Getty Matt Patricia before a game in Atlanta.
The Detroit Lions may have had a couple meaningless wins in the minds of some fans the last few weeks, but the victories have been absolutely huge for their playoff hopes moving forward.
Once left for dead heading into the bye week, the Lions are suddenly alive and kicking in terms of the playoff race. They won the games they had to win to save things for the time being, and continue to have the benefit of a favorable schedule as they push forward into November and then the stretch run of the season.
According to some new odds from Football Outsiders, the Lions are up to 23% in terms of their NFC playoff odds. The number represents a stark shift from weeks past, where the Lions were all but dead in the water in terms of their playoff life.
Obviously, the Lions still don’t have great playoff odds with this number considered, but it’s clear that the team is still on the upswing as they try and stack up the victories. It wouldn’t be a stretch to see a few more wins bump the Lions up north of 40% in the coming weeks.
Lions Recent Playoff History
Detroit is still searching for their first playoff win since the 1991-1992 season. The team hasn’t hosted a playoff game since 1994, and any type of playoff success is something that fans have ached for in Detroit. The last season the Lions made the playoffs was in 2017, when they lost quickly to the Seattle Seahawks on the road. For the most part, Detroit’s been overwhelmed by better teams when getting to the postseason, so the hope is that if they make it back, they will find a way to end one of the ugliest streaks in NFL history.
As a whole, the Lions have only made the playoffs 3 times since 2010, and their goal is to be a force in the future by making the tournament consistently in the future.
Current 2020 NFC Playoff Standings
Sunday’s win moved the Lions to 3-3 and firmly back in the mix in terms of the NFC playoff picture. The Lions will be battling teams like Carolina, New Orleans, Arizona, Los Angeles and company in the weeks ahead for playoff hopes this year. The win did a good job to help Detroit keep pace and keep them in the picture for the rest of the season. A loss and a 2-4 record would have been a death blow early in the season, but the Lions won themselves a shot at yet another week of relevancy in the standings moving forward.
With the expanded NFL postseason coming in 2020, the Lions need only keep winning to give themselves a shot. Detroit could have been positioned significantly well with a better start to the season, but they are firmly back in play for the second half of the season to chase down a playoff bid.
As these odds show, the Lions might not have a great chance to make it happen now, but things are improving with every win. That’s something to remember in the weeks ahead.
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