From the outside, the fact that the Detroit Lions are in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons may seem like an accomplishment in and of itself. But digging deeper, you can already read the tea leaves that are pointing towards another early postseason exit for the Lions.

Not only did the Lions lose out on a chance to clinch the NFC North title at home last Sunday night, but they also squandered their division lead by losing their last three games after winning their previous five. In those three losses, the Lions got outscored by their opponents 90-51.

And, when Detroit takes the field Saturday night at CenturyLink to take on the Seahawks in the wild-card round, they’ll not only have the burden of the regular season failure on their shoulders, but also that of their past postseason woes.

The Lions are 7-12 all-time in the postseason, and although the record is bad it does give an indication of some playoff success. The problem for the Lions is that they’ve lost eight-straight playoff games, and have just one postseason win since 1970. Even worse, the last time they won a postseason game on the road was 1957. Their head coach, Jim Caldwell, was just two years old at the time.

The Lions may have performed better than expected this season without wide receiver Calvin Johnson, but winning in Seattle Saturday may be easier said than done. The Seahawks have won nine-straight home playoff games, longest active streak in the NFL.

Good luck, Detroit.