With the Giants having earned a spot in the Super Bowl this year, there has been a lot of discussion lately on their season. I though it would be interesting to compare the season of the Giants to that of our Lions. It may surprise you to see how much the Lions had an impact in helping to determine the Super Bowl matchup.

The Giants played incredibly on the road this year. In fact, they have their last 10 games on the road this year, including three in the playoffs. Compare that to the Lions who can’t buy a win on the road. During the Matt Millen era, the Lions have only won a total of 8 road games. That’s over a span of seven years. Just goes to show you that if you can win on the road in the NFL, you will be successful. (h/t Detroit News)

The Lions were closer to making the playoffs and maybe the Super Bowl than one may think. Consider this. If the Lions don’t go stupid and win the game against the Cowboys (remember Lenon Lewis failing to fall on the fumble or Jason Hanson missing the 35 yard field goal) and had they beaten the Giants (remember Kitna missing a wide open Williams for a TD and then Roy Williams running the wrong route on another likely TD play), then the Giants would have been eliminated from the playoffs. That’s right, the Giants wouldn’t have even made the playoffs and the Lions would have been in. (h/t MLive)

Now, the Giants played (and still are) much better ball down the stretch than the Lions so its silly to assume the Lions would have had the same playoff run that the Giants did, especially considering the difference in how the two play on the road. But, its still interesting to see how the Lions could have had a hand in setting the course of NFL history this year. It also serves as a not so subtle reminder that the Lions are not likely to make a name for themselves in the NFL until they can figure out a way to win on the road.