Bob Wojnowski: With No. 1 seed in sight, Lions can't look down or let up

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Lions survived the gauntlet — and by “survived,” I mean “crushed.” Now it gets easier, even though it never really does in the NFL.

In their seven-game winning streak, the Lions have won five on the road — Arizona, Dallas, Minnesota, Green Bay, Houston. That’s Super Bowl-caliber mettle, the type of mettle that makes them the best, or second-best team in the NFL right now. Quibbling between the Lions (8-1) and Chiefs (9-0) might not be decided until Feb. 9 in New Orleans, although the two-time champs look more vulnerable than invincible.

Just past the midway point, the Lions’ objectives haven’t changed, just narrowed: Win their division and secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC, so the Super Bowl path indeed must go through Ford Field. That also would include a first-round bye, removing one more potential obstacle.

It’s all there for the taking, with four of their next five at home, emboldened by their improbable comeback victory in Houston. The Lions’ biggest opponent right now? Themselves.

They’re favored by as many as 14 against Jacksonville (2-8) this Sunday, which would be the largest point spread in the league all season. The Jaguars are a mess, with Mac Jones likely replacing ailing Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, and coach Doug Pederson’s job reportedly in jeopardy. The Lions’ last huge point spread was 12.5 against Tennessee three weeks ago, and they eked out a 52-14 victory.

On talent and temerity, the Lions shouldn’t lose at home to Jacksonville, Chicago, Green Bay or Buffalo, or on the road against Indianapolis. But because everyone in Detroit is fairly new to this, I’m compelled to invoke the AGS Clause. It’s “Any Given Sunday,” and it’s not just the title of a bad football movie; it’s a way of life in the NFL.

Dan Campbell knows, having served as assistant head coach in New Orleans under Sean Payton from 2016-20, when the Saints were perennial contenders but fell short of the Super Bowl. The Lions didn’t fall behind the Texans, 23-7, because they were cocky or complacent. They made errors, including five Jared Goff interceptions, against a likely playoff team. It went from ugly to enlightening, in case they needed first-hand evidence of the task ahead.

“We just faced a team in Houston that felt like their back was against the wall, and they brought it,” Campbell said. “I would expect nothing different out of this (Jaguars) team. I would expect we’re going to get their best game of the year and same with the Colts after that, and Chicago after that and Green Bay after that. We’re going to get everybody’s best shot. We have to be on our game, and it really is about yourself and about the details.”

No, I’m not predicting the Lions will finish 16-1. The Packers, Bills, 49ers and Vikings still lurk on the schedule. But they won’t need 16-1 to get the top seed. They do need to stay healthy (duh), and continue to expand their versatility.

What makes the Lions so dangerous is they can win any which way. It’s no longer just about the offense, with Ben Johnson using a joystick to move talented pieces all over the field. The defense has risen under Aaron Glenn to a top-10 unit in scoring, allowing 19 ppg, and now welcomes edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to the fold. The encouraging part for the Lions is that much more growth is possible.

They’re 28th in the league in passing yards allowed and 14th in sacks. But here comes Smith, and here comes Josh Paschal back from surgery, supplying pressure from one edge. Here comes second-year linebacker Jack Campbell, veteran Alex Anzalone and breakout star defensive back Brian Branch, their top three tacklers. Perhaps most important, here comes Alim McNeill developing into a rock and a star (too humble to be a rockstar) with 3.5 sacks, as the Lions continue to adjust to life without Aidan Hutchinson.

“(McNeill) doesn’t surprise me at all,” Glenn said. “For a defensive lineman, sometimes they don’t get the credit they deserve for doing the dirty work, and he’s been doing that for a while. … He’s always had that (pass-rush) ability because of his talent, but you can tell that part of his game is really starting to get an uptick, and the tools in his toolbox he’s starting to utilize a lot more.”

Since their 12-5 run and NFC championship game appearance, the Lions have evolved on both sides of the ball. Goff threw for 4,575 yards last season and is on pace now for 3,929. In fact, the Lions are 3-0 in games when he passes for fewer than 200 yards.

That’s not a step down; it’s a step up for their powerfully balanced run game. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have pounded away for 727 and 520 yards, respectively, and each has precisely 122 carries. The Lions rank seventh in the league in rushing yards, 14th in passing and second in scoring (31.6 ppg to Baltimore’s 31.8). They’re No. 1 in point differential (plus-113).

They can roll it up — they’ve topped 42 points three times — or grind it out, winning four games by a touchdown or less. Their only loss was a weird one, 20-16, at home to Tampa Bay. The Lions outgained the Bucs, 463-216, but were 1 for 7 in the red zone and couldn’t stop Baker Mayfield on the final drive.

Goff talks about the Lions being built differently than every team in the league, and in that regard, it’s partly personal. He’s overcome as much adversity as any top quarterback, so when he encounters it, he almost embraces it. In the loss to the Bucs, Goff threw two interceptions. Subsequently, he went on an historic six-game splurge where he completed 82.8% of his passes.

When asked if he needs to remind his teammates the danger the Jaguars pose in a classic letdown setup, Goff shrugs.

“We’ve got a mature group; there’s not much that needs to be said,” Goff said. “We have our own standards that, regardless of who we’re playing, regardless of what their record is, we have our own things that we want to prove and improve on. I think that’s the biggest battle right now, to know we need to improve even though we’re able to win some of these close games.”

No one’s pretending the Jaguars are some slumbering giant. Yes, they fought hard against the Vikings in a 12-7 loss last week, but Minnesota turned the ball over three times and outgained Jacksonville, 402-143.

It’s easy to get tricked into complacency in a long season, and the Lions aren’t necessarily trick-proof. But a 23-7 halftime deficit in Houston wasn’t a function of getting tricked. They took a solid kick, which doesn’t hurt every now and then, and rallied to win, 26-23.

“We are very intentional about not being fooled by being 8-1,” Goff said, “and knowing we’ve got a ton of things to improve on.”

They’re halfway there, with more heavy lifting ahead. The Eagles (7-2), Commanders (7-3), 49ers (5-4), Vikings (7-2) and Packers (6-3) are still the biggest NFC obstacles, when healthy. The Lions should be favored to handle them, but only if they handle themselves.

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