No matter what happens in the regular-season finale, the Lions are guaranteed to play in the wild card round of the playoffs. Their history there is not good.
The Lions are the only NFL franchise that has never won a game in the wild card round. Detroit last won a playoff game in 1991, in the divisional round, after earning a first-round playoff bye. Prior to that, Detroit’s last postseason win was the 1957 NFL Championship Game, before wild cards existed.
Overall the Lions are 0-9 in the wild card round, first losing there in 1982 and most recently losing there in 2016.
The good news for the Lions is that they’ll be at home and likely favored in the wild card round, whereas in most of their past wild card games they were on the road and underdogs. This has been one of the best seasons for one of the NFL’s worst franchises, but losing yet another wild card game, at home, would be an ugly ending to a good year.