The Detroit Lions are pushing toward the end of the 2022 season, and have been on a surge as a result of a massive run of momentum to finish the season.
Whether or not the Lions can continue with that momentum and pay it off with a playoff birth remains to be seen. A prominent member of the NFL media in Rich Eisen has made his call, though, and it will make Lions fans very happy.
Eisen was doing a segment on The Rich Eisen Show recently where he made crystal ball picks for various NFL teams in the playoff picture. When it came to Detroit, Eisen predicted just about the best possible outcome in a playoff birth and a 10-7 finish for the team.
“I’m looking in my crystal ball and I see them playing Carolina. I see them at home against Chicago and then going Green Bay and I’m looking in my crystal ball and I see the Detroit Lions – wait a minute – do I really see that? Wait a minute. What do I see? I see the Lions winning out. Yes. I see them winning out,” Eisen said on the show. “I see them winning nine of their last 10. I see them at 10-7 as the seventh seed taking their wares maybe to Minnesota one more time to play a playoff game. I see Viking-Lions in the playoffs. I crystal ball it and I see the Giants as your sixth-seed and the Detroit Lions as your seventh-seed. Two 10 win teams telling the Washington Commanders thanks for playing, and the Packers and Seahawks are out too. That’s my crystal ball view of the NFC playoff picture.”
Lions fans have been longing for a finish just like this one. 10-7 with a playoff birth in a major rebuilding year would have to constitute as major progress for the team. So too would be wins over the rival Packers and Bears to finish the season, which would give the Lions a sterling 5-1 mark head-to-head within the division.
This would be a dream finish for the Lions, and inexplicably, it’s now on the table for the team. Some, including Eisen, see them pulling the feat off when all is said and done.
Lions Close to NFC Playoff Spot
After a clutch come-from-behind road win in Week 15 over the New York Jets, the Lions remained alive in the NFC playoff race, and are now just a game back in the standings of the seventh seed.
The team’s schedule feels favorable over the final three games with one home game and some easier road games on paper. In Week 16, the Lions play Carolina on the road, then they play the Bears at home. They will finish by visiting Green Bay to end the year. That’s a very ripe stretch for Detroit considering all of the teams they will play are well under .500.
As of now, the Lions are tied with Seattle, and a game back of both Washington and the Giants. They will be hoping for all those teams to drop a few games late-season to help them out further in the standings.
Lions Rooting Interests for Rest of Season
So how can the Lions claw into the postseason? Handling their business will be key of course, but they will also have to scoreboard watch in a big way and hope for some favorable results in the standings.
Washington will tangle with San Francisco this week, and a loss could bump them out of the picture if Detroit wins. They finish with the Browns and Cowboys. New York, meanwhile, finishes with Minnesota, Indianapolis and Philadelphia.
In Seattle, the Seahawks will try to rebound against Kansas City in Week 16, which will be a tough matchup. They then end with the New York Jets and the Rams. It’s not a terribly easy slate at all.
Should Detroit bring the level of effort they have over the last seven weeks, they are going to remain in the hunt all the way down the stretch of the season. They may even surprise and pull out some more clutch wins as well.
That’s just what Eisen sees as possible if not likely when gazing into his magic crystal ball for the conclusion of the NFC playoff picture.
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Analyst Calls Massive Finish for Lions Culminating in Fantastic Result