Saturday open thread: How many more games do Detroit Lions win this season?

The Detroit Lions went toe-to-toe with a Super Bowl contender in their Thanksgiving Day matchup, the Buffalo Bills. It took all four quarters for the Bills to hold off an inspired performance from the Lions, and even though Jay told us “moral victories is for minor league coaches,” it doesn’t feel like a loss this Lions team should hang their heads over.

And considering Week 12 has already come and gone for the Lions, there isn’t much time left in the 2022 season. Within a month and a half, the Lions could be done, happy with the progress they made—or they could be gearing up for a playoff game in the Wild Card round.

All this leads us to today’s Question of the Day...

How many more games do Detroit Lions win this season?

This football team has been playing incredibly competitive football for the better part of a month, and maybe more importantly, a more consistent brand of football. They’re currently 4-7, but they have the sixth-easiest remaining schedule according to Tankathon. If things go according to plan, the Lions could add a very good defender in Romeo Okwara in the next couple of weeks, and Jameson Williams could be here even sooner. Maybe with a little over a week off, the Lions could count on getting healthier and bringing back players like Josh Paschal, Jeff Okudah, and both of their starting guards, Jonah Jackson and Evan Brown.

Based on the way this team has played for the past month, and factoring in what’s ahead on the schedule and the way this team could get healthier, a second-place finish in the NFC North doesn’t just seem possible given how uneven the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have played this season, but it seems likely considering the Lions still play both of these teams again this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to seem them favored in both of those games—especially if Green Bay shuts down Rodgers and his broken thumb.

Four more wins for the Lions seems like a reasonably optimistic guess for the campaign, but the floor feels like three wins en route to a 7-10 season—a clear sign of improvement and progress from a season ago.

Your turn.