Matthew Stafford: Why Shaun Hill Could Still Get the Lions to the Playoffs

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Matthew Stafford's season appears to be over.

He apparently separated his shoulder again in Sunday's game versus the New York Jets.

The separation is bad enough that his recovery time will eat up the rest of the regular season. Although, should the Lions shock the world and make the playoffs, a return in the playoffs isn't out of the question.

Now the Lions turn again to Shaun Hill. Here are 10 reasons why Shaun Hill can take this team to the playoffs.

10. The NFC North Can Produce a Wildcard

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As things stand right now, the Packers are going to run away with the NFC North.

The Vikings are a mess, and they don't play the Arizona Cardinals this week. The Bears are all smoke and mirrors, and the Lions are a better team than their record indicates.

An 8-8 record could get the Lions a Wildcard berth, and that's not outside the realm of possibility in this division.

9. The Lions are Young, but Talented

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Shaun Hill is working with a very young, but very talented team.

The team's record currently is 2-6. But one loss to the Bears due to one of the worst calls in the history of the NFL and Mark Sanchez are the only reason this team isn't .500 at the halfway point.

The Lions' play is improving. Hill has shown enough already this season to predict he can get this team to the playoffs.

8. The Chicago Bears are on Their Way Down

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As stated before, the Bears aren't as good as their record.

Jay Cutler has become a human punching bag behind a swiss-cheese offensive line.

The Lions' defense has 24 sacks on the season, and the Bears gave up 19 sacks in three games. The Lions can outscore the Bears and outplay them in their next contest Dec. 5.

7. The Buffalo Bills

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The Lions play the Bills this weekend, and the Lions are a better team than the winless Bills.

That would put the Lions at 3-6 on the year, and then there's their next opponent...

6. The Dallas Cowboys

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The Dallas Cowboys are a team that has completely fallen apart.

Even with Jason Garrett leading the team, this season is over and the Cowboys are going to be lucky to win even two more games.

The Lions know that by beating the Cowboys, they'll be keeping their fragile playoff hopes alive, and probably be much more motivated than the Cowboys.

That will put their record at 4-6 with six games to go.

5. Minnesota Vikings

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Assume losses to New England and Green Bay.

But the Lions are wily enough to pull out wins vs. Miami and Tampa Bay while getting revenge on the Bears. Winning those games would put their record at 7-8 going into the last week of the season.

Assuming Brett Favre can stay healthy enough to still be the starter in Week 17, and that Brad Childress still is the head coach, the Vikings have shown nothing so far this year to suggest this is an automatic win.

If the Lions don't suffer any more serious injuries, and there's a real chance of the playoffs on the line, Hill can get the Lions into the playoffs just through good game management.

Something he's already shown he's capable of doing.

4. Calvin Johnson

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Calvin Johnson still is one of the best young receivers in the league, and he did very well with Shaun Hill behind center this year.

There's no reason to think this combination will do anything but get better.

3. Jahvid Best

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Jahvid Best has 345 yards on 107 touches, 3.2 yards per carry and four touchdowns.

That's not bad for a rookie running back on a young team. With eight games on his resume now, there's no reason to think Best can't start turning it up a notch and have a couple of breakout games and take the pressure off of Hill to do everything.

The Lions have all this young talent. Now is the time to spread the ball around and use it.

2. Ndamukong Suh

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Hill is responsible for the offense.

But with Ndamukong Suh on the defense, and his rapidly developing skills, the defense can keep the score down. This means Hill won't be forced to put up 30-40 points a game just to squeak out a victory.

The Lions' defense isn't ranked very high right now. But with a relatively soft schedule going into the back half of the season, those rankings may be deceptively low.

Time will tell, but the potential is there.

1. Shaun Hill Did Pretty Good in Relief Already

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Hill already has thrown for more than 1,300 yards and has a 61-percent completion rate.

A 61-percent completion rate is nothing to sniff at, and his accuracy coupled with Calvin Johnson's talent is a weapon the Lions can wield early and often.

Hill's seven picks are troublesome, but those kinds of mistakes are avoidable with practice and good coaching. Plus, like has been said already, the Lions are playing a lot of beatable teams going forward.

Hill showed he was a good backup during Stafford's first injury this year.

The Lions can be confident going forward that Hill can lead this team to the playoffs should the team play smart, avoid mistakes, and take advantage of the opportunities given to them.