NFL Week 14 Takeaways: Lions clinch NFL Playoff spot with thrilling TNF win | News, results, highlights, stats and rumours

Before we go any further, let’s make something clear: What the Detroit Lions have done this season is impressive.

After defeating the Green Bay Packers 34-31 on a last-second field goal, they have won 11 straight. At 12-1, this is the most successful Detroit team at this point in the regular season in franchise history.

By season’s end, the 2024 Lions will almost certainly have the best regular season Detroit has ever had. Jared Goff is possibly the most underrated quarterback in football. The offense is charged. The O-line is strong.

This team could absolutely advance to Super Bowl LIX, especially with home court advantage in the NFC playoffs. The Lions could win the Lombardi Trophy. The team has 100 percent bought into Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness and toughness.

But it wouldn’t be surprising to see these Lions lose their first playoff game because the defense is a real concern.

Yes, the Packers had less than 300 yards of total offense Thursday night. They also had a fist full of big plays and scored 31 points. And that was on a night when Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love didn’t play very well.

Detroit’s front seven has been decimated by injuries. The pass rush is almost non-existent and the secondary is certainly not good enough to cover opposing receivers all day because of the non-existent pass rush.

The Lions and Philadelphia Eagles appear to be on a collision course for the NFC title game. But while both have offenses that can score at any time, Philly also has the league’s No. 1-defense.

As good as the Lions are, Detroit needs the Ford Field crowd to rattle Jalen Hurts and get the Eagles offense out of sync. Because in a vacuum, Philadelphia has a much better chance of making defensive plays than what’s left of the defense in Motown.