Getty The confetti flies after Super Bowl LIII in 2019.
The Detroit Lions didn’t finish the 2019 season in strong fashion, going 3-12-1 and securing a top pick in the NFL Draft.
That finish has only left them in a more precarious spot when it comes to the 2020 season and their Super Bowl odds as a result. The Lions have never competed in a Super Bowl so much as won one. They’ve also not won a playoff game in decades. As a result, it’s tough for the oddsmakers to give them a great shot at winning.
This week, a brand new look at the odds for next year was provided and the Lions aren’t in great shape at 100-1. In fact, they’re far down near the end of the list with the likes of the teams they will draft with in the Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins.
Obviously, the Lions as playoff long shots is not a surprise. The stunner would be if the team was able to rally and have a playoff run of any kind given they have not done that through the years.
Lions Playoff History
The Lions have been one of the more miserable teams historically when it comes to the playoffs. Detroit, as the tweet points out, hasn’t won since 1991. It’s not just 1991, however. Prior to that win, the Lions hadn’t won a playoff game since 1957. They had lost three times combined in the 1970s and 1980s. They’ve had plenty of misfortune in the playoffs as well, losing games in heartbreaking fashion and blowout fashion as well.
Detroit last appeared in the playoffs in 2018, but quickly bowed out, losing to the Seattle Seahawks in close fashion. They haven’t been consistent enough through the years at both making the playoffs and also winning when they do manage to get there.
With Matt Patricia in the fold, the goal is to get to be a team that not only makes the playoffs consistently, but is able to deliver big wins when they get there.
Lions Biggest 2020 Free Agency Need is Defense
In order to get back into the playoffs, the Lions are going to need an infusion of talent, especially on defense. Detroit cannot pressure the quarterback meaningfully in 2019, and have struggled stopping the pass as well, something that has been painfully obvious for weeks and that is a glaring problem given what the team has done in the last few offseason periods. Part of the problem has been injury, but beyond Trey Flowers and Da’Shawn Hand, the Lions simply don’t have any young building blocks they can count on right now. The team has to find some form of consistency in the trenches, and that is why it’s a major need for them moving forward.
If free agency were to begin today, the Lions would undoubtably have to look at the defensive line and the backfield for potential upgrades, with another eye at linebacker. Having some extra money could help the team make some key additions there, and patch some of their other depth holes on the offensive side.
With some more upgrades in free agency and later the draft, the hope is the Lions can be a team to turn around their playoff misfortunes next and perhaps end the Super Bowl drought.
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