CINCINNATI -- The Detroit Lions still have a game left against Green Bay, but their season is over. It's time to start looking ahead to 2018, and whether Jim Caldwell should even be a part of it.

But firing him won't solve everything either. Bob Quinn has a lot to do this offseason before the Lions are ready to win their first playoff game since 1991, and their first division title since 1993. Here's an early look at what should be atop his list.

Fire Jim Caldwell. There is nowhere else to start but here. He was given a second chance after the 1-7 start in 2015, and a third chance after the 0-4 collapse in 2016. How many more chances does he need? How many more seasons? He's already been given four, which is an eternity in the NFL. And the Lions still look no closer to winning something -- anything -- than they did in 2014. Bob Quinn has spent two high draft picks on the left side of the offensive line, and handed out two big contracts on the right side, and that unit was worse than ever in 2017. Caldwell talks every year about being committed to the run, and every year, it has ranked among the five worst. This year, it has been the worst. That isn't a personnel issue. After four years of failure, it's a coaching issue. And if Caldwell doesn't have answers by now, what gives anyone confidence that Year 5 will suddenly be it?

Fix the running game. The numbers speak for themselves. The Lions have finished no better than 28th on the ground since Caldwell's arrival. They're the only team averaging fewer than 80 yards per game this year, and are on pace to finish dead last for the second time in three years. When they've needed 1 or 2 yards on third or fourth down, their running backs have moved the chains a preposterous 29 percent of the time. Nobody else is below 45 percent. The league average is 64 percent. Again, preposterous. Just laughably bad. And it has handcuffed the offense. They had eight third downs of 3 or fewer yards against Cincinnati, and passed on six of them. They had four fourth-and-1s in the first three quarters, and punted or attempted field goals every time. This is just absurd, and until it's fixed, Detroit will never fully tap into the potential of Matthew Stafford. Whether it comes in the form of a running back or an offensive lineman or perhaps a scheme change up front, Quinn must deliver.

Repair the defensive line. Quinn chose not to address the glaring depth issues in the pass rush last offseason, and it became part of Detroit's undoing. Ezekiel Ansah does have nine sacks, although that has to be one of the most misleading stats of the season. Six came in two games, and he did little more than occupy space in the other 13. He's gotten a piece of a sack in just seven games the last two years combined. Now Quinn has the unenviable task of deciding whether to ante up for another go at it in 2018, or cut his losses and move on -- but risk Ansah explodes somewhere else. Regardless of how that plays out, Quinn must acquire some bite for his toothless pass rush.

Make a decision on Eric Ebron. Along with Ansah, this will be Bob Quinn's toughest personnel decision. He's already picked up the $8.25 million option for 2018, but it's guaranteed only for injury. In other words, Quinn could move on at no cost if that's what he wants. And with the way things stood at the trade deadline, that outcome seemed likeliest. But Ebron has been on a tear in the eight games since, catching 37 of his 48 targets for 405 yards and three touchdowns. Extrapolate that for a full season, and you're talking about the third most prolific tight end in the league, behind only Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce. But Ebron has also never played like this for eight straight games before, let alone 16. So Quinn has a $8.25 million gamble on his hands -- roll with Ebron, hoping he is here to stay. Or move on, and figure out how to replace a guy who has suddenly become one of Matthew Stafford's most dangerous weapons -- and risk Ebron becomes a star someplace else.