A must-win game? In Week 2?

Absolutely.

The Detroit Lions are technically leading the NFC North heading into their “Monday Night Football” game against the New York Giants—but if they want to hang on to that lead through the remainder of the NFL season, they’ll have to beat the Giants, on the road, in a national primetime showcase game.

There are many reasons why this is so, starting with the fact that wins at the beginning of the season count just as much as wins at the end.

Sure, the Lions would have won the division in 2016 if they’d beaten the Green Bay Packers head-to-head in Week 17, or the Dallas Cowboys on the road in Week 16, or the Giants at MetLife Stadium in Week 15. But they’d also have won the division if they’d beaten the Houston Texans in Week 8, the Chicago Bears in Week 4 or the Tennessee Titans in Week 2.

If Detroit had taken better advantage of their opportunities against weaker opponents, they wouldn’t have had to beat the NFC’s best in back-against-the-wall situations.

Then again, this is the step forward the Lions need to take.

Yes, they can probably make the playoffs by winning six or seven of their home games and picking off the likes of the Bears and Cincinnati Bengals on the road. But even if Detroit piles up a playoff-caliber win total by losing only to playoff-caliber teams, what expectation will we (or they) have of winning a game once they get there?

If the Lions are going to contend for the NFC title—and that, given all the pieces in place, should be the goal—they have to beat good teams, especially when they get the good fortune of playing those teams without their best player.

Whether or not Odell Beckham, Jr. takes the “Monday Night Football” stage in uniform, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be in top form for 100 percent of the game. With little else working for the New York offense right now, the Lions have to take advantage of this opportunity.

Finally, look at how the schedule sets up: Detroit hosts the reigning NFC champion Atlanta Falcons on a short week of rest, just after the Falcons dusted the Packers on Sunday night. Then it’s on the road at the Minnesota Vikings, hosting the Carolina Panthers, at the New Orleans Saints and a bye week before taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the dreaded Packers. In Lambeau.

If Detroit loses to the Giants, they could finish the first half of the season at 3-5 or even 2-6. The back half of the season looks much easier, but needing to go on a 7-1 run just to put themselves in Wild Card position is not where the Lions want to be.

Besides, if it comes down to fighting for a Wild Card spot, Detroit might be fighting directly against New York—and whichever team wins this game will hold the tiebreaker that could decide both teams’ fates.