| Detroit Free Press
Debating what to look for in Detroit Lions next head coach
The guys discuss the Lions’ loss to the Packers, what to look for in next head coach, Matthew Stafford’s future and more, Dec. 14, 2020.
The Detroit Lions‘ slim playoff hopes fell to almost infinitesimal levels with Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, but that has not dampened interim head coach Darrell Bevell’s outlook on the final three games.
“So you’re saying there’s a chance, right?” Bevell said Monday. “That’s why we play these games.”
The Lions have a 2% chance to make the postseason, according to the New York Times playoff simulator, and could have their hopes dashed altogether with a loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
At 5-8, the Lions likely need to win out to have a shot at making the postseason, and even then, their chances will be remote.
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The Arizona Cardinals (7-6) currently hold the seventh and final seed in the NFC, and the Minnesota Vikings (6-7) and Chicago Bears (6-7) also are ahead of the Lions in the playoff standings.
The Lions would be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss Sunday and a Cardinals win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions close the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Vikings.
“We’re going to get them playing, and just like I said when I started this thing, this is an opportunity for all of us,” Bevell said. “And it’s an opportunity for all of us, whether it’s going to be on this team, whether it’s another team. People are watching. They want to see how the Detroit Lions are going to react and if they’re just going to throw in the towel or if they’re going to keep fighting. And if I have anything to say about it or these players do, we’re going to keep fighting.”
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The Lions are 1-1 under Bevell, rallying from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Chicago Bears before losing to the Packers on Sunday.
Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said in a memo to employees Monday she was pleased with the enthusiasm and fight the team has shown under Bevell.
Some estimations put the Lions’ playoff hopes at 1%, but even then Bevell said it’s up to the Lions, who could be without quarterback Matthew Stafford this week, to keep their hopes alive.
“One percent, we’ll take it,” he said. “I don’t even know if that’s right, but we’ll take it.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.