The Detroit Lions in the Super Bowl? Why Not?

Could the Detroit Lions make Super Bowl XLIX? Why not?

Eight weeks and one game into the 2014 NFL season and for the most part, no team has really distinguished itself as the one to beat when it comes to capturing Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona.

So why not pick a franchise that is one of the very few not to reach the league’s biggest game in its 48 years of existence?

The Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Detroit Lions are the only four teams not to reach the Super Bowl. They are also four of 13 clubs not to hoist a Lombardi Trophy.

While the Browns and Lions have won NFL titles, it’s been quite the drought. Cleveland hasn’t rocked the NFL world since 1964. Meanwhile, the Men from the Motor City last captured a league title way back in 1957.

There have been 11 different NFC champions the last 13 years, with the New York Giants (XLII and XLVI) and Seattle Seahawks (XL and XLVIII) the only clubs to achieve the feat twice over this span.

That means dating back to 2001 the only teams in the conference not to reach the Super Bowl are the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and…the Lions. In fact, Detroit is the lone franchise currently in the NFC that has never been to the Super Bowl.

But that’s the past. And under new head coach Jim Caldwell, the 6-2 Lions currently have as many wins as any other team in the league these days. They are doing it with just enough offense and the league’s top-ranked defense, which is giving up 290.4 yards per game. The Lions have also surrendered only an NFL-low 15.8 points per game and have allowed just 13 offensive touchdowns in eight contests. Last season, during their 1-6 collapse, this club allowed 160 points in those final seven outings.

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Under new coordinator Teryl Austin, the defense has also come up with its share of timely plays. Led by defensive ends Ziggy Ansah (4.5) and George Johnson (4.0) and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (3.5), the Lions have totaled 23 sacks in eight games, progress for a club that totaled only 33 sacks all of last season. Detroit has already forced a dozen turnovers, including nine interceptions. The team totaled only 22 takeaways all of last season. And only the Denver Broncos are giving up more yards per game on the ground.

The team’s last two games, both victories, has shown the club’s resiliency. Down 13 points with less than six minutes to play at home against the New Orleans Saints, Caldwell’s crew scratched out a 24-23 win. This past Sunday at London, England, Detroit trailed the Atlanta Falcons, 21-0, at halftime and was dominated in the first 30 minutes, outgained in total yards more than two to one (211-103). But the second half belonged to the Lions as they outscored Atlanta, 22-0, outgained Smith’s club by over 200 yards (282-80) and came away with the one-point triumph.

Now keep in mind that last week’s win saw the team play without wide receiver Calvin Johnson, running back Reggie Bush and three tight ends in Brandon Pettigrew, Joseph Fauria and Eric Ebron. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has had his ups and downs, sacked 24 times while throwing only four more touchdown passes (11) than interceptions (7) this season. But he’s come up big late in games as 55 of the team’s 162 points have come in the final 15 minutes of play.

No Megatron in recent weeks has meant the emergence of young players such as wide receivers Corey Fuller and Jeremy Ross. Second-year running back Theo Riddick took up the pass-catching slack in the wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Falcons, totaling a combined 13 grabs for 149 yards and two scores. With Bush in and out of the lineup, Joique Bell leads the team with 313 rushing yards and has run for three touchdowns. And what can you say about wide receiver Golden Tate, who’s having a sensational first year with the club? The former Seattle Seahawks’ performer and Super Bowl champion is third in the NFL with 55 catches and 800 receiving yards.

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So can the Lions avoid their recent second-half collapses? Even the season when they reached the playoffs in 2011, they struggled after a strong start. They opened that campaign at 5-0, the franchise’s best start since 1956, but they would lose seven of their final 12 overall outings, including a 45-28 setback in the ’11 NFC Wild Card Game at the Superdome.

One year later, Schwartz’s club stumbled out of the gate but by midseason had fashioned a 4-4 record. But with a postseason berth still within their range, the Lions dropped their final eight games to finish 4-12, six games worse than the previous year.

But last season proved to be the straw that broke Schwartz’s back and it could him his job in the Motor City. Detroit opened the season at 6-3 and appeared on its way not only to a playoff appearance but perhaps the team’s first division title in two decades. That’s because the rival Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers were in the midst of seasons in which the clubs would eventually be using two and four different quarterbacks, respectively.

The results were a 7-9 finish and third place in the NFC North. The Lions would commit an astounding 21 turnovers in their final seven outings, with a rout of the Packers their only victory down the stretch.

So why will 2014 be any different? When they return next week, there’s a potential tough three-game stretch with a visit from the Miami Dolphins followed by trips to Arizona and New England. Caldwell’s team plays four of its final five games within the division, closing the season at Chicago and at Green Bay. The Lions haven’t beaten the Packers on the road since 1991.

Detroit hasn’t celebrated a division title since 1993, when they were a part of the five-team NFC Central. The franchise has not won a playoff game since 1991, when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 38-6 and got within a game of the Super Bowl.

But in a conference and a league where no one has stood out so far, why not the Lions? Their biggest issue this season has been the kicking game and that seems to be rectifying itself. Eventually, stars like Johnson and Bush will be back. They are finding ways to win instead of ways to lose and feature a defense that has been tougher than expected.

And what more do you need to do these days in a league where playing well at the right time has led to some great things?

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