The Lions' already slim playoff hopes took another hit when the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Bucs on Monday Night Football. The Motowners do not control their own destiny and the window of opportunity remains just barely open a crack.
However, as is always the case in Detroit, they still have -- excuse -- LOL -- hope.
Let's take a look around the NFC conference at how the playoff picture is right now.
The Eagles are champs of the East.
The Rams champs of the West.
The Vikings champs of the North.
The South remains undecided, but it will either be the Saints or the Panthers.
Detroit's only shot, and it's a long one, is to sneak in as one of two wildcards.
Thing is, one of those spots is already taken. Between New Orleans and Carolina, one will win their division and the other is a mathematical certainty for a wildcard spot. That leaves only one opening.
These same two teams are both two games ahead of the Lions in the standings, so even if both lose both their remaining two regular season games and the Lions win out, they would be tied. But the Saints and Panthers have both defeated the Lions in the regular season, so either would get the tie-breaker. The Lions can't touch either one of them. Done deal. Period.
Also in the same South Division are the Atlanta Falcons. They are one game ahead of the Lions with two to play. Atlanta would have to lose both while Detroit won out for the Lions to leap-frog them. If they wind up with the same record, the Falcons also defeated the Lions in the regular season, so Detroit again would lose the tie-breaker.
But that's where things might get a bit tricky. Atlanta's last two games are @ New Orleans and home against Carolina. The Falcons looked anything but sharp against a woeful Tampa Bay team. They could easily lose both their remaining games against very good competition.
Meanwhile, the Lions travel to Cincinnati next week, where the Bengals have absolutely nothing to play for, and the only question seems to be if their head coach Marvin Lewis (who should have been fired years ago for incompetence) can hang onto his job for one more year.
Then the Lions return home for a date with the Packers. True, the Pack are a game behind the Lions in the standings, and it's still unclear whether they'll quit on the season and sit all-world quarterback Aaron Rodgers to let him fully mend from his broken collar bone. If so, the Lions have would have a huge advantage in the regular season finale. If not, with Rodgers having a couple games under his belt after coming off the injured list, who would dare to wager much money the Cheesers couldn't waltz into Detroit and knock off the Honolulu blue and silver boys? Entirely possible. And it would be just like the Lions to build their fans up to a fever pitch again -- only to choke (again) when it matters most.
[Idle thought on that. If the Packers decide to sit Rodgers, how unfair would that be to their fans? As by far the smallest market team in the NFL, team loyalty in Green Bay runs deeper than anyplace else. Because they don't have any other pro teams in town, the cheeseheads are fanatical about their beloved Packers. To boot, most have waited years, maybe decades, to even get tickets to a game. So if management decides to sit Rodgers, the thought here is it wouldn't play very well with their rabid fan base. They not only waited forever for an opportunity to get into Lambeau on game days, but ponied up HUGE bucks to be there. They want to see their star quarterback -- dammit. And who can blame them? Bottom line? If Rodgers wants to play, he will. If he's content with sitting, that's another story. But good luck explaining that to the fans, because the word will get out as to who's "decision" it was. Somebody would be mighty unpopular.]
Basically, there's one wildcard spot available, and four teams vying for it. Besides the Lions and Falcons, don't overlook the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, who have the same record as the Lions with two games remaining.
So a whole lot of things would have to fall just perfectly for the Lions to qualify for the post season.
Are they officially done yet? No. Will they be after next week? Maybe. Will it go down to the final week of the regular season with the puddy-tats still clinging to playoff hopes? Possibly.
But even if all the chips fall their way, which they have so far this season, the question would seem to be -- just who, pray tell -- would the Lions be capable of defeating in the post season? They haven't won a game all year against a team with a winning record (with the exception being when the Vikings were freshly down to their third-string quarterback -- which was avenged a few weeks later after he had a few games under his belt).
It would probably be better, and much more merciful, if the Lions just got beat at Cincinnati next week, to put an end to this charade for another year, once and for all.
Simply put, the Lions aren't very good, as usual.
But don't be surprised if they manage to bumble their way into the playoffs, because they've caught every other conceivable break this season.
And then they would be the usual cannon fodder in a playoff game. Another year for "wunderkind" Matthew Stafford, and still nary a single playoff victory.
On that note, somebody tell me one more time -- how did this guy, with a career losing record and yet to win a single playoff game -- let alone get anywhere near sniffing a, HAH, Super Bowl wind up being the highest paid player in the entire NFL?
One word. Puhleeze.
There's destiny, and then there's the Lions version of destiny. And it ain't been pretty for the last half century or so.
Year, after year, after year, and more years of yes.......
The same old Lions.
It's just one more.
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