This isn't supposed to happen in the NFL. It almost never has. Teams that start 1-6 don't rally to make the playoffs. But that's exactly what the Lions are threatening to do, winners of six of their last seven and a half game back of the final NFC wild card spot with three games to go.
The Lions have landed some improbable playoff berths in the past. They made the postseason after a 1-4 start in 1983 and after an 0-3 -- and 3-6 -- start in 1995. But this? This is something different. This is darn near unprecedented in NFL history.
Only one team ever has overcome a 1-6 start to make the playoffs: the 1970 Bengals. So the Lions are trying to do something that hasn't been done in more than 50 years.
They took a significant step in that direction with a gutsy road win over the Jets on Sunday, boosting their odds of making the playoffs to 41 percent, per fivethirtyeight.com, up from 23 percent at the start of last week. They would climb to 62 percent if the Lions win this week against the 5-9 Panthers.
And if that's paired with the Commanders losing to the 11-4 49ers and the Seahawks losing to the 12-3 Chiefs, Detroit's playoff odds would jump to 70 percent. It's not a stretch to think the Lions could wake up in a playoff spot on Christmas.
They downed the Jets, who were fighting for their own lives, thanks to a go-ahead touchdown drive by Jared Goff and the offense and a game-winning stand by the defense, capped off by a missed field goal in the final second.
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"A lot of these close games are starting to lean more toward us than they are toward them and that hasn’t always been the case around here," Goff said afterward. "We’re starting to believe in each other — not starting to, we fully believe in each other and know somebody is going to make a play to do something right."
The Lions close out the season at home against the 3-11 Bears and on the road against the 5-8 Packers. They're a good bet to make the playoffs if they finish 3-1, all but a lock if they finish 4-0. Ultimately, their path to one of the most improbable playoff berths in NFL history is simple:
"We win ‘em, we got a good chance," said Goff. "We don’t win ‘em, we probably don’t."