Are the Detroit Lions Playoff Bound?

After watching the Lions' first-team offense and defense play against the New England Patriots on Saturday night this past week, it’s hard to imagine that the Lions aren’t going to be a better team this coming season. They have the weapons on offense to make things difficult for opposing defensive coordinators and have a defense that is starting to show itself as one of the best in the NFL.

But there have been years in the past where the Lions have looked good at the outset only to fall flat on their face and never make the playoffs. They have had season after season of futility (Detroit hasn’t made the playoffs since 1999) and it looks like they are about to climb out of the basement of the NFC North and win some games.

The NFC North is a tough division. You have last year’s Super Bowl champion Green Bay there,along with last year’s division winner, the Chicago Bears. Both teams are tough, but the Lions have come close to beating them in the recent past and could get over the hump against them this year.

So what makes the Lions so special? Their offense has seen some improvement and if quarterback Matthew Stafford can stay healthy then this group will see some success in 2011.  They have weapons like Calvin Johnson and rookie receiver Titus Young there ready to help out in the passing game. And if they have good health at the running back position with guys like Jahvid Best, then they should easily be able to nearly dominate on offense.

But where they will dominate most will be on defense, where their defensive line should help lead the unit as whole to a much better season in 2011. With Ndamukong Suh being one of the best defensive tackles in football, Detroit's defensive line will be tough to run and pass against. If this year’s first-round pick, Nick Fairley, can get over the injury that he suffered in training camp, the Lions line will be that much better.

The secondary will still be suspect, but getting good play out of the defensive line will go a long way toward helping this unit look better. But if teams are able to find a way to control Suh and the rest of the Lions' pass rush (which includes Kyle Vandenbosch) then the Lions secondary could be exposed and the defense could struggle.

There are so many factors that are going to play into the Lions' success this season. The health of Stafford will be the key to their season. Without him, the Lions aren’t going to get too far. And Detroit needs to establish their running game to help keep some of the pressure off Stafford and keep defenses honest.

There is no doubt that the Lions are going to be better and that they are going to win more games in 2011 than they did last year. While they may just miss the playoffs this year head coach Jim Schwartz has just about gotten this team to the point where it can be a winner for several seasons to come.

Do you think that the Lions are going to be better this season? Has their time finally come?