Lions Face Long Odds to Make Playoffs According to ESPN Model

Lions are facing long odds to make the 2020 playoffs according to ESPN's FPI Index

John Maakaron | May 26, 2020

In a season when securing a postseason berth is of the utmost importance for the Lions organization, ESPN's computer simulations don't believe it is likely to happen.

The Football Power Index runs thousands of computer simulations to establish win totals and the percentage chance of making the postseason for each NFL franchise.

“One area in which FPI is particularly helpful is its ability to calculate strength of schedule. SOS is often calculated by using last year's win-loss record, but that is a faulty measure. It fails to capture the fact that teams can be of different quality than their record suggests, given offseason player movement and the various effects of home-field advantage and rest differential.

Though FPI is heavily reliant on preseason win totals, it teases out team ratings and therefore can calculate schedule strength without really running into any of those problems."

The Lions have a 6% chance to win a playoff game. There's a chance! https://t.co/62vvF2UsT2
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 26, 2020

As expected, Detroit comes in ranked near the bottom of the league.

ESPN’s FPI predicts the Lions as the 28th-best team in the league with a projected win total of 6.6 and a 17% chance of making the playoffs.

Should the Lions actually end up in the postseason, it is still unlikely Detroit ends up with its first playoff victory since 1991.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, "The Lions have a 6% chance to win a playoff game. There's a chance!"

Luckily, it is still early in the virtual offseason, and there are still ample opportunities for Detroit to make improvements to the current roster.

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Published May 26, 2020

JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!