The Detroit Lions come off their bye week sitting at 3-2, and have a good opportunity ahead of them the next two weeks at home against some of the top competition in the NFC North.
While the NFC has been below average as a whole, Detroit's division has been fantastic. Every team has a winning record now, and the Minnesota Vikings remain one of the NFL's few undefeated teams. It sets up a scenario that could be promising in the weeks ahead.
The Lions along with every other team in the NFC North could be a shoo-in for the postseason this year given the nature of the league they play in. Already, folks are beginning to take notice of this on the outside, and ESPN is already laying the groundwork for a potential clean sweep from the division in the postseason.
Analyst Ben Solak laid out some things he thinks heading into Week 7, and admitted that he is starting to believe the potential is there for the entire NFC North to be in the postseason given some of the results that could happen on the field.
"Listen, if the Seahawks lose to the Chiefs in Week 7 -- very possible! -- then the second-best team in the other three NFC divisions will have a losing record at the end of Week 7. Meanwhile, if the Lions beat the Packers in Week 7 -- very possible! -- every single NFC North team will have a winning record. I'm just saying there's a chance!"
A clean sweep for the NFC North in the playoffs would be interesting, and would set up the scenario where there would certainly be divisional rivalries at multiple levels of the postseason. While that might be boring to fans elsewhere, it would be exciting for midwest fanbases.
Last season, the Lions finished in last place with a 9-8 record and missed the playoffs, showing exactly how tough the division is. This year, considering how terrible the NFC is, such a result could be good enough to make the postseason.
Dan Campbell understands the Lions may be in football's best division
Naturally, no coach is going to look ahead toward the postseason in October, but it's already becoming hard to ignore how fantastic the NFC North is this season, and what that could mean for the playoff push come November and December.
Campbell has been long aware of the prolific nature of the NFC North, and knows the challenge it provides. As he said, he's been chomping at the bit to be able to compete head-to-head against some of his closest competition this year, and understands that the tough environment pushes the Lions to be better.
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"It's been that way for a while. We know what division we're in. It's got really good players (and) really good coaches. It's top notch, and you've got to be on it every week. That's why I say you can't get too high (and) you can't get too low. You got to try to improve every week. Incremental improvement, find a way to win and then get to the next one. (Week 7) is a step to try to get to (win) No. 4, which is the plan. First division game, and it'll be fun, We get it at Ford Field, so we'll be excited."
Win or lose against the Packers, the Lions will remain in the mix in their division, along with everybody else. They have a huge opportunity to take over the division with a pair of wins in back-to-back weeks. If that happens, it will only harden the notion that everybody in the NFC North could be going to the playoffs considering what's going on around them.
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