Here's an excerpt from my Gaming Today column this week:
"Detroit’s last playoff win came in the divisional round of the 1991 postseason. Their playoff victory prior to that came in the 1957 Championship Game, when Bobby Layne led them to a title. In their only playoff game of the 21st century, Detroit gave up 45 points in a loss to the Saints in the 2011 Wild Card round. From a ‘recent history’ perspective, the Lions are every bit as dicey as the Cowboys, and from a ‘long term history’ perspective, Detroit ranks right there with Cleveland at the bottom of the NFL spectrum.
That being said, this is the best Lions team since Barry Sanders retired and Wayne Fontes was finally run out of town. On a yards per play differential basis, Detroit ranks behind only the Seahawks and Packers in the NFC. Defensively, they have allowed less than five yards per snap this year, one of only four teams to do so (Denver, Seattle and Buffalo are the other three)."
Note Detroit's statistical comparisons to other elites -- Seattle, Green Bay and Denver in particular.