Field Level Media
There were plenty of days this season when the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers had no compelling reason to believe the playoffs were in the cards in the regular-season finale.
The Lions lost six of their first seven games. The Packers entered last month with a 4-8 record.
Both teams are now 8-8, tied with Seattle for the final wild-card berth entering a showdown in Green Bay on Sunday night.
Only the Packers control their own destiny. It's a "win and they're in" situation for the home team, while the Lions need a Seahawks loss along with a win over their NFC North rival to reach the postseason.