Detroit Lions get huge assist from Bears, remain in firm control of division

ead coach Dan Campbell celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown during a game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on November 19, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/)

– The Detroit Lions got a huge assist from the Chicago Bears on Monday night to remain in firm control of the NFC North Division.

The Bears went into Minnesota for Monday Night Football and put together a 10-play, 66-yard field goal drive to take the lead with 10 seconds remaining. The Vikings couldn’t pull off a miracle in the final moments, and they fell to 6-6 on the season.

Lions fans are still feeling the bitter disappointment of losing to the division-rival Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day, but this should at least soften the blow a bit.

With the Vikings’ loss, Detroit maintains a three-game lead in the loss column over both the Vikings and Packers. That feels a whole lot safer than being just two games up heading into a tougher portion of the schedule.

By losing to a division rival, Minnesota also surrendered its advantage in a potential tiebreaker scenario - at least for now.

Unfortunately, the loss to the Packers probably eliminated the Lions from any chance to compete for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Philadelphia Eagles have taken down the Cowboys, Chiefs, and Bills in consecutive weeks to improve to 10-1, and even if they did lose twice more down the stretch, the Lions likely aren’t finishing with six straight wins.

So now the attention turns back to the division race, which could give the Lions their first ever playoff game at Ford Field. Would it be nice to finish ahead of the San Francisco 49ers and also host a potential second-round game? Absolutely. But for now, the focus is on righting the ship in the division.

Thanks to Chicago, the Lions can head to New Orleans this weekend with a little bit more breathing room.