Thanks to a last-minute Seattle Seahawks’ game-winning touchdown, the Detroit Lions will have to wait to clinch a playoff berth which would be their first since 2016. The Seahawks topped the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-17, on Monday night. It was the third straight loss for the Eagles (10-4).
The Lions (10-4) have three games left to solidify the NFC North title which has been their goal since the season started.
“We came into this saying we have got to win this division, that’s the goal, that’s what it is,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Monday afternoon. “If something happens between now and then, hey that’s all good, but that is our focus.
“We talked about that this morning as a team. That was the focus when we entered it and that’s still the focus. We’re going to do everything we can to win this division and there’s nothing that’s going to be easy about it. We have to go out to Minneapolis and face the Vikings who are a very dangerous team and find a way to win it and get this division,’’ the coach added.
First the Lions play at the Minnesota Vikings (7-7) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Then they will face the Dallas Cowboys (10-4), who got rolled by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30. Then to wrap up the regular season they play the Vikings at Ford Field on Jan. 7.
The last time the Lions won a playoff game was Jan. 5, 1992, when they beat the Dallas Cowboys 38-6. Erik Kramer threw three touchdown passes, Barry Sanders scampered 47 yards for a touchdown and Cowboys’ QB Troy Aikman was sacked 3 times and threw an interception.
The Lions thought it was their year, but lost 41-10 at the Washington then-Redskins in the NFC Championship game when Sanders was held to 44 yards rushing. Kramer threw one touchdown, was intercepted once and fumbled three times (losing one).
Since then the Lions have lost nine playoff games dating back to the 1991 playoffs. Eight of those have been on the road. They lost, 28-24, to the Green Bay Packers at the Silverdome in the 1993 playoffs. In that one Sanders had 169 rushing yards.
Lions Lowdown 