What’s being said nationally after Lions finish above .500 for first time since 2017

The Detroit Lions (9-8) closed their season by keeping Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (8-9) out of the postseason, finishing above .500 for the first time since 2017.

Detroit won 20-16, beating the Packers in the NFL’s final regular season game under the lights from Lambeau Field. And that’s a step in the right direction for a franchise that hasn’t finished in any other place but last in the NFC North since 2017, too.

“Listen, that was a good win. It was a great win. I was proud of our guys,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “They played their (expletive) off. They were ready for this game and they wanted to prove something. And they did that. This team has just hung in there all year long. I said it’s a special group, and the hard part of this is that it’s over for this season. Because it is a special group, you know? But, hey. That’s a — if you got to go down that one, if it’s the last one for the season, then man, what better way to go out than that for 2022.”

The Lions won eight of their final 10 games, coming oh-so-close to stealing the NFC’s final wild-card spot down the stretch. They finished 5-1 in the division, sweeping the Packers and Bears, splitting the series with the Minnesota Vikings. And with the win over the Packers to finish the season, the Seattle Seahawks are the NFC’s seventh seed, heading to San Francisco to face the 49ers next weekend.

See below for headlines and reactions from around the country:

Packers fall short of playoffs, stunned by Lions in regular-season finale — Green Bay Press Gazette

Playoffs! Seahawks face 49ers in wild-card round after Lions beat Packers — The Seattle Times

Lions miss playoffs, but head into offseason with optimism — Associated Press

Sunday Night Football: Lions Beat Packers, Giving Seahawks’ Final Playoff Berth — Pro Football Talk

How do you think the Packers played? Vote in our ratings. — Green Bay Press Gazette

Seahawks top Rams 19-16 in OT, in playoffs after Lions win — Associated Press

Replay: Packers-Lions game blog with Tom Silverstein — Green Bay Press Gazette

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