The Detroit Lions have already been eliminated from playoff contention for the 2025 season, so there is no remaining scenario where they can still get in.

What already happened

  • The Lions lost to the Minnesota Vikings 23–10 on Christmas, which officially knocked them out of the playoff race.
  • That loss also clinched a playoff spot for the Green Bay Packers, closing the final wild-card door the Lions were chasing.
  • Updated playoff projections now list Detroit with a 0% chance to make the postseason for 2025.

What they needed before elimination

Right before that Vikings game, Detroit was hanging on with one narrow path:

  • Win their final two games (at Vikings in Week 17 and at Bears in Week 18) to finish 10–7.
  • Have the Packers lose their final two games (vs. Ravens and at Vikings), so Green Bay would finish behind them in the wild-card race.

Because they lost in Minnesota, that whole scenario collapsed and the Packers locked in the wild-card spot instead.

Why there’s no “miracle” path

  • The Lions could only qualify as the No. 7 seed; they had no remaining path to the division title.
  • With their eighth loss and the Packers clinching, every tiebreaker or standings path that might have helped Detroit is now off the board.

So if you’re asking right now what they need to make the playoffs: the answer is that the window is already closed for this season, and they’re officially out.

Meta description:
Wondering what do the Lions need to make the playoffs? For the 2025 season, they’ve already been eliminated after their loss to the Vikings and the Packers clinching the final NFC wild-card spot.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.