The Detroit Lions did what many fans wanted them to do and dropped the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. As a result, they will finish no lower than seventh in the current draft order.
As of the end of the 1 p.m. ET games on Sunday, the Lions sit alone as the NFL’s only 5-11 team. Though the 5-10 Broncos and Panthers could also drop to 5-11, they are unlikely to catch Detroit in the tiebreaker of strength of schedule.
That means only two teams are relevant to the Lions’ draft positions: the 4-11 Houston Texans and the 4-10-1 Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions will jump either of those teams if they win in the afternoon and late games.
The Texans face off against a solid Tennessee Titans. However, after the Dolphins’ loss to the Bills, the Titans already punched their ticket to the playoffs. They don’t have anything in particular to play for, so there’s always a chance for the Texans to pull the upset.
As for the Eagles, they can play spoiler to the Washington Football Team with a win on “Sunday Night Football.” Washington is in a win-and-in scenarios, while the Eagles have nothing to play for. That being said, Philly has been much more competitive with Jalen Hurts at quarterback, so there’s always a chance at an upset.
If both the Eagles and Texans win, the Lions will own the fifth pick in the NFL Draft.