Since the NFL adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978 (and went to 17 games in 2021), there have been 80 winning streaks of at least eight games in the league. The San Francisco 49ers have done it nine times. The New England Patriots, eight. Even the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday’s visitor to Ford Field, have done it once (an 11-gamer in 1999).

But not the Detroit Lions; the franchise’s longest run over that span is seven games, achieved in 1995 and then again this season.

Of course, that could change Sunday, as the 2-8 Jags arrive in town (1 p.m., CBS). Will the 8-1 Lions reach eight straight wins for the first time since the franchise’s first year in Detroit (when the Lions actually won their first 10 games)?

Four Free Press sports writers have some thoughts on their potential vs. the Jaguars.

Dave Birkett

Coaches can give all the lip service they want to this being the NFL, and not taking opponents for granted, and the other guys getting paid, too. The reality is, though, the Lions might be the best team in the NFL, and the Jaguars might be the worst.

The Jaguars have played several close games, including against the Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles the past three weeks, but they also are starting a backup quarterback and were blown out on the road by the best offense they faced (the Buffalo Bills). If the protection is there, Jared Goff should have a big day and the defense seems poised for another few takeaways in a game that should be over by the third quarter. The pick: Lions 38, Jaguars 17.

Carlos Monarrez

After going through the details of Jacksonville’s season, I figured it out. The 2-8 Jaguars stink. And that was even with Trevor Lawrence, who will miss this game. Though “miss” might be the wrong word. This will come down to how easy Dan Campbell wants to make it on owner Shad Khan to fire Doug Pederson during the upcoming bye week. Penei Sewell will catch a touchdown pass, the Lions’ defense will pick off Mac Jones three times and Pederson will get his walking papers on Monday. The pick: Lions 36, Jaguars 13

Jeff Seidel

This is one of those games where what the Lions do in trying to clean up mistakes will be more important than the final score. Because the Lions will win this game. There’s little doubt about that. But I think they will concentrate on putting together long, sustained drives, trying to get their offensive rhythm back, trying to find consistency. Which might hold down the score a little. The pick: Lions 28, Jaguars 10

Shawn Windsor

The Lions haven’t put two good offensive halves together in a while, and though Jacksonville has a good front and a feisty defense, Ben Johnson and company are keen on getting more from the offense. Here’s betting they do. Meanwhile, the defense keeps rolling and takes advantage of Trevor Lawrence’s absence. The pick: Lions 31, Jaguars 16.

LOS ANGELES — Predictably, the Detroit Red Wings lost the second of their back-to-back outing, outplayed by a well-rested and skilled opponent.

The Los Angeles Kings dispatched the Wings, 4-1, Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, taking advantage and control early. The Wings were never in it, outshot every period to the tune of 41-18 in the end. Dylan Larkin scored with 1:27 to play, his 10th goal of the season.

The loss leaves the Wings (7-9-1) with one last hope left for salvaging some pride on this trip when they wrap things up Monday at the San Jose Sharks. The trip began on a positive note when the Wings quashed the Penguins’ momentum and won in overtime, but took a dive when they failed to do so against the Ducks, blowing a two-goal lead to lose Friday in Anaheim.

ON THE POND: Detroit Red Wings quack up, blow 2-goal lead in 6-4 loss to Anaheim Ducks

Tough 22 seconds

The Wings, having played 22 hours earlier, spent most of the first stretch of the game in their own zone, with Talbot having his hands full. The former Kings goalie was welcomed back with a Jumbotron message during the first timeout. Then the Kings went back to shelling him. They scored at 18:05 when Lucas Raymond’s attempt at a chip pass was picked off and ended with Mikey Anderson’s goal. Just 22 seconds later, they doubled up off an odd-man rush, with Tanner Jeannot scoring at 18:27.

Tilted ice

The Kings, who had been off since Wednesday, showed what good teams do when they have a two-goal lead: Keep up the pressure. They racked up a 15-5 edge in shots in the first period and sustained the attack in the second, keeping Talbot busy by buzzing around his net. The Wings had a harder time making things tough on David Rittich. Alex DeBrincat had one of the better chances when he unleashed a quick shot from the left circle, and Marco Kasper was in on a chance, too, but Rittich saw everything the Wings sent at him. The Kings went ahead, 3-0, when Adrian Kempe converted on a breakaway 15 seconds into the third period, and scored again into an empty net with 49 seconds to play.

Edvinsson unavailable

Simon Edvinsson took warmups but ended up missing the game because he got dinged up Friday blocking a shot. He’s considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury, nothing the team expects to take long to heal. His absence left the Wings with a hole to plug on the top defense pairing. Ben Chiarot slid into the spot, a natural choice given he has played with Seider a great deal in the past. The other lineup change was up front, where an upper-body injury prevented Michael Rasmussen from playing, and Tyler Motte instead made his first appearance in a week.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.