It’s been quite some time since we checked in with Detroit Lions fans regarding their opinion of general manager Brad Holmes. The last time we polled our audience was almost exactly a year ago, following the team’s 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, those poll results were lost to time (and a migration to a new content management system at SB Nation).
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions Week 14 rooting guide: Chances at 1 seed could skyrocket Sunday
Oh man, how good does this mini-bye feel? After the Detroit Lions played three games in 11 days—winning all three—they’ve had the entire weekend off. That will continue on Sunday, as Lions fans, players, and coaches can just ride the couch all day and watch the rest of Week 14 unfold.
That said, the results of Sunday’s game will certainly have an impact on the Lions’ future. The Lions have failed to create any space atop the NFC and NFC North thanks to the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles, who just seem to be incapable of losing right now.
Could this be the week that it finally happens, and the Lions inch closer to claiming the division and the NFC top seed?
Let’s take a look at our Week 14 rooting guide and what it could mean for the Lions’ postseason journey.
The only two games that really matter:
Falcons (6-6) at Vikings (10-2) — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Root for: Falcons
The good news here is the Falcons are a desperate team, barely holding a lead over the 6-6 Buccaneers for the NFC South’s top spot. They need this game, so hopefully they can finally knock the Vikings off their five-game winning streak and give Detroit a huge extra-game lead in the division.
Panthers (3-9) at Eagles (10-2) — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Who to root for: Panthers
This one feels a little more unlikely. That said, the Panthers are playing much better football right now than they were earlier in the season. Bryce Young looks capable, and in back-to-back weeks, they nearly pulled off monster upsets over the Chiefs and Buccaneers. This week, they’re 13.5-point underdogs, though. So don’t get your hope too high.
There are only two other teams who can mathematically catch the Lions: The Packers and the Commanders. Green Bay already lost this week, and Washington is on a bye. So that’s really it for the rooting guide. I could theoretically dig deep into tiebreakers and pick outcomes that would favor Detroit’s strength of victories, record in common games, etc., but we’re a bit too far away from that mattering yet.
You could make an argument to root for Bears over 49ers, because that could help knock San Francisco out of the playoff race prior to their Week 17 game against Detroit. Plus it also hurts Chicago’s draft spot.
But let’s just look at what the playoff situation would look like for Detroit with these two primary outcomes:
NFC North
- Lions: 12-1
- Vikings: 10-3
- Packers: 9-4
- Bears: Hopefully 5-8
In this scenario, the Lions would be on the verge of clinching the division. I don’t believe they’d have any Week 15 clinching scenarios, but they could certainly clinch before the Week 18 game between the Lions and Vikings. Per the New York Times playoff simulator, this outcome would give the Lions a 97 percent chance to win the division.
NFC Playoff picture:
- Lions: 12-1
- Eagles: 10-3
3-16: Everyone else
With an Eagles and Vikings loss, the Lions’ odds to win the No. 1 seed would go from 83% to 95%, per the NYT. That’s a massive jump and would give Detroit some breathing room—which could be necessary given their tough remaining schedule.
4Warn Weather – SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy skies. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. A few storms could be strong with gusty winds and hail. High: 71.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy skies, becoming partly cloudy skies late. Low: 45.
SUNDAY (MOTHER’S DAY): Mix of sunshine and clouds, cooler temperatures. High: 61.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Another chilly night. Low: 41.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny skies, remaining chilly. High: 58.
After a beautiful end to the week on Friday with sunshine and a little cloud cover, with warmer temperatures moving into the region as well, some of us are waking up to some patchy dense fog on Saturday morning. Some places south of M-59 are seeing reduced visibilities down to around a mile. If you do run into some patchy dense fog, be sure to use your low beams.
That warming trend continues into the start of the weekend on Saturday, but it also brings a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Another cold front will work through the region by Saturday afternoon and early Saturday evening and that will bring our thunderstorm chance. High temperature is warming into low 70s by Saturday afternoon.
The Storm Prediction Center has placed most of the region under a Marginal Risk (1 out of 5) on our severe weather scale for the start of the weekend. Gusty winds and hail are the primary threats as we work through the start of the weekend, but this will not be a widespread threat for severe thunderstorms.
Behind that cold front for the end of the weekend on Sunday, we will keep a mixture of sunshine and clouds into the forecast. High temperatures running about 10 to 15° cooler to end the weekend. Expect high to warm into the upper 50s to lower 60s by Sunday afternoon.
Drier weather sticks around for the start of next week, before another chance of rain moves into the region by the time we get to Tuesday. The cooler-than-average temperatures will continue into the start of next week as well. Expect high temperatures to remain in the 50s for Monday and Tuesday.
Temperature start to warm up by the middle of next week, and Drier weather moves back in by Wednesday behind another cold front moving into the region. Expect high temperatures into the lower 60s on Wednesday to warm into the upper 60s by the time we get to Thursday. Above average temperatures move back into the region as we look ahead into the end of the week, expect high temperatures back into the lower 70s by the time we get to Friday.
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But as you can see below, Holmes has been an extremely popular figure among Detroit sports fans for pretty much his entire career.
Although, if there was a time when Holmes’ popularity took a hit, it was likely during the 2025 NFL season, when the Lions took their first clear step back since he and Dan Campbell came to town.
Since last year’s data was lost to time, this is a good opportunity to check back in with Lions fans. While Holmes certainly deserves a ton of credit for getting the Lions back to relevancy and helping them produce four consecutive seasons with winning records, there are some serious blemishes on his resumé now. The 2024 NFL Draft class has not lived up to his high standards through two seasons, some of his riskiest picks over the last few years have all failed to pay off, and last year’s roster just wasn’t good enough to withstand the injuries.
But Holmes is also coming off a very crowd-pleasing draft. Detroit addressed their two biggest needs with their first two selections, and there were no crazy head-scratching picks or expensive trade ups. Many have categorized his latest draft as “back to business as usual,” which could have some fans he lost back on his side.
However, that is all up to you. Vote on your thoughts about Holmes’ time in Detroit below, and share your extended thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
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