The Detroit Lions will enter Week 14 with a two-game lead over both the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North.
This is uncharted territory for the Lions.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Lions haven’t held a two-game advantage in their division this late in a season since 1993—which also happens to be the last time Detroit won a division title. Back then, the division was known as the NFC Central.
Lions have a 2-game lead in their division for the 1st time since 1993 (after Week 10)
(via @eliassports)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 5, 2016
The Lions took care of business on Sunday, beating the Saints by a 28-13 score in New Orleans. Detroit intercepted Drew Brees three times, while Matthew Stafford threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns.
Winning is breeding confidence in Detroit.
“Of course it does. The more you win, the more confidence you get,” defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said, via ESPN. “Like I said, we’re continuing to have more faith in each other and now it’s going to be a hard bond to break the more we win.”
The Lions have won seven of their last eight games to get to 8-4. The Packers and Vikings are both 6-6, and Detroit has a Week 17 game with Green Bay and the head-to-head tiebreaker over Minnesota.
There’s still plenty of work to do.
The Lions host the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but Detroit’s final three games are against the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Packers—with matchups against New York and Dallas coming on the road.
The remaining schedule is tough, but the Lions hold a two-game lead with just four games to play. A first division title in almost 25 years is well within reach in Detroit.
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