell was reminiscing about the 2002 New York Giants and their scramble to make the playoffs. The Giants won their final four games that season to make the wild-card round, finishing 10-6 before a 39-38 wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Lions' WR1 suffered a low-ankle sprain early in the Week 13 loss to Green Bay, according to NFL Media. The injury can sideline a player for one to two weeks, but St. Brown is going to try to play through it. Remember, Detroit is already without tight end Sam LaPorta, so losing St. Brown could ground Jared Goff's offense.

It’s been a miserable week for Detroit Lions playoff odds. Based on the results of the four games already played in Week 14, the Lions’ playoff odds plummeted from 73% to 32%, according to the New York Times simulator. These three outcomes were incredibly harmful to Detroit’s postseason chances:

DETROIT -- Last year, the Detroit Lions went 15-2 and locked up the top seed in the NFC. This season, they are lucky to be above .500. After a 5-2 start, coach Dan Campbell's Lions have lost three of five and needed a 59-yard field goal from Jake Bates to avoid a home loss to the New York Giants.