For a 12-2 team, there does seem to be growing concern externally for the Detroit Lions and their hopes to make a Super Bowl run. Last week, the club's 11-game winning streak came to a close in a loss to the Buffalo Bills at home, a game that many looked at as a Super Bowl preview. On top of failing that test, injuries have continued to pile up across the roster, particularly the defense.
While there may be an uneasiness creeping in from the NFL at large, inside the building it appears they are scoffing at those concerns.
"We're 12-2 and the sky's falling," Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn told reporters Thursday, via the Detroit Free Press. "We're going to the playoffs. We're in the tournament. Why in the hell is the sky falling for us? What do we have to sit back and be sad? We let you guys do that."
The Lions have already clinched a playoff berth, but the NFC North is still up for grabs. They are knotted atop the standings with the Minnesota Vikings but currently hold first place thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker. On top of the division, Detroit is still fighting for the No. 1 seed in the conference. They currently have the inside track for the No. 1 seed in the NFC but have the Philadelphia Eagles (along with Minnesota) nipping at their heels. Detroit owns the tiebreaker over Philly, thanks to a superior conference record.
That said, the Lions final three games all come within the conference, including a home matchup at Ford Field against the Vikings in Week 18, so there is still room for error down the stretch.
"Our job is to go play football, and that's what we're going to continue to do," Glenn said. "We lost one game. Well, two games. We lost two games. We have a chance to win out and accomplish everything that we want to accomplish, so why should we sit back and wallow and think the sky's falling? It's dumb."
Glenn is right to note that if the Lions simply take care of business down the stretch, they'll be sitting pretty as the NFC North champions and the No. 1 seed in the conference, so they control their own destiny over the final three weeks.