Report: Jim Schwartz likely to be fired if Lions miss playoffs

The Detroit Lions have had several chances to take control of what has been a mediocre NFC North division this season, and they have not been able to capitalize. A win at home over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night would have moved Detroit into a first-place tie with the Chicago Bears. The loss dropped them to third, behind both the Bears and Green Bay Packers. And now, head coach Jim Schwartz is reportedly on the hot seat.

With the Arizona Cardinals clinging to a surprising 9-5 record, it is starting to look like the NFC West may have three playoff teams. That means the Lions will likely have to win their division to get in. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the belief within the organization is that Schwartz will be fired if they don’t. Schwartz insists he is not concerned with the rumors.

“There are negative voices all over this business,” he told NFL Media columnist Michael Silver before the loss to Baltimore, via Around the League. “Those same voices told me I was committing career suicide when I took the Lions job, that it was unfixable and the worst in the NFL.

“There’s too much for me to be positive about to buy into the negativity. I have three games for an NFC North title. I’m going to try to win them.”

Schwartz now has two games left to try and win the division, and his team will need some help. The Lions have made the playoffs just one time in his five seasons as head coach. That postseason appearance came after an impressive 10-6 season in 2011, when it looked like Detroit had turned a corner. They followed that year with a 4-12 record in 2012 and are 7-6 this year. Typically, coaches with the type of talent Schwartz has don’t keep their jobs if they can’t reach the playoffs.