NFL Playoff Picture: Lions and More Teams Facing Integral Battles

The Detroit Lions are fighting for their playoff lives, and they absolutely need a win against the Oakland Raiders if they want to have a shot.

Thing is, it's not going to be a cakewalk.

Of all the matchups that have playoff implications in Week 15 this one may be the intriguing.

At 8-5 the Lions only shot of making the playoffs is through the wild card, as the Green Bay Packers have already locked up the division. The Raiders, on the other hand, are a game behind the Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos in the AFC West, but still have to feel like they have a shot at the division.

The catch is, both teams have been playing horrible as of late.

The Raiders have lost two games in a row to the Dolphins and the Packers and were outscored 80-30 in the process.

The Lions are coming off a win, but it could be argued they haven't played a truly good game since demolishing the Broncos back in October. Their running game has been spotty, Matthew Stafford has been inconsistent—throwing 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in the past five games—and their discipline issues are more than well documented.

Like I said, it's not going to be a cakewalk, but there's no doubting this game is absolutely integral to both teams.

It's going to come down to who wants it more.

Here are two more teams that are facing important games.

Atlanta Falcons

At 8-5 the Falcons enter their matchup with the Jaguars knowing the implications of this game are significant.

They are tied with the Lions and one game up on both the Bears and Cowboys in the wild-card chase, and their Week 16 Monday Night Football matchup with the Saints is looming large.

First thing's first, though: They have to beat the Jaguars. Coming in at 4-9, that may not seem like a huge problem, but the Jaguars do have some strengths.

Defensively, they only allow 190.8 passing yards per game, which is good for fourth in the league, and Maurice Jones-Drew is coming off a two-touchdown game in a win against the Buccaneers.

The Falcons will be extremely behind the eight-ball if they go into next week's matchup at New Orleans at 8-6, so a win here is vital.

New York Jets

For a team that was boldly predicted to win the Super Bowl by head coach Rex Ryan, the Jets may not even be able to make the playoffs.

Their 8-5 record puts them in the driver's seat right now, but believe it or not, the Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals and Raiders are all breathing down their necks.

At one point a Jets and Eagles matchup would look like a huge game in Week 15, but at this point we all understand the "Dream Team" is horrible.

I wouldn't count the Eagles out, though, especially with running back LeSean McCoy playing like he is. McCoy has been a beast as of late, putting up four rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in the past three games.

With a huge playoff-like game coming up next week against the Giants, the Jets are going to need to take care of business on the road against a still-dangerous Eagles team.