Published: October 3rd, 2011 | Tags: Data Points, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis RamsGood news for the Detroit Lions: Recent history says they now have an 82 percent chance of making their first playoff appearance since 1999. The Lions, along with the Packers, are off to a 4-0 start. Since 1990, 50 of the 61 teams to win their first four games have gone on to the postseason.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the 0-4 Dolphins, Vikings and Rams (and Colts, depending on what they do Monday night) can all but book their January vacations. Only one team in the last two decades has started 0-4 and made the playoffs. Follow the pie charts below, and you can see how the chances get smaller and smaller as you go from 4-0 teams to 0-4 teams:
