Jeff Seidel

Detroit Free Press Columnist

The Lions have four games left. Four chances to absolutely blow this.

But they won’t. Not this time. This is not your old Lions, or even your father’s Lions. This team is going to finish with an 11-5 record and will host a playoff game in Ford Field for the first time ever. That’s the expectation now, because of the outstanding play of Matthew Stafford, and the improvements on defense, and all of the special plays on special teams.

Having said that, this team still has plenty of flaws. When you struggle to score touchdowns and your most reliable running threat is your quarterback, it doesn’t give you much comfort or room for error.

But the future is starting to look so clear …

Game 13: Lions 25, Bears 21

Kicker Matt Prater limps off the field, totally exhausted, after kicking six field goals against the Bears.

Sensing the playoffs, sensing something special, Lions fans shower Stafford with all kinds of love and start to chant: “MVP! MVP!”

Supermodel Kate Upton is incensed.

“J.V. is the only MVP in this town!” she tweets. “I mean, J.V. and Miggy, and besides, J.V. has way more first-place votes.”

The Lions move the ball against the Bears but they have the darndest time getting into the end zone. Which has been the story all season. Coming into this game, the Lions have scored only 28 touchdowns, which ranks 20th in the NFL. That number would be even worse, but the Lions have received two touchdowns from their special teams unit and one from their defense.

What’s the problem? It’s the running game. The Lions have just four rushing touchdowns, tied for last in the NFL with Houston.

And it proves to be a problem against the Bears — until a familiar face, Joique Bell, comes off the bench and plunges into the end zone, scoring his 23rd career rushing TD for the Lions. Eminem blares from the loudspeakers: “Guess who’s back, back again.”

During halftime, the Lions hold a special event. Anthony Zettel tackles a Christmas tree, knocks it down and it is given to a lucky fan.

After the game, coach Jim Caldwell says, “we are looking one game ahead.”

“And we don’t talk about injuries. We are just focusing on one game at a time. This is just the first game of the fourth quarter.”

OK. So it’s not a sexy message. It’s not flashy. But give Caldwell all kinds of props, it’s working.

Game 14: Lions 27, Giants 20

I know, I know. There was a time you figured this would be a Lions’ loss. But the Giants offense is just horrible — they have scored fewer than 20 points five times this season.

The Giants have lost defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to a sports hernia.

And hold onto your beer, Bell scores again: “Just like riding a bike!” he screams.

Game 15: Cowboys 24, Lions 15

On the day after Christmas, the Lions’ winning streak comes to an end.

All of the Lions’ flaws are revealed against the Cowboys, a team with the fifth-stingiest scoring defense in the league. The Lions struggle to get into the end zone and Prater is forced to kick five more field goals.

The Lions are not a Super Bowl threat — that’s clear in this game, not to mention their track record over the last half-century — but they are definitely headed for the playoffs.

Game 16: Lions 35, Packers 27

On New Year’s Day, in an absolute wild scene in Ford Field, the Lions close out the regular season with their 11th victory. Joy erupts through the Motor City.

Stafford is on a roll, and the Lions start scoring touchdowns in droves against the Packers’ lower-tier defense. “It all finally clicked,” Stafford says.

During a special ceremony at halftime, Caldwell signs a new contract. Lions fans erupt in cheers. Then, half the crowd passes out, after realizing they just cheered for a Lions coach.

Hundreds of fans are holding up hand-made signs throughout Ford Field.

“We Bob Quinn!”

“Give Stafford the big $$$.”

“Jim Bob Cooter for mayor!”

“Don’t leave us Teryl Austin!”

“If the Cubs did it, why can’t we?”

Playoff fever has taken over Detroit.

And somewhere in heaven, the late great Free Press columnist Drew Sharp sits at his computer and starts to write: “This flawed team, after playing a weak schedule, won’t do anything in the playoffs ...”

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel/

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