Sure, losing to Green Bay at Ford Field Sunday night to miss out on the NFC North title was disappointing, but the Lions are one of just 12 teams in the NFL still working Monday, and their sights are clearly set on the road ahead.
What gives head coach Jim Caldwell confidence his team can make a playoff run?
It certainly had to be disappointing to lose their last three regular-season games, but the playoffs begin a whole new season, and we've seen plenty of teams make a run with nine-win seasons or losing streaks to end the regular season.
"Anytime that you have an opportunity to play in the playoffs, just look at the history, there's teams that you can rattle off – Giants, you can rattle off a number of different teams that have gone in and perhaps not had the best regular season that they'd like, but ended up getting themselves in position to really be a factor in the playoffs, so we're not limited to it."
Caldwell was a member of the 2012 Baltimore coaching staff that saw their Ravens loose four of their last five games of the regular season and then run the table to win the Super Bowl.
"It's just a mindset for the most part and what we want to do is you've got to shake this thing off rather quickly and you've got to go after it," Caldwell said. "That's exactly what I've been trying to preach to the guys. It's a huge quantum shift mentally and you know, we've got to play like we're capable of playing."
Is there a certain characteristic of teams that shake off losses and advance in the playoffs?
"Yeah, they look just like the team that won nine games this year for us," Caldwell said. "Looks just like that. Didn't turn the ball over, didn't penalize yourself out of the box.
"Did all the little things right there at the end, found a way to win."
How is Seattle a different team with safety Earl Thomas (broken leg) and running back Marshawn Lynch (retirement)?
Without Thomas, Seattle's defense has allowed opposing quarterbacks to average 7.73 yards per attempt (29th) and post a passer rating of 96.1 (25th) the last six weeks.
"It's still an outstanding unit back there," Caldwell cautioned. "They've got guys that can run and cover. They still do a tremendous job. Oftentimes people just look at the coverage unit and that's it. We talk about how well they cover, but it's a combination of rush and coverage. They can put pressure on you.
"They make you get the ball out faster than you'd like and those guys that are playing back there understand that. They work in harmony with one another, so I still think that (Richard) Sherman and the rest of that crew back there do an excellent job. So we'll have to prepare for that."
Seattle hasn't nearly been as dominant running the football as we've seen in years past. They rank just 25th in rushing (99.4).
But Caldwell said Seattle will still pound it at them on the ground if they let them.
"I think philosophically they still want to do the same things," Caldwell said. "And I think on offense and defense and in their kicking game they have a system that they have in place that's won a lot of football games for them over the years. And I don't think they've deviated much from that.
"I think it just kind of goes game by game what they feel they can do, but they still are explosive. They still can run the ball and they certainly can play defense."
How do the Lions contain duel-threat quarterback Russell Wilson, given what Aaron Rodgers was able to accomplish both with him arm and legs Sunday night?
Wilson has been dealing with injuries all season that have slowed him down some, but he's still a big threat to extend plays with his feet and force a lot of pressure on a defense.
"You know obviously we just have to do a better job," Caldwell said. "There are a certain couple situations where (Rodgers) got outside of us. But he is unusual in that sense and I think the guy we're facing this week is unusual in that sense.
"The last time we played them (Wilson) was all over the field. I think we might have gotten a few sacks in that ballgame, too. It would be foolhardy of me to even think that we can keep guys like that from getting out, particularly if they throw the ball extremely well. We just did need to make certain that it just doesn't break our backs."
Caldwell made the point that there has to be a balance between being too cautious or too reckless rushing the passer.
How do the Lions deal with a short week and then travel to the west coast?
The good thing is that they've been in this situation plenty. They had to do it last week after playing on Monday Night Football. Every year they deal with the short week that playing on Thanksgiving forces them into.
"We just have to make some adjustments in terms of how we practice and those kinds of things," Caldwell said. "We have to be mindful of what we think we can get out of them during the course of practice, yet we need the preparation to get ready for this game.
"So, we'll make some adjustments and like we do every week on a short week. We think that will be more than adequate."
