Lions see hope in division race

Oct 19, 2017 - 3:51 AM ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions have lost three of their last four games and are coming off one of their worst performances of Jim Caldwell's tenure as head coach, but the team enters this week's bye with plenty of optimism about its future.

First, the broken collarbone suffered by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has undeniably changed the landscape of the NFC North.

The Packers have won five of the last six division titles and were the heavy favorites to claim another before Rodgers' injury. No one in the Lions' locker room is reveling in the two-time MVP's absence, but it's obvious the Lions' chances of winning their first division crown in 23 years just improved.

Second, the Lions, as beat up as they are, are actually in better shape health-wise than most of their peers. Yes, they lost top defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to season-ending surgery, but left tackle Taylor Decker is expected back at some point next month and should immediately bolster the offensive line.

The Lions enter this week tied atop the NFL for most sacks allowed (23, same as Rodgers' Packers), and their protection problems have limited an offense that ranks last in the league in yards per play.

Decker (shoulder) is eligible to come off the physically unable to perform list when the Lions return from their bye next week, but likely will need multiple weeks of practice before he is ready for game action.

Finally, the Lions have a favorable schedule down the stretch.

At 3-3, the Lions are currently third in the NFC North, but they beat the Minnesota Vikings in their only division game and have five games left against the Minnesota Vikings, Packers and Chicago Bears.

Of the Lions' final 10 games, just four are against teams currently with winning records. Along with a Thanksgiving rematch with the Vikings (4-2) in Detroit, the Lions play the Packers (4-2) twice and the road-challenged Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) at Ford Field.

None of that guarantees the Lions anything, but as linebacker Tahir Whitehead said, "Everything's still out there in front of us."

"No one's making the playoffs at this point of the season, six games in," Whitehead added. "So, we're not stressing, we're not worried. We'd definitely like to have those games back knowing how close they were, but it is what it is. You got to go out there, get rested up over the bye week, come back strong, ready to play Pittsburgh and hit the ground running."

--Punter Sam Martin practiced Tuesday for the first time this season.

The Lions opted to start Martin's three-week practice window as soon as he was eligible to come off the non-football injury list. A Pro Bowl alternate last year, Martin suffered a summer ankle injury and was originally expected back during training camp.

He could be back on the field when the Lions return from their bye to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Fill-in Jeff Locke has netted a career-best 42.2 yards per punt in Martin's absence. Locke, who spent the last four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, said he's punting as well as he ever has and is coming off perhaps the best game of his career against the Saints.

"I'm here until they want me here and then when I'm gone it's my agent's job to help me find something else," Locke said. "I think I've put some pretty quality stuff on film, so we'll see if another team likes it."

--The Lions were awarded quarterback Brad Kaaya off waivers from the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday.

A sixth-round pick by the Lions in April, Kaaya was one of the team's cuts at the 53-player roster deadline, and he was someone general manager Bob Quinn said at the time presented his toughest decision.

While Matthew Stafford has been playing through an assortment of minor bumps and bruises, Kaaya's addition appears to be more about backup Jake Rudock's long-term future than Stafford's current health. Rudock has developed nicely since the Lions took him in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, enough so that he generated some mild trade interest this summer.

Rudock has just one season left on his current contract -- the Lions cut him last year, only to re-sign him to the practice squad and then promote him to the 53-man roster later in the season -- and the Lions could try to deal him for a draft pick this spring.

NOTES: DE Jacquies Smith and T Bryce Harris signed with the Lions on Wednesday. Smith had 13.5 sacks in the 2014-15 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Harris is insurance on the offensive line with Rick Wagner (ankle), Greg Robinson (ankle), Emmett Cleary (ankle) and T.J. Lang (back) all dealing with injuries. ... QB Matthew Stafford's streak of consecutive passes without an interception ended at 196 last week when he threw three picks against the Saints. Stafford has one longer interception-less streak in his career, of 211 consecutive attempts in the 2015-16 seasons. ... DE Anthony Zettel was one of 12 Lions and three starting defensive linemen who sat out the team's only bye-week practice on Tuesday. DE Ziggy Ansah and DT A'Shawn Robinson also did not practice, and Stafford (ankle, ribs), Greg Robinson, Lang, Cleary, WRs Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay and TJ Jones, S Glover Quin and LB Paul Worrilow sat out the workout as well.