It seemed almost unfathomable three weeks ago, when the Detroit Lions had the worst record in the NFL and were in the process of cleaning out their front office.
But after winning their third straight game Thursday, 45-14, over the hapless Philadelphia Eagles, the Lions can suddenly entertain playoff thoughts with a straight face.
At 4-7, the Lions are still extreme long shots to make the postseason – they had a 1.1% chance of qualifying for the playoffs entering the week, according to FootballOutsiders.com.
But given the state of the NFC and their own favorable schedule that includes one team with a winning record the rest of the way, their prospects are slowly improving.