Lions must do this if

Most clubs begin the season with a focus on the Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions are unlike most teams.

For a franchise that had never won an NFC North title and had not moved up a division since winning the original NFC Central in 1993, the aim has always been to break the league’s longest title drought. They’ve been talking about it since they were wiping out their lockers after Seattle knocked them out of the playoff chase on the final day of the previous season.

“Division champs, that’s obviously the goal,” star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said that day. “If you’re divisions champs, you’re in the playoffs. We want to make the playoffs. We want to be division champs. And once we get there, then I think we can start talking other things.”

Well, they’re here.

And after outlasting the Los Angeles Rams in a 24-23 playoff thriller on Sunday night, they’re still here.

Now the only thing standing between them and a play-in game for the Super Bowl is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team they already beat by double digits in October. The Lions and Bucs will face off in a divisional-round playoff game on Sunday at Ford Field. And with all their goals met for the season, it feels like they’re playing with house money. No matter what happens in that game and beyond, this season is a huge, franchise-altering success that has woken up a fanbase and captured hearts across the country.

Just don’t tell Penei Sewell any of that

When I first got here, I knew that was the goal, just to get our foot in the door,” the All-Pro right tackle said. “But now that we’re in, it’s time to kick that (expletive) down.”

The Lions are favored by 6.5 points against Tampa, and if they take care of business against the Bucs, they’ll either head to top-seeded San Francisco or host seventh-seeded Green Bay in the NFC championship game. The 49ers and Packers play their divisional game on Saturday, and the Lions will know their path forward well before kickoff at Ford Field.

Among the eight teams left, Detroit has the fifth-best odds to win the Super Bowl according to all the major online sportsbooks. San Francisco leads the way, followed by the AFC’s Ravens, Bills and Chiefs.

Playoff games are always difficult to win — just ask any Detroiter — but the Lions are as dangerous as almost anyone left on their side of the bracket. They are led by a red-hot quarterback who has made a Super Bowl run before. Jared Goff stared into the eyes of withering pressure against the Rams on Sunday night and delivered one of his best games in Detroit, completing 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards, hooking up with Sam LaPorta for a fourth-down touchdown pass, then finding David Montgomery and Amon-Ra St. Brown in the final minutes to end the game without Matthew Stafford ever touching the ball again.

“This is the best,” Goff said. “This is what you do it for, is times like this. You work all season, you work all offseason to get to opportunities like this. And we’re here now.”

 

Goff is backed by two running backs who each have 1,000 yards from scrimmage, a first-team All-Pro receiver who finished among the top-five players in catches and yards, plus a tight end who just set the NFL record for catches by a first-year player at that position. David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta all have at least 850 yards and double-digit touchdowns apiece, becoming the first quartet of teammates in NFL history to accomplish that feat.

The Lions not only have the No. 2 offense in the league, but rare balance too, which makes them more immune to the ups and downs that set in for most teams and can threaten a playoff run. Come after Jared Goff and the passing game, and they’ll hit you on the ground. Load up the box to stop Montgomery and Gibbs, and they’ll slash your throat with St. Brown and LaPorta. And none of that accounts for their biggest strength of all. The offensive line has mashed all season, led by All-Pros like Sewell and center Frank Ragnow, while getting excellent play at the other positions.

The Lions’ biggest weakness is on defense, where they were No. 3 against the run in the regular season, but had issues against the pass, ranking 27th. But they’ve made a lot of strides down the stretch due to schematic and personnel changes, particularly in the secondary. Ceedy Duce is back at safety, while his latest injury replacement, Ifeatu Melifonwu, became a revelation after stepping into the starting lineup last month. Both players join Kerby Joseph in a new three-man rotation that presents new challenges for offenses that are not on tape.

Kindle Vildor has improved the play at CB2, while Brian Branch — who did not play in the first meeting against Tampa — has blossomed into one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league. Vildor was also hit for a long touchdown against Los Angeles, Cam Sutton was too, and the Lions have allowed an elite receiver to top 100 yards in each of their last four games overall. But they’ve been able to bend rather than break due to major improvements in generating takeaways and red-zone stops L.A. moved the ball well on Sunday night — and Puka Nacua finished with 188 receiving yards — but also finished 0-of-3 in the red zone, while Detroit was 3-of-3.

The good news: Detroit allowed just six points in the second half of that game overall.

Even better news: Detroit won’t see an arm that good on its side of the bracket again, although San Francisco’s Brock Purdy presents his own challenges if the 49ers beat Green Bay on Saturday.

Tampa’s Baker Mayfield has also been playing improved ball, and just roasted Matt Patricia’s Eagles defense for 337 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 32-9 blowout win in Tampa. Mayfield also had some clean looks at receivers who got behind Detroit’s defense in the first matchup against the Lions, but didn’t hit them. He finished with his worst game of the year, completing just 19 of 37 passes for 206 yards and a season-low QB rating of 56.8. Tampa was held out of the end zone that day and converted just two third-down attempts.

Goff, meanwhile, threw for a season-high 353 yards to help Detroit coast to a 20-6 win.

More of that on Sunday afternoon, and the Lions will be just 60 minutes from the Super Bowl. And now a team that opened the season with eyes for a division title senses the moment at hand, and what’s possible now that they’re here.

“This is just the beginning, boys,” Gold told teammates in the locker room after the win against L.A. “This is just the (expletive) beginning. We got three more of these (expletives). Next week, at home, at our place, against whoever the (expletive) wants to come in here.”

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