We've reached Week 15 which means we've entered the final month of the NFL regular season.
Where do Detroit, Minnesota, Green Bay and Chicago stand in the division and the NFC playoff picture heading into the final four-game stretch? Let's take a look:
DETROIT
Record: 12-1
Current playoff seed: No. 1
Wins: Los Angeles Rams (26-20), Arizona (20-13), Seattle (42-29), Dallas (47-9), Minnesota (31-29), Tennessee (52-14), Green Bay (24-14), Houston (26-23), Jacksonville (52-6), Indianapolis (24-6), Chicago (23-20), Green Bay (34-31)
Loss: Tampa Bay (20-16)
Remaining opponents: vs. Buffalo (10-3), at Chicago (4-9), at San Francisco (6-7), vs. Minnesota (11-2)
Remaining opponent record: 31-21
Twentyman: The Lions control their own destiny heading into the last month of the season, which is an envious position to be in. A Week 15 matchup vs. Buffalo and Week 18 contest vs. Minnesota could end up being huge when it's all said and done and the teams line up for the playoffs.
The Lions have the No. 1 scoring offense in football and will lean on that unit down the stretch, much like they did against Green Bay last Thursday, as injured players start to trickle back into the lineup over the course of the next month. The Lions are the top team in the NFC, but Philadelphia and Minnesota refuse to give them any breathing room in the chase for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
View photos of the starters for the Buffalo Bills.
Head Coach: Sean McDermott
Offensive Coordinator: Joe Brady
Defensive Coordinator: Bobby Babich
Special Teams Coordinator: Matthew Smiley
(AP Photo/Ben VanHouten)
WR Mack Hollins
Backed up by Amari Cooper
(AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes)
LT Dion Dawkins
Backed up by Ryan Van Demark
(AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
LG David Edwards
Backed up by Alec Anderson and Will Clapp
(AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes)
C Connor McGovern
Backed up by Alec Anderson and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
(AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
RG O'Cyrus Torrence
Backed up by Alec Anderson
(AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes)
RT Spencer Brown
Backed up by Ryan Van Demark
(AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis)
TE Dalton Kincaid
Backed up by Dawson Knox and Quintin Morris
(AP Photo/Ben VanHouten)
QB Josh Allen
Backed up by Mitchell Trubisky
(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
RB James Cook
Backed up by Ty Johnson and Ray Davis
(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
FB Reggie Gilliam
(AP Photo/Matt Durisko)
WR Khalil Shakir
Backed up by Jalen Virgil
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
WR Keon Coleman
Backed up by Curtis Samuel
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
EDGE A.J. Epenesa
Backed up by Javon Solomon
(AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
DT Ed Oliver
Backed up by Jordan Phillips
(AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
DT DaQuan Jones
Backed up by Austin Johnson and Quinton Jefferson
(AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
EDGE Greg Rousseau
Backed up by Von Miller and Casey Toohill
(AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes)
WLB Dorian Williams
Backed up by Baylon Spector and Edefuan Ulofoshio
(AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
MLB Terrel Bernard
Backed up by Joe Andreessen
(AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
NCB Taron Johnson
Backed up by Cam Lewis
(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
CB Rasul Douglas
Backed up by Ja'Marcus Ingram
(AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
CB Christian Benford
Backed up by Kaiir Elam
(AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
S Taylor Rapp
Backed up by Cam Lewis
(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
S Damar Hamlin
Backed up by Cole Bishop
(AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes)
K Tyler Bass
(AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
P/H Sam Martin
(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
KR/PR Brandon Codrington
Backed up by Ty Johnson (KR)
(AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes)
LS Reid Ferguson
(AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
MINNESOTA
Record: 11-2
Current playoff seed: No. 5
Wins: New York Giants (28-6), San Francisco (23-17), Houston (34-7), Green Bay (31-29), New York Jets (23-17), Indianapolis (21-13), Jacksonville (12-7), Tennessee (23-13), Chicago (30-27), Arizona (23-22), Atlanta (42-21)
Losses: Detroit (31-29), Los Angeles Rams (30-20)
Remaining opponents: vs. Chicago (4-9), at Seattle (8-5), vs. Green Bay (9-4), at Detroit (12-1)
Remaining opponent record: 33-19
Twentyman: That was a decisive win for the Vikings Sunday over a then division-leading Falcons team as Minnesota has now run off six straight victories. Minnesota plays a good brand of complementary football. Road games at Seattle and Detroit with a home matchup vs. Green Bay mashed between in the final three weeks of the regular season is a tough stretch. Can the Vikings continue to find ways to win and keep the pressure on Detroit heading into that potentially monster Week 18 matchup?
GREEN BAY
Record: 9-4
Current playoff seed: No. 6
Wins: Indianapolis (16-10), Tennessee (30-14), LA Rams (24-19), Arizona (34-13), Houston (24-22), Jacksonville (30-27), Chicago (20-19), San Francisco (38-10), Miami (30-17)
Losses: Philadelphia (34-29), Minnesota (31-29), Detroit (24-14), Detroit (34-31)
Remaining opponents: at Seattle (8-5), vs. New Orleans (5-8), at Minnesota (11-2), vs. Chicago (4-9)
Remaining opponent record: 28-24
Twentyman: The loss to Detroit last week was a killer for the Packers' hopes of winning the NFC North, but Green Bay is pretty securely in the playoff picture with a month to go holding a one-game lead over Washington (8-5; No. 7 seed) and two-game lead over the Rams (7-6), who are currently the last team out in the NFC playoff picture. Green Bay owns the tiebreaker over the Rams. At this rate, it looks like the NFC North will have three of their four teams make the playoffs. It's been the toughest division in football all year.
CHICAGO
Record: 4-9
Current playoff seed: N/A
Wins: Tennessee (24-17), Los Angeles Rams (24-18), Carolina (36-10), Jacksonville (35-16)
Losses: Houston (19-13), Indianapolis (21-16), Washington (18-15), Arizona (29-9), New England (19-3), Green Bay (20-19), Minnesota (30-27), Detroit (23-20), San Francisco (38-13)
Remaining opponents: at Minnesota (11-2), vs. Detroit (12-1), vs. Seattle (8-5), at Green Bay (9-4)
Remaining opponent record: 40-12
Twentyman: The Bears were 4-2 at one point this season but they've lost seven straight. Though the playoffs seem out of reach at this point, Chicago can still play a big factor in what happens at the top of the conference with four games against current playoff teams in the NFC still on their slate, including a home game against the Lions Week 16.
