The Detroit Lions have secured the spot in the playoffs after defeating the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, November 5, 2024. The Lions have been battling for the playoff spot all season due to the strong NFC North, with the Vikings and the Packers being the two teams fighting for the top spot with the Lions. Both of these teams are now battling for the NFC wildcard spot due to the Packers’ loss against the Lions. Both these teams are likely capable of coming into the playoffs and having a shot to take the Lions out.
Yahoo Sports presented that “The Lions are in the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1994-95 seasons.” They secured the top spot not only in the NFC North but also in the NFC in general. Along with clinching their top spot, they also tied their most wins in one season with 12 with multiple more games to come. The fight for the playoffs spot is already secured for the Lions although the Eagles and the Vikings still are fighting for their place under the Lions to make the playoffs.
On Thursday night, the Lions put their soul into winning that crucial game for their season. Jared Goff played outstanding as he threw three touchdowns, and led the game-winning drive into field goal range for Jake Bates to secure the win at the last second, making the score 34-31. Dan Campbell showed true courage as he had faith in his team, due to his risky calls of going for it on fourth down multiple times throughout the night. Campbell has truly brought the Lions fans to nail-biting moments multiple times due to these fourth-down decisions but more times than not, they work out.
The Lions came into this game very short-handed, as they were missing many crucial parts of their defense. They had 18 players on the injured reserve, and one of their most crucial defensive linemen, Alim McNeil, was ruled out as well. The defense had let up four touchdowns, but two of those touchdowns were due to interceptions, and a turnover on downs that were found on the Lion’s side of the 50-yard line. Even with the defense struggling to keep them out of the endzone as much as they would like to, the offense fought back and secured the win and the playoff spot.
The offense showed true strength over all four quarters of this game, with Jared Goff leading the way. Goff threw 13 consecutive completions in the fourth quarter which led to their successful push for a game-winning field goal. Along with that, Goff also completed four of the five 4th down plays. David Montgomery, the powerhouse running back, secured the Lions the first touchdown of the game giving them an early start. ESPN showed that “Gibbs, nicknamed “Sonic,” gave the Lions a much-needed halftime boost with a 2-yard receiving touchdown from quarterback Jared Goff with 11 seconds left in the second quarter.”
The Lions have multiple strengths other than Goff, which include Amon-ra St. Brown being such a talented wide receiver, along with Brown, they have the best running back duo in the league Jahmyr Gibbs, and David Montgomery. Both of these running backs have made great records throughout the season, but this could not have happened if the Lions’ offensive linemen hadn’t paved the way for them.
Throughout the entire season, the Lions have relied heavily on their aggressive offensive decisions, and those decisions have proved to work as they won this game against the Packers. Without Campbell making the tough calls that most teams are not willing to take, the Lions might not have found themselves being one of, if not, the best teams in the league. This team has proven to do whatever it takes over and over again and I fully believe that this team has the strength to go all the way to the Superbowl and win it.
Moving forward into the playoffs, the Lions have everything it takes to contend for the Superbowl, with one other team that has proven to be a top contender for multiple years in a row. That team is the Kansas City Chiefs, the only way these two teams will meet in the playoffs would be in the Superbowl, and many people suspect that this will be the Superbowl matchup. These teams are both 12-1 but the Chiefs have been barely pulling away in most of their wins. This would be a matchup that would feed people at home with the superstar Patrick Mahomes, facing off against Goff who has proved himself to be a strong leader.
