Prisoner’s dilemma in Detroit? Lions-Packers tie would put both teams in playoffs

Both teams could take a knee for entire game, to mutually handover postseason berth.

Imagine this scenario: Two longtime rivals clash on a Sunday night in the final game of the NFL’s regular season. A division title is at stake.

And both teams spend the entire game taking a knee – until the clock runs out on a 0-0 tie.

That’s a wacky, far-fetched outcome that would raise all sorts of ethical questions, but when Detroit hosts Green Bay on Sunday night, the loser would face elimination from the playoff picture if Washington beats the New York Giants earlier in the day.

If the Lions and Packers play to a tie, however, they’d both make the postseason no matter what.

It’s a situation that brings to mind a controversial soccer game from the 1982 World Cup. When West Germany faced Austria, a 1-0 win by the Germans would allow both teams to advance to the next stage of the tournament. West Germany scored early, and the rest of the game was played … a tad passively. Sure enough, it ended 1-0.

Don’t count on seeing 75 minutes of kneeldowns in Detroit this weekend. Collusion is generally frowned upon, and if one team plays for a tie, it puts itself at risk if the other is playing to win. So the game could turn into a “prisoner’s dilemma” of sorts _ in which both teams benefit from a tie, but neither can really pursue one.

Also, a tie between the Lions and Packers would not benefit each team equally. If there’s a tie, Green Bay would win the NFC North, leaving Detroit as a wild card. If the Lions beat the Packers, then they would win the division and host a playoff game, so Detroit has incentive to play to win.

And if the Giants win earlier Sunday, then both the Lions and Packers are safely in the playoffs no matter what. So they’d have nothing to lose by playing to win.

But if Washington wins Sunday, and the Lions and Packers end up tied in overtime, then both teams would have to decide how aggressive to be.

Detroit coach Jim Caldwell was asked Tuesday about the possibility of playing for a tie at some point.

“Obviously if it’s part of the equation, it’s always part of the thought process,” Caldwell said. “It would be ridiculous for me to answer it any other way. … Our goal is to win games and win games period. That’s our goal and aim and we understand. I know when I first went down south and was coaching at Wake Forest, one of the alumni told me, he said, ‘Coach, we’re with you, win or tie.’ So I know how that works.”