If the Detroit Lions manage to make the playoffs this year, it’s shaping up as a one and done. When do we, as Lions fans, get to start asking for more?
The Detroit Lions’ season is at a familiar crossroads. Sigh…
I’ve had terrible writer’s block. I’m struggling to find enough passion to throw this story together. I had grand ideas: “Can we start questioning the Detroit Lions’ Offensive Line Coaches?” “Can the Vikings Implode Enough for the Lions to Catch Them?” “When Will the Running Game Catch The Passing Game…”
But all of those things can be answered in one word each: Yes. No. Never.
That leaves me wondering … is the season salvageable for our boys from the Motor City?
And what does salvageable even mean, at this point?
The Lions blew a huge chance on Thanksgiving by not showing up early enough to be competitive. A win would have given them Lions a margin of error.
Now the only thing that can save them is the aforementioned Vikings implosion (won’t happen). Even if the Lions manage to run the table—a tall task in the NFL—they aren’t guaranteed a playoff spot.
If they do manage to slip by the Carolina Panthers and/or the Atlanta Falcons—both of whom own tiebreakers over the Lions—to gain a Wild Card spot, they will be on the road for round one. And tougher than that—they will be playing (at this point, anyway) the Philadelphia Eagles, the Los Angeles Rams, or the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints already blew up the Lions earlier this year; the Rams are proving to be one of the league’s tougher matchups—and no one wants to play the Eagles, period.
So, back to my original question: What makes this year a success for this team?
Is it good enough to just make the playoffs? Should we start expecting more? As a Lion fan, is it even plausible to be asking these questions?
I am at a loss. I admit it.
Clearly, this team should be thinking playoffs. When can we start expecting a playoff win?
Or better yet, hosting a playoff game? Winning the division?
Next: Lions dilemma - Fire Jim Caldwell or waste Matthew Stafford
I understand that Aaron Rodgers up in Green Bay always makes reaching for the division a tough ask. But as the Lions have steadily improved over the past few years, as a fan, we need to start pushing for more. Yes, the playoffs are great. But we’ve gotten a taste of competitiveness, and it’s making me hungry for more.
I want VICTORIES.