The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints on Saturday damaged their playoff chances but helped the Detroit Lions'.
Due to the Bucs’ loss, the Lions (9-5) can clinch a playoff berth by defeating the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
The Buccaneers’ loss locked up the NFC South title for the Atlanta Falcons (10-5) and ensured a wild card for the New York Giants (10-5). Now Tampa Bay (8-7) must win the season finale against Carolina and hope for losses by Washington (vs. Giants) and Green Bay (vs. Lions) next week. If that happens, a complicated tiebreaker based on strength of victories will decide the final playoff spot between the Bucs and Packers.