Detroit Lions photo
The Detroit Lions keep winning games and the NFC North standings continue to look increasingly promising. But peeking ahead to this Sunday, there could be an even bigger development just on the horizon: a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The Lions record currently stands at 8-4, good for third place in the conference. The Giants also boast an 8-4 mark, but that’s irrelevant since they are in a division with Dallas, thus essentially guaranteeing that they’d be a Wild Card entrant to the postseason.
The team that the Lions trail for that coveted #2 seed is the Seattle Seahawks, sitting just percentage points above with their jumbled 8-3-1 overall mark. So in essence, the Lions are a half game back of the ‘Hawks.
But let’s take a look at this Sunday’s NFL slate.
Detroit Lions photo
The Lions and their suddenly dominant defense will host the punchless Chicago Bears. Da Bears are on their third quarterback already this season, now trying to coax competent play from that position via journeyman Matt Barkley. He was good enough to lead Chicago to a home victory against the even-worse 49ers, but there should be very little chance of him finding similar success at Ford Field.
Coupled with that favorable Lions matchup is Seattle making what is basically a death trip in the NFL: Lambeau Field in December. The Packers have been an inconsistent outfit all season long, but they do look to be coming together at the right time. They are coming off back-to-back victories and looked plenty comfortable wearing down the Texans on Sunday amid snowy conditions in Green Bay. The Seahawks are no stranger to pesky weather conditions themselves, but even so, invading Lambeau in the wintertime and coming away satisfied is not an enviable task.
Standings Could Shift on Sunday
Should form hold this coming weekend, with the Lions handling the 3-9 Bears, and the Packers taking care of their home field against Seattle, the Honolulu blue & silver will be the NUMBER TWO overall seed in the National Football Conference with three weeks to go in the regular season.
Of course, Lions fans do not need to be reminded that the only victory this franchise has claimed in the playoffs came with that exact setup. The 1991 Lions coasted to a 12-4 record, enjoyed an opening-round bye, then throttled the Cowboys at the Silverdome in the divisional round. Twenty five years later, why not set the same wheels in motion? It worked then; it ought to work now.
Many will be quick to point out that even if the Lions do overtake Seattle on Sunday, there is still quite the hill to climb. And that’s true. The Seahawks final trio of contests appear much easier on paper than that of the Lions. But remember, the game so many are fretting for the Detroiters - a night game in Dallas the day after Christmas - could be a throwaway for the Cowboys. If they continue their winning ways, the Jerry Jones Bunch could have already clinched a top overall seed by the time that Detroit-Dallas slugfest takes place.
So while players and coaches will continue to say all the right things, “Take it one play, one game at a time...We are only looking at this week...”, a playoff-hungry fan base will continue to play out these hypotheticals and see what dominoes need to fall where to get the Lions that monumentally important first-round breather.
Nobody expected the Detroit Lions to shrug off the Calvin Johnson retirement and rattle off a division title. A second-place overall finish in a conference of 16 teams would be a simply stunning accomplishment.
In looking at the upcoming games for the relevant parties, it could very well be a reality in just a matter of days.
