12. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears in Week 18, and while the Lions came into this game mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, this game still meant a lot. It was a divisional shown first and foremost.
Secondly, the Bears head coach, Ben Johnson, was on the Detroit Lions staff for years. Dan Campbell clearly wanted to get a win here, as it also meant the Lions finished with yet another winning record.
That is now four years in a row that the Lions have a winning record, but this team regressed big-time in 2025. The defense fell off a cliff, and they battled injuries all year. This comes after winning 15 games in the regular season in 2024.
Detroit will put an emphasis on defense in the offseason and try to get back on track for 2026. This is a well-run, winning organization, and if the 2025 season showed us anything, it showed us just how hard it is to win at the NFL level.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles lost in Week 18, so they remained as the third seed in the NFC and will welcome the San Francisco 49ers to town in the Wild Card Round, which should be a very interesting game.
The Eagles definitely dealt with the Super Bowl hangover a bit this year and regressed a little, but an 11-6 record is still quite impressive. With the offense looking disjointed at times, you don’t get the sense that unit is good enough to lead this team on a run again.
However, the 49ers are coming into this game with average talent, so Philly having more talented players is something that could play a huge part in advancing to the Divisional Round. I would not count on the Eagles going super deep in the playoffs, but I guess you never know.
The Eagles are just outside the top-10 in our final NFL Power Rankings of the regular season.