One burning question for each NFL team
By John Buhler
Detroit Lions: Can the Lions win an NFC playoff game?
One could argue that the Detroit Lions arrived a year earlier than expected in 2016. They went 9-7 and earned the No. 6 seed in the NFC Playoffs. However, that did not translate into an iota of playoff success. Playing on the road in Seattle is never fun and neither is seeing star quarterback Matthew Stafford playing with a busted middle finger on his throwing hand.
Either way, Detroit should be one of the better eight teams in the NFC again in 2017. The Lions could honestly challenge the rival Green Bay Packers in the NFC North like they did in 2016. What this all comes down to is that this team is well-coached and has been carefully assembled by general manager Bob Quinn. Detroit needs to make the playoffs to have a successful season, but are the Lions good enough to win a playoff game?
Winning the division would be huge, but we haven’t seen enough to think that the Lions can honestly dethrone Green Bay this winter. Detroit would again have to play on the road as a wild card team to beat a division winner. From there, it’s all about matchups. Detroit would need to play against a defense-first football team and win the turnover margin to pull off the playoff upset.
In short, it would be hard to see Detroit win on the road in tough environments like in Green Bay or Seattle. It would also be hard for them to keep pace with an Atlanta Falcons or a Dallas Cowboys high-octane offense.
Overall, Detroit is very much in that second-tier of decent NFC teams with the likes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Washington Redskins. While they are all good enough to reach the NFC Playoffs, winning a playoff game would be a huge get because it’s not expected.