Detroit Lions are a playoff lock, but how will they handle these 5 roadblocks ahead?

Their focus has been on winning the division, because as many an NFL coach has said, if you get in the tournament anything can happen.

But the Detroit Lions’ playoff spot feels secure enough now, with the rest of the NFC North tumbling towards top-10 picks, that even head coach Dan Campbell was thinking about something bigger after Monday night’s 26-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

“I mean, it’s a good spot to be in,” Campbell said when asked about his team’s 6-2 record, the Lions’ best start since 2014. “Wins are hard to come by in this league and anything is up for grabs in the NFC right now and our focus right now is our own division and so we get another win, and we help our own cause.”

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Everything in the NFC is up for grabs right now, and more specifically, within the Lions’ reach.

An NFC North title. The No. 1 seed in the conference. Homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. A spot in the Super Bowl.

The Lions need a lot to go right in their final nine games to turn those dreams into reality, and as they hit their bye week with the NFL trade deadline in the rearview mirror, there are five issues they need to navigate to make this a truly special season.

Hutch's helpers

The Lions’ strong faith in their defensive line goes back to the spring, when they passed on pass rush help with their first five picks of the draft, and it doesn’t seem to have waivered in-season. They did not make a move for a defensive end at Tuesday’s trade deadline and were not believed to be in on the top pass rushers dealt, Montez Sweat and Chase Young.

The Lions have had games of seven, five and six sacks this season, so they’ve been able to generate good pass rush at times. But their lulls getting to the quarterback have been worrisome — they have one or no sacks in five of their eight games — and they don’t have a game-wrecker at the second defensive end spot opposite Aidan Hutchinson.

I would have liked to see the Lions add a top-tier pass rusher Tuesday, but the best edge players mentioned as trade candidates — Brian Burns and Danielle Hunter — stayed put. Alim McNeill is coming off a two-sack game and the Lions have been able to apply pressure with blitzes. Still, their mediocre sack rate (7.47%, tied for 18th in the league) could come back to bite them unless they get contributions from Charles Harris, Julian Okwara, or James Houston down the stretch.

Good QBs a' coming

The Lions haven’t exactly played a murder’s row of quarterbacks this season — Desmond Ridder, Baker Mayfield, Jordan Love, Bryce Young, Jimmy Garoppolo — and they haven’t fared great against the two top-10 QBs they’ve faced. Sure, they beat Patrick Mahomes in Week 1, but Mahomes was magnificent in the pocket, didn’t have Travis Kelce and didn’t get any help from his receiving corps, and Lamar Jackson made a case for league MVP when he led the Baltimore Ravens to a Week 7 win over Detroit.

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Fortunately, the Lions don’t have many top-tier quarterbacks left on their schedule. They play Justin Herbert after the bye, then face borderline NFL starters every other game except for Week 17 when they visit Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. The playoffs will be a different story, however, when more capable quarterbacks await on the NFC side (Jalen Hurts?) and potentially in the Super Bowl (take your pick).

The Lions let too many receivers run open behind them in wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Raiders that opposing QBs just flat-out missed. That won’t happen in the playoffs. They're thin at cornerback with Emmanuel Moseley out for the season with a knee injury, and there are questions at safety with C.J. Gardner-Johnson out indefinitely with a torn pectoral muscle. If Cam Sutton or Jerry Jacobs misses time with an injury, the Lions' depth in the secondary becomes even more dire.

Lucky No. 7

The Lions have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines when healthy, but they’ve started seven different combinations in eight games this year. That type of turnover is not conducive to a long playoff run.

There’s good news on the way as the Lions should get starters Jonah Jackson (ankle) and Frank Ragnow (calf) back after the bye, but Halapoulivaati Vaitai appears to be on his last legs, and the Lions already lost swing tackle Matt Nelson for the season.

Hank Fraley has done a good job developing young backups Colby Sorsdal and Kayode Awosika, but the Lions, like most teams, will only go as far on offense as their line takes them. They’re a run-first team and Jared Goff looks like a different quarterback when protected. In order to reach their potential, they need their starting five — Ragnow, Jackson, Graham Glasgow, Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell — healthy for the playoffs.

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Golden goals

Place kicking has been a thorn in the Lions’ side for three years running, but at least they didn’t spend a third-round pick on a kicker only to have the same problems again.

Riley Patterson made his first two 40-plus-yard kicks of the season Monday, but he missed a 26-yarder wide right and his 52-yarder barely cleared the crossbar.

Patterson is a respectable 11-for-13 on the season, and he did make a 36-yard field goal as time expired to win a playoff game for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. Kicking in the clutch isn’t his issue, but his limited range could leave the Lions in a bind in late-game situations.

At this point, the Lions better hope they don’t find themselves in a situation where they’re playing outdoors, in the elements, with a 50-yard field goal to win it.

Home, sweet home

I think it’s absolutely critical to the Lions’ Super Bowl hopes that they play as many home games as possible in the postseason. Not only do the Lions have one of the best homefield advantages in all of football, but their team seems much more tailored to play indoors.

Goff has been a different quarterback at Ford Field (72.2% completion percentage with 8 TDs and 3 INTs) than on the road (65%, 4 TDs, 2 INTs). He played his worst game of the season outside at Baltimore, when windy conditions affected some of his throws. The offense averages nearly 10 points fewer per game on the road (20.3) than at home (29.8). And playing in the elements is another potential hindrance to the kicking game.

I don’t like the Lions’ chances of winning a playoff game at Philadelphia or San Francisco, but if they take care of business — given the 49ers’ recent struggles and the Eagles’ upcoming schedule (vs. Dallas, at Kansas City, vs. San Francisco, at Dallas and at Seattle) — they have a clear path to the No. 1 seed.

Dan Campbell said he doesn’t mind playing anyone, anywhere at any time. But it’s in the Lions’ best interests to stay warm and snug at Ford Field in the postseason.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

Next up: Chargers

Matchup: Lions (6-2) at L.A. Chargers (3-4).

Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. Nov. 12; SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California.

TV/radio: CBS; WXYT-FM (97.1).

Line: TBA.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 5 issues Detroit Lions must conquer to make Super Bowl