With the bye week coming up, our season is officially halfway done. After 8 games we are now 5-3. Not a bad record with a group of talented teams in the NFC, but obviously, we have corrections to make during this perfectly timed bye week. With that being said, let's take a look at scenarios in which we can become playoff bound and/or possibly be NFC North Champions for the 4th straight time.
1. Home Sweet Home- After the first half of our schedule saw us traveling to Seattle on opening night, traveling to Detroit and going to New Orleans, the second half of our schedule seems to be a bit more in our favor. 5 of our next 8 games will be at home, including New England and what could be a huge showdown with Detroit in Week 17.
2. Winning The NFC North- Obviously, we will be entering the second half of our season competing with a really good looking Lions team this year. Luckily, Chicago and Minnesota are not currently threatening. We are 1.5 games back which means, yes, we will have to have some help. Luckily, November appears to have some teams that could do just that when they play the Lions. For November the Lions are:
Home against the Dolphins
AT Arizona
AT New England
Home against the Bears
Dolphins have been playing well, Arizona has 1 loss and leads their division, New England is New England, and conference games can usually go either way. None of these games are guaranteed wins for them at all, plus they have an additional 3 games after these before we get them at home in Week 17. The Lions are far from wrapping this division up.
3. Winning a Wildcard- Currently, Dallas, Detroit, Carolina and Arizona lead their divisions. The 4 current wildcard contenders are Philly (2 losses), Green Bay (3 losses), San Fran (3 losses) and Seattle (3 losses). Of these four, two would be the wildcard contenders (as of now). We still control our own destiny here. We get Philly at home the week after the Bears. If we win, we take the advantage over them.
Next, 49ers and Seattle need to lose some games. Well, that's going to happen. These two teams still have to play each other......twice. So one of these teams will be knocked way down the playoff hunt with 2 additional losses or they will BOTH have another loss this season.
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As far as playoff competition, we will worry about that at the end of December. Because much of that is who gets hot at the end.
I've mentioned this earlier, but I'll repeat it again. We are sitting in a position where 1 week changes everything. We aren't coming into the second half of our season desperate and needing teams to lose 3 or 4 games. There are 3 ways in (the north and 2 wildcard spots). And since we are in a position to where 1 week changes so much, imagine what could change over the next 9 weeks.
1. Home Sweet Home- After the first half of our schedule saw us traveling to Seattle on opening night, traveling to Detroit and going to New Orleans, the second half of our schedule seems to be a bit more in our favor. 5 of our next 8 games will be at home, including New England and what could be a huge showdown with Detroit in Week 17.
2. Winning The NFC North- Obviously, we will be entering the second half of our season competing with a really good looking Lions team this year. Luckily, Chicago and Minnesota are not currently threatening. We are 1.5 games back which means, yes, we will have to have some help. Luckily, November appears to have some teams that could do just that when they play the Lions. For November the Lions are:
Home against the Dolphins
AT Arizona
AT New England
Home against the Bears
Dolphins have been playing well, Arizona has 1 loss and leads their division, New England is New England, and conference games can usually go either way. None of these games are guaranteed wins for them at all, plus they have an additional 3 games after these before we get them at home in Week 17. The Lions are far from wrapping this division up.
3. Winning a Wildcard- Currently, Dallas, Detroit, Carolina and Arizona lead their divisions. The 4 current wildcard contenders are Philly (2 losses), Green Bay (3 losses), San Fran (3 losses) and Seattle (3 losses). Of these four, two would be the wildcard contenders (as of now). We still control our own destiny here. We get Philly at home the week after the Bears. If we win, we take the advantage over them.
Next, 49ers and Seattle need to lose some games. Well, that's going to happen. These two teams still have to play each other......twice. So one of these teams will be knocked way down the playoff hunt with 2 additional losses or they will BOTH have another loss this season.
______________________
As far as playoff competition, we will worry about that at the end of December. Because much of that is who gets hot at the end.
I've mentioned this earlier, but I'll repeat it again. We are sitting in a position where 1 week changes everything. We aren't coming into the second half of our season desperate and needing teams to lose 3 or 4 games. There are 3 ways in (the north and 2 wildcard spots). And since we are in a position to where 1 week changes so much, imagine what could change over the next 9 weeks.
