Don’t Sleep On the Detroit Lions for Rest of 2016

The Detroit Lions have some work to do if they’re going to reach the playoffs. But don’t count out a club that has showed some resiliency.

The NFL has a relatively time-tested rule to live by. Simply, it says that a team is never going to make the playoffs after a rocky start. However, there are always exceptions, even in the NFL. And the Detroit Lions are out to prove that it can be done once again.

A year ago, the Kansas City Chiefs opened 1-5, ran the table, and grabbed a Wild Card invitation to the playoffs. The Houston Texans began 0-2 and then 2-5 before finishing 9-7 and earning the AFC South title. Then the Seattle Seahawks dropped their first two games of 2015 and managed to get into the playoffs.

So what about Jim Caldwell and company? He led them to the postseason back in 2014. A year ago, the team got off to a 1-7 start before rallying to win six of its final eight contests. In Week 5, the Lions snapped a three-game losing streak by handing the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of 2016.

While the ground game continues to be an issue (the team recently signed Justin Forsett), quarterback Matthew Stafford has kept the offense afloat. Wide receiver Marvin Jones and running back Theo Riddick have been his targets of preference and veteran Anquan Boldin has contributed as well. We are still waiting for wide receiver Golden Tate (17 catches for 134 yards) to find the end zone this season, though.

The defense has had its ups and downs. While the pass rush has totaled 12 sacks in five games and gets defensive end Ezekiel Ansah back this week (via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com), the team has totaled only three takeaways in five contests—and two of those came last Sunday in the win over Philadelphia.

But at 2-3, the team is hardly out of the playoff picture. Caldwell’s club has back-to-back home tilts with the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins before traveling to Houston and Minnesota in consecutive weeks. All four teams are above .500 at the moment and the stretch will prove to be a good gauge against some of the better clubs in the league at the moment.

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Let’s be honest. It’s obviously going to be a struggle for the Lions to win the NFC North. They’ve dug themselves a big hole by losing to both the Packers and Bears (albeit on the road). Combine that with the fact that the Minnesota Vikings are undefeated (5-0) and the Green Bay Packers own a 3-1 mark and that’s a tough road to hoe.

But stranger things have happened in this league and it’s already been a wildly unpredictable year in the NFC North. So why not a totally unexpected finish?

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