One of the teams that surprised everyone was the Detroit Lions. Although there were already some improvements last season with the hiring of Dan Campbell as the head coach, the roster didn’t seem to have enough talent to be in the NFL playoffs. The beginning of this one pointed to that direction.

But the turnaround was outstanding. The first half of the season had them as a team that was going to score a lot of points in every game, although one that would also give up enough to end up losing. That’s how they got to a 1-6 record by week 8.

Until their improving performances began to translate into wins. They entered in such a roll now that they won seven out of their last nine games. Their 8-8 mark has them with a real possibility to be in the playoffs, but they don’t control their faith.

What do the Detroit Lions need to be in the playoffs?

The race to be in the playoffs as a wild card team will be vs the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. They currently sit in the 8th place with all tied at 8-8, although a victory this week will not necessarily qualify them.

There is a combination of scores that must happen. The Lions have to beat the Packers and hope the Seahawks lose vs the LA Rams. Those are the things they need to be in the playoffs, though the schedule didn’t help them since they play on Sunday Night Football. What that means is their match vs Green Bay will be meaningless if there is a victory by Seattle over LA earlier in the day.