As the Detroit Lions watched the Los Angeles Rams celebrate a clinched playoff berth on Sunday, they were forced to reckon with their own reality with three games left.

Lions fans will take pleasure in rooting against the Bears, who are coached by former Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Every loss by Chicago helps Detroit and gives them more room for error, as it appears moving past them will be the team's most likely avenue to the postseason.

The Detroit Lions (8-5) would not be in the playoffs if they started next week, but the two-time defending NFC North champions have a chance to play their way in.

The playoff probability from NFL.com has the Bears at 61% right now. A win over the Browns gives them a 70% chance to make the postseason, while a loss drops it to 43%. It goes without saying that the Bears could use the two teams ahead of them in the wildcard race to lose,

The Chicago Bears had a dominant 31-3 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. One week after a tough loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Bears found a way to earn their 10th win of the season to move to 10-4.

The Detroit Lions have zero room for error going into their game on Sunday, December 21, against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With three games and zero margin for error remaining to make the playoffs, the Detroit Lions are running out of time.