The Green Bay Packers are still in contention for the NFC North, but their chances are hanging by a thread.
Green Bay enters Week 17 in second place in the division behind the Chicago Bears and can stay alive for another week with a win over the Baltimore Ravens and a Chicago loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Thankfully, the Packers have already clinched their playoff berth after the Detroit Lions shockingly lost to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday. The Packers didn't need a Lions loss to clinch, however, and could have done so with a win over Baltimore on Saturday.
Interestingly enough, the same Lions loss that clinched a playoff spot for Green Bay could also hurt the Packers in the NFC North.
If the aforementioned scenario with the Packers and Bears unfolds this weekend, the Packers will need the Lions to defeat the Bears in Week 18 to have a chance to win the division. Of course, Green Bay has to beat the Vikings, also.
But the Lions now have nothing to play for because of the Week 17 loss.
As a result, it's not crazy to think the Lions could sit their starters for that game, and they have a few reasons to do so.
For starters, the Lions could protect their best players to ensure there's no injury in a meaningless game that impacts them for 2026.
Furthermore, the Lions, who are now in last place going into Week 18, can lock up a much more favorable last-place schedule for next season if they lose to the Bears next week.
As The Athletic's Colton Pouncy points out, the difference between a third- and fourth-place schedule is significant.
As things stand now, if the Lions finish in third place in the NFC North, they would be in line to play the Los Angeles Rams (11-4), Indianapolis Colts (8-7) and Washington Commanders (4-12).
The Rams aren't locked in to third place in the NFC West yet, but the other options are the 12-win Seattle Seahawks and the 11-win 49ers.
On the flip side, a fourth-place finish sets up meetings with the Arizona Cardinals (3-12), Tennessee Titans (3-12) and New York Giants (3-12).
Talk about a massive difference.
The Lions have every reason in the world to sit their best guys, but we could totally see head coach Dan Campbell giving us the rah-rah speech during the week and then playing everyone.
That would be a terrible decision by the Lions but great news for the Packers, assuming they're still in contention for the division when Week 18 rolls around.
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