Before we move on, let’s make something clear: What the Detroit Lions have done this season is impressive. After the Lions beat the Green Bay Packers 34-31 with a last-second field goal, they have won 11 straight. At 12-1, this is the winningest Lions team in franchise history at this point in the regular season.

At the end of the season, the 2024 Lions will surely have the best regular season Detroit has ever had. Jared Goff may be the most underrated quarterback in football. The crime is charged. The O-line is strong.

This team could certainly advance to Super Bowl LIX, especially with home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. The Lions could win said Super Bowl. The team has accepted Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness and toughness 100 percent.

But it wouldn’t be surprising if these Lions lost their first playoff game because defense is a real problem.

Yes, the Packers had less than 300 yards of total offense on Thursday night. They also had a handful of big plays, scoring 31 points. And that was on a night when Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love didn’t play particularly well.

Detroit’s front seven was drained by injuries. The pass rush is almost non-existent, and the secondary is certainly not good enough to cover opposing receivers all day due to the non-existent pass rush.

The Lions and Philadelphia Eagles appear to be on a collision course for the NFC title. But while both have offenses that can score at any time, Philly also has the best defense in the league.

As good as the Lions are, Detroit needs the Ford Field crowd to upset Jalen Hurts. Disrupt the Eagles offense. Because in a vacuum, Philadelphia has a much better chance of making defensive plays than the rest of the defense in Motown.