Lions Continue To Stave Off Playoff Fever As Chicago Game Draws Near
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK (CBS DETROIT) - If the Detroit Lions chalk up their 11th win of the season Sunday against the Chicago Bears, it will be the first time since 1991 and only the second time since 1962.
The Lions have positioned themselves well, with an opportunity to clinch a playoff berth Sunday and clinch the division the following Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. If the Lions win both games, they will end the year with a mark of 12-4, tying the franchise record for regular season wins.
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell will not discuss the playoffs, much less the significance of overcoming the team's troubled history, at this point in the season.
"It's almost like someone who begins to spend money before they have it," Caldwell said. "We haven't gotten there yet, and whenever that time arrives I'll have a chance to reflect upon it at that particular time and expound on it a little more."
Players have generally followed Caldwell's lead on declining to talk about the possibility of going to the playoffs, but they understand the gravity of the opportunity in front of them.
"For me it's been nine years, for a guy like Dominic [Raiola] it's been 14 years of just fighting and scrapping and trying to overcome a lot of stuff, and finally getting in a position to have that reward is huge," left guard Rob Sims said. "Don't want to just stop with 11. Just want to always keep it rolling."
If the Philadelphia Eagles lose to the Washington Redskins on Saturday, the Lions would be locked into at least a wild card spot before they even play Chicago, but Caldwell and Sims say they will not be watching.
"I don't watch that game," Sims said. "I let somebody tell me, and then I'll be like, 'Okay, that's cool. Let's go play the Bears.' That's great we're in a position to even start talking about that, but we need to worry about playing our best on Sunday regardless if they win or not."