The 11-1 Lions are the best team in the NFL right now, but their schedule doesn’t make things easy: They play the 9-3 Packers on Thursday, the 10-2 Bills next week, and finish the season against the 10-2 Vikings. Lions coach Dan Campbell says as far as he’s concerned, his team needs to be treating December like it’s the playoffs.
“We’re in playoff football right now,” Campbell said. “That’s where we’re at. We’re in December, and our schedule says that. We play tough opponent after tough opponent, we’ve got another one, we’ve got plenty of them coming up. This is the type of stuff that you live for. And it’s also the stuff that gets you ready for the tournament.”
The Lions, who also have games remaining against the Bears and 49ers, are good enough to run the table. But that’s no sure thing, and with only a one-game lead in the NFC North over the Vikings, and a two-game lead over the Packers, they need to continue playing their best football if they want to avoid having to play on the road in the playoffs. Trip up, and the Lions’ path to the Super Bowl could shift from needing to win two games at home, to needing to win three games on the road.
December won’t decide whether the Lions get to the Super Bowl, but playing playoff football now will give the Lions a much clearer path to the Super Bowl when the playoffs start.
