Story by
Who owns tiebreaker between Lions, Eagles, Vikings for No. 1 seed in NFC playoffs
- Story by
- Who owns tiebreaker between Lions, Eagles, Vikings for No. 1 seed in NFC playoffs
The Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles are tied for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture after Week 15 of the 2024 season .
Who owns the tiebreaker between the Eagles and Lions ?
And what about the race between the Lions and Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North Division?
Advertisement
The Lions had their franchise-record 11-game winning streak snapped in Sunday's 48-42 loss at home to the Buffalo Bills , while the Eagles cracked the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-13 , in Philly. The Vikings play on Monday night vs. the Chicago Bears .
MITCH ALBOM: Lions left gasping by Josh Allen and the Bills
Here's how the playoff race for a first-round bye currently stands, according to NFL tiebreaking procedures .
Who owns tiebreaker between Eagles and Lions for No. 1 seed?
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff runs for a first down against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024.
The Lions entered Sunday in Week 15 at 75% to earn the conference's lone first-round bye and homefield throughout the NFC playoffs, according to ESPN projections .
Advertisement
That dropped to 61% after Sunday's loss to the Bills coupled with an Eagles win, according to the New York Times playoff projection . The Eagles have a 31% chance at a bye and the Vikings are at 8% before Monday's game.
The Lions and Eagles did not meet this season and are not in the same division, which means conference record is the next tiebreaker. The Lions have one conference loss (to Tampa Bay), while the Eagles have two (to Atlanta and Tampa Bay).
Therefore, the Lions will take the No. 1 seed if they win out over the season's final three games.
The Vikings also would likely own the tiebreaker over the Eagles if both teams win out due to strength of victory — the fourth tiebreak among two teams from different divisions.
Advertisement
What is the Eagles schedule for the rest of the season?
The Eagles can clinch the NFC East with a win in Week 16 at Washington (9-5), then host division games against the Dallas Cowboys (6-8) in Week 17 and New York Giants (2-12) in Week 18. The Eagles have already beaten all three teams this season.
What is the Lions schedule for the rest of the season?
The Lions play at the Chicago Bears (4-9, who play at Minnesota on Monday) in Week 16, at the San Francisco 49ers (6-8) in Week 17 on Monday night and home vs. the Vikings (11-2) in Week 18.
ANALYSIS: If this was a playoff test for the Lions, they failed where it counted most
Advertisement
NFC North tiebreaker
The NFC North could come down to the final week, when the Vikings visit the Lions in Week 18 at Ford Field in Detroit.
The Lions won the first game over the Vikings, 31-29, in Minneapolis in Week 7, and hold the tiebreaker currently. The Vikings have one loss in the division (they also lost to the Los Angeles Rams ), while the Lions have zero — that's the second tiebreak for division foes.
If both teams win out or lose the same number of games, they'd be tied entering the finale.
What is the Vikings schedule for the rest of the season?
The Vikings have four games left: they host the Bears on Monday Night Football, visit Seattle (8-6) in Week 16, host Green Bay (10-4) in Week 17, then visit Detroit in Week 18.
Advertisement
NFL tiebreaker procedures and scenarios
To break a tie within a division between two clubs, the following steps occur until a champion is crowned. There are 12 steps in total , with the final one a coin toss. Here are the first six, which typically is enough to settle it:
-
Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
-
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
-
Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
-
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
-
Strength of victory in all games.
-
Strength of schedule in all games.
Here are tiebreaking procedures for two clubs from different divisions. There are 11 steps , with the final one being a coin toss if no winner is determined. Here are the first five steps:
-
Head-to-head, if applicable.
-
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
-
Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
-
Strength of victory in all games.
-
Strength of schedule in all games.
NFC playoff picture in Week 15
Here are the NFC playoff seeds and standings after Sunday's games and entering Monday's doubleheader .
-
Lions 12-2
-
Eagles 12-2
-
Buccaneers 8-6
-
Rams 8-6
-
Vikings 11-2
-
Packers 10-4
-
Commanders 9-5
The wild-card round is Jan. 11-13, with the 2-seed vs. the 7-seed, 3-seed vs. 6-seed and 4-seed vs. 5-seed. The lowest remaining seed (team with worst record) will visit the No. 1 seed in the divisional round Jan. 18 or 19, leaving the second- and third-best teams to play each other in the other matchup.
Advertisement
The conference championship is Jan. 26 at the higher seed's home stadium.
Super Bowl 59 is Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans . The Lions are the only NFC team never to appear in the ultimate game .
Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram ( @detroitfreepress ), TikTok ( @detroitfreepress ), YouTube ( @DetroitFreePress ), X ( @freep ), and LinkedIn , and like us on Facebook ( @detroitfreepress ).
Stay connected and stay informed. Become a Detroit Free Press subscriber to read daily Lions analysis from Dave Birkett, Mitch Albom, Shawn Windsor, Jeff Seidel and Carlos Monarrez all year long.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions and Eagles tiebreaker for 1 seed in NFC playoffs
