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.
Chickens and geese that went missing from a local nonprofit’s Detroit site were found in the backyard of a nearby home, the director of operations said Wednesday.
The Full Circle Foundation, a Grosse Point Park-based nonprofit, said more than a dozen chickens and geese were believed stolen from a chicken coop on Detroit’s east side that also features the Full Circle Edible Garden.
The nonprofit provides training and job opportunities for young people with special needs.
Neighbors who learned from news reports about the missing flock found the “chickens were being held in the backyard of a vacant home not far from the Full Circle Edible Garden,” said Stephanie DiVirgil, director of operations. She said Ribbon Farm 4-H owns the flock.
“The homeowner was contacted, and she reached out to Full Circle to confirm,” said DiVirgil. “We were able to retrieve all of the chickens and geese that were found on the property, 19 in total.”
The foundation and Ribbon Farms 4-H are working to secure the site, including cameras, fencing and lights.
“We will likely start a fundraising campaign to have these items installed,” DiVirgil said. “We’ve gotten amazing support from the community, including offers to help pay for these additional security measures.”
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Human remains were found in a furnace of an home on Detroit’s west side, the Detroit Police Department tells us.
The remains was found by an individual working on the home in the 5200 block of S Clarendon just after 11 a.m.
Anyone with information can call 313-596-2260 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-SpeakUp.
Stay with WXYZ.com for updates on this developing story.
The Detroit Police Department is investigating after a 5-year-old child was shot in the arm near a park on Tuesday.
The shooting happened at about 8:50 p.m. near the Fargo-Oaklfield Playground on the city’s west side. Police Chief Todd Bettison says the child was in front of his home riding a bike with his father supervising at the time of the shooting.
Bettison says an individual at the park fired multiple shots, striking the child. He says the boy’s father reported hearing shots and the child falling from his bike.
Bettison says the child is expected to be OK.
Bettison says the person appears to have been firing shots randomly, which he calls “problematic.” He says a person of interest is described as possibly between 15 and 16 years old and wearing a mask. He says the person is known to frequent the area.
“When you fire a weapon, what goes up must go down,” Bettison said. “To parents and everyone, know where your kids are. Juveniles should not have guns, and whether you’re an adult or a child, you should not be firing a weapon inside of the city limits.”
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield released a statement, saying in part, “By the grace of God, this young boy will recover from his injury and is on his way home from the hospital. With that said, this incident was senseless and could have had a much more tragic ending.
“Every child in Detroit deserves to feel safe riding their bike, playing outside, and simply being a child in their own neighborhood. We cannot accept a reality where our children are placed in harm’s way because someone chose to recklessly fire a gun.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-Speak Up.
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