Open thread: What is the biggest reason the Lions aren’t in the Super Bowl?

Discussing the biggest reasons the Detroit Lions won’t be playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

In just a few days, the 59th Super Bowl will take place, and for the 59th consecutive time, it will not feature the Detroit Lions. This year, it felt like the Lions may finally break the streak, as they spent a good chunk of the year as Super Bowl favorites. They finished with a franchise-best 15 wins and looked to have gathered one of the most talented rosters in football. It all culminated in Detroit’s first-ever No. 1 seed in the post-merger playoffs.

Yet it all came crashing down in an instant, when Detroit played an ugly game against the Washington Commanders. Jared Goff turned the ball over four times, the defense forced just a single punt on the day, and just like that: the Lions’ potential Super Bowl run was over before even notching a single playoff win.

There are plenty of reasons why the Lions didn’t make the Super Bowl, but let’s try to highlight the biggest reason. Today’s Question of the Day is:

What is the biggest reason the Lions are not in the Super Bowl?

My answer: I assume everyone’s answer is going to be the same or similar here, but it’s got to be the injuries on defense. If a team loses one or two or even three key players, a good roster can accommodate that. By the time the Lions had gotten to December, their list of injured key defensive players had reached double digits. And to reflect on the impact, check out the pre and post-Thanksgiving splits for the Lions’ defense:

Weeks 1-12:

• 16.6 points per game allowed (2nd)
• 322.1 yards per game allowed (10th)
• -0.127 EPA/play (2nd)
• 41.4% success rate allowed (8th)

Weeks 13 – Divisional Round:

• 29.1 points per game allowed (25th)
• 394.0 yards per game allowed (30th)
• +0.146 EPA/play (29th)
• 47.2% success rate allowed (23rd)

Sure, there is the matter of facing some better offenses. Down the stretch, they played the Vikings twice (15th in offensive DVOA), Packers (4th), Bills (2nd), 49ers (9th), and Commanders (6th), but there are also a couple of Bears games (27th) in there, too.

Outside of injuries, Jared Goff needs to be part of this conversation, too. While he was phenomenal all season and is rightfully an MVP candidate, he unfortunately had a rough game when it mattered most. He was far too careless with the football, and it cost the Lions enormously.

What do you think was the biggest reason the Lions didn’t make it to the Super Bowl this year? Scroll down to the comment section and let us know.