ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- This is one of the biggest weeks in Jim Caldwell's coaching tenure with the Detroit Lions.

Beat Green Bay and he's led the Lions to their first division title since 1993, a home playoff game and potentially a contract extension. Lose to the Packers and the Lions might be out of the playoffs entirely. Therefore, Caldwell's job could be in jeopardy after losing the last three games of the season.

Such is life in the NFL, which Caldwell clearly understands.

"Job questions come no matter what in our business," Caldwell said. "That's just kind of the way it is. They happen to you when you're winning it all. They happen to you when you're struggling. It's just kind of the nature of the business so you have to understand that they are going to come.

"But our real focus is on this ballgame and trying to get ready."

Caldwell acknowledged Sunday night's game against the Packers is "a big game for our entire organization. This is huge."

It could change the direction of the franchise. It's unlikely that general manager Bob Quinn is making a decision on Caldwell's future based solely on one game, though. So here are cases for and against retaining Caldwell should the Lions not win a divisional title on Sunday.

Jim Caldwell could have two playoff appearances in three seasons with the Lions, or could be out of a job. Leon Halip/Getty Images

Case for Caldwell:

He's still over .500 and has two winning seasons: Caldwell will have two winning seasons in his first three years as Lions head coach. He's 27-20 in his three seasons in Detroit and is one of the Lions' most successful coaches in the Super Bowl era. Under Caldwell, the Lions are one of just 12 teams entering the final week of this season guaranteed to be over-.500 in two of the past three seasons. Those teams are, for the most part, the elite class of the league: New England, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Houston, Denver, Kansas City, Seattle, Arizona, Green Bay, Detroit, Dallas and Washington. Putting it in a larger perspective, that's impressive.

Player development, both rookies and veterans: The focus will be on Matthew Stafford, and the combination of Caldwell, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan helped make him one of the game's better quarterbacks. The player development has extended to younger players, too. Rookies Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow and Miles Killebrew are all playing better than expected. Defensive lineman Kerry Hyder, linebacker Josh Bynes and cornerback Darius Slay improved immensely under this staff. Some of that goes to the training habits of individual players, but the coaches should get some credit.

He never lost his team, even in struggles: Caldwell was able to keep the team together despite 1-7 and 1-3 starts the last two seasons. There were no real instances of public infighting and he was able to hold the team together. Players continually praise how Caldwell takes care of them and their bodies through the intense grind of a season. When players believe, they often overachieve and Caldwell's message, in many cases, continues to resonate. In a more micro sense, you saw that in games as well, with eight fourth-quarter comebacks this season.

Case against Caldwell:

His teams often don't play well in big games, particularly on the road: While Detroit has been in the playoff hunt in two of the last three seasons, his teams haven't always played well against high-level competition in games that really matter. During the 2014 playoff season, the Lions had essentially a NFC North title game at Green Bay in Week 17 (sound familiar) and lost, 30-20. The next week, at Dallas in the playoffs, the Lions lost, 24-20, but played well the majority of the game. Earlier that season, the Lions' only other two-game losing streak came against the two best teams they played, at Arizona and New England.

This season, Detroit is 0-4 against teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today (losses at Green Bay, at Houston, at the New York Giants and at Dallas). His best road win is at Green Bay in 2015.

He hasn't beaten teams with winning records: The Lions are 3-17 against teams that currently have or finished their seasons with winning marks under Caldwell. This season, the Lions are 1-5 against teams with winning records heading into Week 17 -- the only victory coming at home against Washington. In 2015, the Lions were 1-7 in these games, only winning at Green Bay. In Caldwell's first season, the Lions were 1-5, with their only win coming at home against the Packers. Caldwell has beaten teams he should beat but hasn't been able to win games against elite-level competition.

Some of the coaching decisions by him and his staff are questionable: There are examples of good and bad coaching moves by Caldwell throughout his tenure. Caldwell's timeout strategy helped in wins over Indianapolis and Washington. He also was the man who decided to promote Cooter to offensive coordinator, a move that helped transform Stafford to another level at quarterback and has helped Detroit go 15-9 since Week 8 of last season. Benching Stafford in 2015 and Golden Tate in 2016 was beneficial to both players. His lobbying to get seconds put on the clock at Minnesota helped get the Lions just enough time to pull off a game-tying drive this season.

The Hail Mary defense against Green Bay last season continues to be indefensible and could be one of the defining moments of his tenure. Too many men on the field was a constant issue in 2015. His game management against Houston this season was questionable -- not challenging a DeAndre Hopkins fumble and using an onside kick with under three minutes left. His decisions not to challenge plays have also raised eyebrows, including Odell Beckham Jr.'s non-catch ruled a catch in Week 15. In all, he's challenged 14 plays in his three seasons, with seven being upheld and seven being overturned.