Notes: Ex-NFL coach thinks Lions can reach NFC Championship

While his own Detroit Lions squad may not have made it too far, Mike Martz thinks this current team has what it takes to compete in the NFC Championship.

Martz has held many titles. Perhaps most notably he was the coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning St. Louis Rams offense that was nicknamed the “Greatest Show on Turf.” But he also spent some time in Detroit as the offensive coordinator in 2006, when the offense improved but they still went 3-13, and in 2007, when they finished 7-9. That team wasn’t able to make it to the playoffs, but Martz thinks this 2022 group can go even further.

“I think they can make it into the playoffs and I think they can go a ways in the playoffs. I think they can end up in the NFC Championship,” he said in a breakdown for The 33rd Team.

Detroit dominated the Chicago Bears on Sunday to the tune of 41-10 in what has been an incredible turnaround from a dismal first half of the season. With a real shot at playoffs, they’ve become one of the hottest teams in the league.

“Are they good enough to get to the Super Bowl? I don’t know if they’re good enough on defense. But this is a team that is clearly one of the top five or six in the league right now,” Martz said.

Martz also commended offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on his great feel for playcalling.

“I think right now, he’s doing the best job in the league, bar none. He incorporates the run — not just the run but the variation of the runs and they’re downhill runs. They’re not all out of the shotgun,” he said.

The former coach said the playcalling is creative and only bolstered by the great play of the offensive line.

And onto the rest of your notes.

• Well, then.

• “The best thing about this year’s run is how sustainable the Lions’ success feels.” The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett explains how it seems like playing meaningful games in January is the Lions’ new normal. ($)

• This episode of Baldy’s Breakdowns highlights James Houston’s big day against the Bears.

• Once again, center Frank Ragnow makes Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week.

• Check out this view of Aidan Hutchinson’s pick.

• Their faces! The Lions out here doing good.

• The Lions earned an A from CBS Sports’ John Breech for their Bears beatdown.