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The Detroit Lions are on a magical run with no signs of stopping anytime soon. The team entered Sunday at 6-7, hoping for a shocking return to .500 after a 1-6 start.
The darlings of the NFL made it interesting, but ultimately pulled off a 20-17 victory over a New York Jets team led by Zach Wilson, who once again had a forgettable performance. This was the latest example of Detroit moving past a fun stage into one of serious contention.
The Lions appear ready for the postseason
The win put the Lions at 7-7 and into ninth place in the NFC standings as of Sunday afternoon. They are tied with the Seattle Seahawks, but lost the tiebreaker based on head-to-head results.
The Washington Commanders and New York Giants occupy the final two Wild Card spots at 7-5-1, but do play each other Sunday night. This means, barring a tie, the Lions will get even closer with one team losing.
Who is to thank for this sudden surge? Some may point to Jared Goff, who is looking like someone the team can build around moving forward. He has six touchdowns in his last three games and has not thrown an interception since the first week of November.
Yet, the credit goes to the entire team. The offense routinely scores 25 points or more as of late and the defense has not allowed more than 23 points in the past three weeks.
The playoff hype will only build as Christmas approaches given the remaining teams on Detroit's schedule. The final opponents are the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers. All three teams have losing records and it's possible the Bears and Packers enter those matchups with backup quarterbacks on the field.
It is entirely possible they will head to Green Bay on January 8th, with a playoff spot on the line. Such a game would likely flex into primetime, allowing the world to tune in. Detroit has already beaten Green Bay once this season, 15-9; the confidence should be there.
Over the past two weeks, the Lions have beaten playoff contenders the Minnesota Vikings and the Jets. This has proven they are worthy of a playoff spot. However, contenders must also beat losing teams and not get upset at the end of the season. Detroit taking care of business over the final three weeks would prove Dan Campbell's group has finally turned a corner.
