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DETROIT -- Could Jim Caldwell be down to his final game as Detroit Lions coach? Caldwell danced around that subject Tuesday, and for now team brass remains mum about his future as the Lions prepare for a game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday that will decide the NFC North.
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"It's all about the team," Caldwell said. "It's the team, the team, the team, period. Coaches don't worry about themselves or anything of that nature. This is a big game for our entire organization. It's huge."
At one point this season, Caldwell looked like he might be a viable candidate for NFL Coach of the Year. He helped dig the Lions out from a 1-3 start and has had them alone in first place or tied atop the division for more than a month despite a dearth of playmakers on both sides of the ball.
But the Lions also have lost their last two games, on the road to the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, and another defeat Sunday would likely mean they miss the playoffs after holding a two-game lead in the division with three weeks to play.
Caldwell has a 27-20 record in Detroit, the best winning percentage (.574) among Lions coaches in the modern era, and led the team to the playoffs in his first season in 2014.
However, complicating matters is the fact that the general manager who hired him (Martin Mayhew) was fired last fall and Caldwell has one season left on his original four-year contract.
Caldwell declined to say what if anything has been conveyed to him about his job security, or what he needs to do in the coming weeks to return for a fourth season. But he said he understands why questions about his future are being asked even with his team in playoff contention.
If the Lions win Sunday, they'll host a playoff game for the first time in 23 years. If they tie, they'll be in as the sixth seed and second wild card. If they lose to the Packers, they'll need Washington to lose to the New York Giants in order to make the playoffs.
"I think the job questions come no matter what in our business," Caldwell said. "That's just kind of the way it is. They happen to you when you're winning it all, they happen to you when you're struggling. That's just kind of the nature of the business so you have to understand that they're going to come. But our real focus is on this ballgame, trying to get ready."
REPORT CARD VS. VIKINGS
PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus -- Matthew Stafford threw a costly interception on the opening drive of the third quarter when he made the mistake of trying to a force a ball to TJ Jones while scrambling to his left. Stafford, who also lost a fumble in the game, nearly threw two more picks and spent much of the day running for cover behind a leaky offensive line. Eric Ebron (eight catches, 93 yards) was the Lions' most productive receiver, though both he and TJ Jones had drops. Once again, the receivers struggled to get off press man coverage and center Graham Glasgow allowed two sacks.
RUSHING OFFENSE: B-plus -- Zach Zenner had a huge first half, rushing for 64 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, then mysteriously disappeared from the game plan. Dwayne Washington got six of the Lions' eight second-half carries and finished with just 22 yards rushing (on seven attempts) for the game. Right guard Larry Warford opened some big holes for Zenner early, and the Lions scored three rushing touchdowns after running for just five scores in the first 14 games.
PASS DEFENSE: D-plus -- With Darius Slay out with a hamstring injury, Dez Bryant had his way with Detroit's secondary. Bryant caught two touchdown passes and threw for a third, and had another big gain on a pass-interference penalty. Both Nevin Lawson and Johnson Bademosi struggled in one-on-one coverage, and the Lions had a coverage bust on Brice Butler's first-quarter touchdown. As much as the secondary struggled, the Lions got nothing out of their pass rush. Ziggy Ansah had his second sack of the season, but the Lions weren't credited with another hit on the efficient Dak Prescott.
RUSH DEFENSE: D-plus -- The Lions gave up a season-high 164 yards on 30 carries Sunday and had trouble both with Prescott's scrambling and rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott broke an early 55-yard touchdown run and had 80 yards rushing on 12 attempts before sitting out most of the fourth quarter. The Lions were so focused on stopping Elliott, the league's leading rusher, that Prescott was able to pick up a couple important first downs. Ansah (seven tackles) and A'Shawn Robinson (four) both had big run stuffs for the Lions.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C -- Matt Prater saw his streak of 19 consecutive made field goals end when he missed a 47-yarder wide left. Prater also mis-hit a mortar kickoff into the end zone when the Lions kicked off from midfield following a Dallas penalty. Andre Roberts had a 42-yard kick return before leaving briefly with a shoulder injury. Jones, his replacement, let a punt bounce inside the 20-yard line.
COACHING: D -- Jim Caldwell never gave a good explanation for why the Lions were so quick to go away from Zenner despite his career day. Beyond that, Jim Bob Cooter's goal-line calls were unorthodox. With Zenner running well, the Lions chose to throw twice than run twice more with him on the bench. Defensively, nothing Teryl Austin did seemed to stop the bleeding. And while the Lions came out fired up to earn a playoff spot against the NFC's best team, they always seemed a step or two late with their corrections.
