Jahmir Gibbs slaps the ‘playoff’ label on the Cowboys’ critical clash

After a dream season in 2024 in which they won 15 games and ended up being the best team in the NFC during the regular season, The Detroit Lions broke through slightly hungover in 2025. Their result Thursday night in Week 13 action also dampens their playoff hopes, as their 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers sends them to 7-5 on the season — which puts them in third place in the division behind the Chicago Bears and Packers.

This currently puts them on the outside looking in to the playoff picture, and in order to do that they need to at least overtake the Packers in the standings, which is difficult considering their last loss came at their hands. However, this The Lions team is not without hope with five games left in the regular season. But they know they have to lock in to make the postseason.

In fact, a running back Jahmir Gibbs begs the Lions to turn on postseason mode now, treating every game as a must win so they can continue their hunt for the ever-elusive Super Bowl as they remain the only franchise in the NFL that hasn’t even made it to The Big Game.

“We have to treat it like a playoff game,” Gibbs said of the Lions’ next five games, starting with Thursday’s showdown against the Dallas Cowboys.

That’s what Lions have to do to stay alive in the hunt. The good news is that one of the teams above them in the NFC North will have to forfeit a game, as the Bears and Packers play next week. If the Lions take care of business and win, it’s hard to imagine them missing out on the playoffs. But they have to approach this with a one-game-at-a-time mindset.

The Lions are looking to stay alive in the playoff hunt

The Dallas Cowboys are also clinging to some fringe hope that maybe the seas will part and the mountains move and they’ll end up in the postseason. They have won three straight games, including a huge 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs last Thursday.

That makes the Lions’ quest to win that much more difficult. The Cowboys will also bring a similar level of desperation, and carries and momentum, with KB Dak Prescott hitting his stride.