Heading into Week 15, both the New York Giants and Detroit Lions share a regular season record of 9-4 with just three games remaining in the 2016 season. As of now, the Giants have the No. 1 Wild Card spot, whereas the Lions are sitting atop the NFC North. Neither team, however, are completely guaranteed a playoff spot, not yet anyways.
New York Giants and Detroit Lions Making a Playoff Push
With both teams at 9-4, it puts them in terrific position to clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win on Sunday along with a combination of losses from other teams who are still vying for a playoff spot themselves in the NFC.
The last three weeks of the regular season might as well be playoff games for both the Giants and Lions. With help from a five-game winning streak, Detroit now holds a two-game advantage over the second place Minnesota Vikings (7-6) and Green Bay Packers (7-6). Fortunately for the Lions, they hold the tie-breaker with Minnesota, but they lost to the Packers 34-27 in Week Four. This makes their Week 17 matchup with Green Bay crucial, especially if both teams finish the regular season with identical records.
The schedule is Detroit’s biggest enemy at the moment. The same could be said about the New York Giants as well. After facing the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, the Lions will head to Texas where they’ll face the Dallas Cowboys (11-2) before returning home to take on their divisional rival, the Green Bay Packers, who all of a sudden are playing like the Packers of old. The Packers recent play could have something to do with Aaron Rodgers and his MVP caliber play.
The Giants schedule isn’t what you’d call a cake walk either. After taking on the Lions Sunday, the G-Men will close out the regular season on the road against divisional opponents. To make it even more difficult for the Giants in Week 16, they’ll be playing on short rest, as they’ll have to play the Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) on Thursday Night. Big Blue will finish their regular season at FedEx Field against the Washington Redskins (7-5-1) who defeated the Giants 29-27 in Week Four.
According to simulations conducted by FiveThirtyEight.com, the Detroit Lions have an 84% chance of making the playoffs, a 76% chance of winning the NFC North and only a 5% chance of winning Super Bowl LI.
Those same simulations show that the New York Giants have an 75% chance of making the playoffs, only a 5% chance of winning the NFC East and just a 2% chance of winning Super Bowl LI.
Despite what these projections might show, every Giants fan knows that if you get Eli Manning in the playoffs, anything can happen. Like winning a Super Bowl or two.
