Breaking Down Detroit Lions' Remaining Schedule After 0-3 Start

The Detroit Lions' front-loaded schedule has already buried the team in a three-loss hole, but it also put them atop the waiver wire, which is nice.

"

Bad news: Lions are 0-3; good news: they top the new waiver order! http://t.co/2sinwZJYxJ

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 29, 2015"

There is real relief on the horizon, however, save for the next two weeks. The last 11 games bring two contests against the Chicago Bears and one apiece against the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers. All three teams can be described as struggling at best.

Granted, the level of competition won't matter if Detroit's recent play continues. The play-calling has Golden Tate putting his offensive coordinator on blast (presumably out of frustration), and the level of execution and focus has been nowhere near 2014's level.

Yet there are 13 games left to play. A few tweaks here and there could go a long way toward making this team more competitive. Enough to find 10 wins? Probably not, but let's take a look anyway.

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

"Just Be Competitive" Group

• Week 4: @ Seattle Seahawks
• Week 5: Arizona Cardinals
• Week 10: @ Green Bay Packers

Nobody expects Detroit to win these games.

The Seattle Seahawks have had a rough start and boast an offensive line that has allowed 54 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus (Detroit has given up 59). It doesn't matter. The team is still the two-time NFC champ with an electric home crowd. It hardly seems the place for Detroit to put the pieces back together.

Unfortunately, the following week won't bring the remedy, either. The Arizona Cardinals are scorching the NFL with Carson Palmer playing the role of General Sherman.

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#AZCardinals QB Carson Palmer in last 18 starts: 16-2 record 36 TDs 14 INTs 64.4 comp % 99.3 passer rating (h/t @CardsMarkD) #SFvsAZ

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 27, 2015"

Then there's Lambeau Field. And that's all I have to say about that.

"The London Lions Has a Nice Ring to it" Group

• Week 6: Chicago Bears
• Week 15: @ New Orleans Saints
• Week 16: San Francisco 49ers
• Week 17: @ Chicago Bears

I'm kidding, although Twitter has been full of fans who might be ready for this team to leave town. But if the Lions don't win all four of these contests, there won't be a city willing to take them in.

The Bears should have gotten a bump to the final category just for being a divisional rival. However, once they started shedding starters like a sinking ship throwing dead weight overboard, their fate was sealed:

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Bears traded former 2nd-rd pick Jon Bostic to Patriots for 6th-rd pick, pending phsical. Bears get back two 6's for Bostic and Jared Allen.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 28, 2015"

The Saints and 49ers are better, but not by much. Talent purges and the salary cap have knocked each of these two teams on its back, where they'll stay for the season.

"50/50" Group

• Week 7: Minnesota Vikings
• Week 8: Kansas City Chiefs (London)
• Week 11: Oakland Raiders
• Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles
• Week 13: Green Bay Packers
• Week 14: @ St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams might not belong here. The season-opening win gave them credibility, and their strong defensive line is a problem, but a loss to Washington and a six-point performance last week make them suspect.

Some will probably also argue that the Philadelphia Eagles don't belong here with their 1-2 record. Yet the Eagles' talent level demands they be kept here with the Oakland Raiders, who might be putting it together behind their young quarterback.

That leaves the top half of the NFC North. Ford Field has been especially hostile to these two teams for the past couple of years, with neither notching a win there since 2012.

The odds are not with the Lions, but these games will be played anyway.

Stranger things have happened before. Just ask the 1995 Detroit Lions.

All advanced statistics, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.