Week 18 Math and a New Year Edge
Happy New Year from the Detroit Lions Podcast, and welcome to the clean slate of 2026. The Detroit Lions have one game left in the 2025 NFL season, a finale against the Bears. The tug here is real. Win the game, feel good, start 2026 with momentum. Or accept a loss that could lock in a last place schedule. The ideal lane is narrow but clear. Beat the Bears, then hope the Vikings beat the Packers. Minnesota holds the head-to-head tiebreaker on Detroit, so the Lions could still land fourth in the NFC North while finishing with a winning record. It is a strange picture. Eight or nine wins at the bottom of a division. Other divisions wobbling near that mark at the top. That is this year’s NFL.
The message for fans is balance. Enjoy the stakes, do not let them own your sleep. You play to win. If the scenario breaks another way, accept the payoff in 2026 opponents. Either outcome has value.
O-line Shuffle: Glasgow In, Eguakun Out
The interior line is moving again. Graham Glasgow could start at center this week after the Browns poached Kingsley Eguakun off the Lions practice squad. Cleveland’s front is crushed by injuries, four of five starters on injured reserve, with Wyatt Teller shut down as well. They need a center look for Week 18, so Eguakun gets a shot.
Detroit knows what it had. Eguakun showed some steadiness in pass protection against Pittsburgh, then scuffled against Minnesota. The bigger issue was body control and sustain in the run game. Too many reps ended before the whistle. In Detroit he profiled as depth, an interior reserve. The Lions wished him well. That is fair. The roster churn continues, and Glasgow stepping in at center fits the week’s needs.
Health Updates: Sam LaPorta and the Tight End Plan
Sam LaPorta’s timeline is clearer. The back surgery kept him out for any potential playoff run, which always felt likely. The target is training camp, and that matters. The Lions missed his hands and his leverage in space. The offense needs more of him, not less. Getting LaPorta right for 2026 is a priority that outpaces any short-term wish.
Taylor Decker’s Decision and the Ragnow Example
Taylor Decker opened the door to retirement. He has not gone there before, but he will consider it this offseason. That honesty resonates. The mileage is heavy, the hits add up, the age clock is loud. The old line is simple, once you are thinking about retirement, it can be hard to unthink it. Still, there is a counterpoint in the locker room storylines. Frank Ragnow was very retired, then felt the pull and tried to come back because he missed the game and felt the team needed him. That could weigh on Decker as he sorts through the choice.
For now, it is Bears week. The Detroit Lions can win, feel good, and still find a softer 2026 draw if the Vikings handle the Packers. That is the edge of Week 18. That is the balance this team is walking into the new year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOxk_OCxSIE
#detroitlions #lions #detroitlionspodcast #detroitlionsvsbearsfinale #week18tiebreakermath #lastplaceschedule #vikingsoverpackersscenario #nfcnorthfourthplace #grahamglasgowatcenter #kingsleyeguakuntobrowns #clevelandoffensivelineinjuries #wyatttellershutdown #passprotectionagainstpittsburgh
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices