FOX Sports Detroit staff
Even without playing a game, the Detroit Lions look even better tonight.
Heck, if you really want to stretch your imagination, a spot in the NFC title game might have been theirs with just a few breaks and fewer injuries.
As it is, the Lions, who finished the season 6-10 and in third place in the NFC North, beat one of the four remaining teams in the NFL playoffs, the Green Bays Packers, 7-3, in Week 14. And two other conference championship contenders were lucky to escape with victories over the Lions.
The Chicago Bears were the beneficiary of a controversial call on a Calvin Johnson TD catch that was ruled incomplete in Week 1. The Bears hung on at Soldier Field, 19-14.
In Week 9, the Jets trailed the Lions by 10 in the fourth quarter at Ford Field. A season-ending shoulder injury to quarterback Matthew Stafford late in the game set the stage for a Jets comeback and 23-20 overtime victory.
The Lions lost the other two games to division rivals Green Bay and Chicago by a combined six points -- utilizing second-string QB Shaun Hill against the Packers in Week 4 and third-string quarterback Drew Stanton against the Bears in Week 13.
The Lions, who ended the season with four consecutive victories, did not play the fourth team still standing in the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jan. 16, 2011
