The Detroit Lions have the talent to beat any team in the NFL. Unfortunately, it has not been until the last few games that we’ve finally seen the Lions start to play the way I, and many others, expected them to play this season.
Despite most people declaring the Lions out of the playoff race after only three or four games this season, the Detroit Lions do actually have a shot at a Wild Card spot.
But the Detroit Lions can’t possibly make the playoffs this year!
Even while quarterback Matthew Stafford was being awarded the Galloping Gobbler for his five touchdown performance against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving, the media asked him questions with the caveat of saying to his face that he and his team cannot make the playoffs after their 1-7 start.
If the Detroit Lions win out their last five games, with the way wins are spread out in the NFL and the NFC specifically, a 9-7 record could be enough for this team that started 1-7 to actually make the playoffs.
It is true that the Detroit Lions would need some help to get into the postseason; however, they might just have the best remaining schedule of any wild card hopeful team. With that, they arguably have the best chance of these teams to win out.
Before you laugh at the thought of the Detroit Lions winning out, look at their remaining schedule:
- Home against the Green Bay Packers (7-4)
- At the St. Louis Rams (4-7)
- At the New Orleans Saints (4-7)
- Home against the San Francisco 49ers (3-8)
- At the Chicago Bears (5-6)
There is only one team on this list with a winning record. That team is, of course, the Green Bay Packers. That means in order to keep any hope of sneaking into the playoffs alive, the Detroit Lions will have to sweep the Packers, something they haven’t done since 1991.
The good news is the Detroit Lions started their winning streak against the Packers by beating them in Lambeau. If the Lions can beat the Packers there, the Lions can beat the Packers at home.
Of course, the Packers will not just roll over and die. Aaron Rodgers and company might have revenge on their minds as they enter Ford Field. Still in the race for the division title, the Packers will be doing everything they can to turn around their recent skid. Green Bay is struggling of late while the Detroit Lions are surging does give an extra ounce of optimism to Lions fans, who shouldn’t give up on this season just yet.
From here on out, every game is do or die. The Detroit Lions will have to play the end of their season playoff style, one loss and they’re out.
The Detroit Lions did prove at the beginning of the season, that even though they have the ability to beat any team in the NFL, they can also lose on any given Sunday.
Even the most hopeful of Detroit Lions fans will be biting their nails as each game approaches from now until the end. But if the Lions can get past the Packers on Thursday, the number of hopefuls in Detroit will increase.
After every win, the next game will seem like the biggest of the season. But it all starts on Thursday Night Football against the Packers. Win that game and belief will grow that the Lions can win the rest.
If the Detroit Lions do succeed in winning out and get a little help from around the NFC, they would enter the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak. That isn’t a bad place to be.