NFC North standings: Lions remain in control of first place

The obvious downside of losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday is that the Detroit Lions no longer have sole possession of first place in the NFC North. That's because the Chicago Bears survived a weather-delayed game against the Baltimore Ravens to win in overtime, putting the Lions in a first-place tie at 6-4. On top of that, Detroit missed out on a chance to pad its lead over the Green Bay Packers, which fell to the New York Giants on Sunday.

The NFC North standings now look like this following Sunday's results:

1. Detroit Lions (6-4)
2. Chicago Bears (6-4)
3. Green Bay Packers (5-5)
4. Minnesota Vikings (2-8)

The good news here is that the Lions still have control of the No. 3 seed in the NFC. We'll get to the full playoff picture on Tuesday, but the important thing is that the Lions own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Chicago thanks to their season sweep of the Bears. Despite having the same record, the Lions are currently the No. 3 seed and the Bears are currently all the way down at No. 8 in the NFC, two spots out of the playoffs.

Next week, the Bears are at the St. Louis Rams, whereas the Packers are at home against the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions, meanwhile, will play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To say the Lions need a win would be a mighty understatement. They need to ensure that they don't lose their spot atop the NFC North, especially with the Packers coming to town next week for Thanksgiving.

More from Pride Of Detroit:

• Jim Schwartz doesn't regret fake field goal call
• Sunday night open thread: Chiefs at Broncos
• Matthew Stafford breaks Lions' all-time passing record
• Lions at Steelers final score: Detroit collapses in second half in 37-27 loss
• 6-4