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Do you know the last time the Detroit Lions won a playoff game? It was before many of their current players were even born, as the Lions last won in the playoffs in 1991. The team won nine games last season but fell in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to Seattle. The Lions haven’t won their division since 1993 and they are longshots to do so in 2017 at odds of +485. It isn’t even a given that the Lions will be a .500 team, as oddsmakers set the win total for Detroit in 2017 at 7.5.
Detroit Lions Super Bowl Odds
Super Bowl Odds: +5700
NFC Championship Odds: +2650
NFC North Odds: +485
Odds Lions Make Playoffs: +325
Lions Regular Season Win Total: 7.5
The Lions still have a solid offense led by Matthew Stafford and a decent defense but they are a notch below the Packers in the NFC North. Oddsmakers are not even sure the Lions can win eight games, as they set the win total for Detroit at 7.5. The Lions are definitely not a given to make the playoffs, with odds of +325. The schedule for Detroit isn’t that bad, as the Lions face the 21st most difficult schedule, but a closer look shows that Detroit has a number of tough games outside of their own division.
2017 Detroit Lions Schedule
Week 1: Lions vs. Cardinals – Sunday, September 10, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 2: Lions at Giants – Monday, September 18, 8:30 p.m. ET
Week 3: Lions vs. Falcons – Sunday, September 24, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 4: Lions at Vikings – Sunday, October 1, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 5: Lions vs. Panthers – Sunday, October 8, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 6: Lions at Saints – Sunday, October 15, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 7: Bye
Week 8: Lions vs. Steelers – Sunday, October 29, 8:30 p.m. ET
Week 9: Lions at Packers – Monday, November 6, 8:30 p.m. ET
Week 10: Lions vs. Browns – Sunday, November 12, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 11: Lions at Bears – Sunday, November 19, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 12: Lions vs. Vikings – Thursday, November 23, 12:30 p.m. ET
Week 13: Lions at Ravens – Sunday, December 3, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 14: Lions at Buccaneers – Sunday, December 10, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 15: Lions vs. Bears – Saturday, December 16, 4:30 p.m. ET
Week 16: Lions at Bengals – Sunday, December 24, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 17: Lions vs. Packers – Sunday, December 31, 1:00 p.m. ET
The Detroit Lions Will Be a Success If…
They give Stafford some help. Stafford threw for 4,327 yards and 24 TDs last season with just 10 interceptions. He played through an injury, as he led the team to the playoffs with a splint on his throwing hand. He looked good in the first full season with Jim Bob Cooter as offensive coordinator. He played well despite virtually no running attack, as the Lions ranked 30th in the NFL in rushing yards last season. The Lions are hoping that a healthy Ameer Abdullah will make a difference and that Zach Zenner is more than a flash in the pan.
The Lions went out and upgraded their offensive lines in hope of running the ball. They signed right tackle Rick Wagner and guard T.J. Lang and both should start immediately. The Lions will miss Taylor Decker, who is out for the first part of the season due to injury, but they got Greg Robinson from the Rams and they signed Cyrus Kouandjio who was with Buffalo.
The Lions also went out and upgraded the receiving corps by taking Kenny Golladay in the NFL Draft.
The Detroit Lions Will Be a Failure If…
They can’t get their defense off the field. The Lions were next to last in the NFL in third-down defense last season. They simply couldn’t make big plays, as they tied for 30th in sacks and they tied for 28th in takeaways. Detroit added linebacker Jarrad Davis in the NFL Draft and they got rid of DeAndre Levy. The Lions were just 18th in the NFL in yards allowed last season.
The Lions need a bounce back season from Ezekiel Ansah who played with a high ankle sprain for much of last season. Detroit is hoping for another big year from Kerry Hyder who went from the practice squad to leading the team in sacks last season.
Detroit Lions 2017 Predictions
This will be the fourth season for head coach Jim Caldwell and the pressure is on for him to deliver a playoff win. The Lions have not made the playoffs in two straight seasons in more than 20 years and as noted earlier, they have not won a playoff game in 26 years. It is a contract year for Caldwell and if the Lions miss the playoffs it could be his last with the team.
The NFC North is not an easy division, as the Packers are perennial Super Bowl contenders, while the Vikings continue to improve. The Lions schedule ranks as the 21st-most difficult in the NFL but it seems a lot more difficult than that ranking with games against the Cardinals, Steelers, Ravens, Bengals and Giants. The Lions have not had two straight non-losing seasons since 2000, so history is against them.
The win total for the Lions is 7.5 and it is a lot easier to see the team going 6-10 or 7-9 than it is seeing them go 8-8 or 9-7.
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