It was only about a month ago that the Detroit Lions toiled in a familiar obscurity at 1-6. Their talented offense, led by Jared Goff, seemed irreparably broken, ill-prepared for an entire season. Defensively, they probably couldn’t stop an actual nosebleed, as even squads like the offensively-challenged New England Patriots quite literally ran them off the field.
My, my, how fast a team’s outlook can shift on a dime in the NFL.
Ever since a close 31-27 defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins on Halloween weekend, the Lions have morphed into a late-season juggernaut. They’ve won four of their last five games, book-ending their recent hot streak with a 40-14 beatdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars, where they scored on all eight possessions. Their only defeat was a tightly-contested Thanksgiving battle with the Buffalo Bills, who, it should be noted, are the current No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Detroit now stands at 5-7, just outside of the current playoff picture (ninth place). Should the right dominoes fall down over the next few weeks, it even looks like a dangerous dark horse in a top-heavy NFC.
How did the Lions get here? Why should the other NFC contenders fear them? And could they make it to meaningful football in mid-January? Let’s break down this talented Motor City squad that’s finally seeing the fruits of its labor pay off.