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How many are watching the Lions cling to their playoff hopes against the Vikings? Eight NFC teams are playing in the early games, but it's mostly the bad ones. Only two of the projected playoff teams (Saints and Falcons) are in action.
The Lions are on the outside of the playoff picture, and they need to win some games. I like that ESPN's playoff standings have calculated that the 2-10 Vikings are ahead of the 2-10 Rams as they battle to avoid the NFC's worst playoff position. Are Peterson and Ponder going to play? And if they do, can they make through the entire game?
The Saints are traveling to Tennessee, and that could be a trap game for them if the Chris Johnson renaissance is for real. The Titans are at 7-5 and could move ahead in the playoff picture if they beat the Saints, and the Bengals lose to the Texans.