Tigers' playoff push looks real on the field, not in the standings

I don't know if the Tigers missed their memo that they're not going to the postseason

but they are certainly playing like they have a chance. I'm Dustin Fiocco with Detroit Sports Nation

It is time for your daily rundown on Tuesday. And starting off with those Tigers, they have now won five games in a row

They just won the series opener against Toronto yesterday, 6-5 comeback fashion

This coming after they just swept the Colorado Rockies. where it leaves them in a playoff race

They are six games out of the Central, four and a half back of a wild card spot

with 12 games remaining on the year. Guys, I cannot sit here and honestly sell you

on the fact that I think they have a chance. To me, this is an unrealistic mountain

that they just simply cannot climb. The numbers say they are in it

but my heart, my mind, and common sense says there's no chance

Yes, they're playing good ball. They just beat Toronto, who make no bones about it

They're actually a good team. They are a game out of the playoffs chasing Cleveland

Toronto has a chance. Tigers do not. The Tigers, if they wanted to have a realistic shot at getting to the playoffs

it all fell on that series against Cleveland. They lost it three games to four

All three losses due to walk-offs. For me, that was absolutely the moment the book just slammed shut

and it ended any hopes and dreams for the Tigers this year That was the series that did it Are they playing good ball now Sure But I honestly don believe there is a realistic chance at them making the playoffs You can correct me if I wrong

Maybe I'm being pessimistic. I just know what I'm seeing and I can't buy into it

Meanwhile, let's talk about another team that should be playoff bound this season

It's the Detroit Lions. However, there is a little bit of an extra layer for them to climb over

Isaiah Pacheco is going to be out for extended periods of time

Now, we expected him out for several weeks. How about we try several months

Lots of issues going on with his back. He will need surgery, some nerve issues

Things got to be removed. Lots of details on it. We've got the articles, so make sure you're checking those out

But this is going to be rough for him. I don't think we're going to see him anytime soon

Sounds like we may see him near the end of the year, hopefully in the playoffs

But for the bulk of the regular season, it's going to have to be the Jameer Gibbs show, which I've gone on record saying I'm cool with him being our lone back

We're totally fine laying it all on Jameer Gibbs. That's not my concern with him being able to carry the load

My concern is wear and tear leading to an injury. If he takes a bad hit, if he gets a bad bump, if he gets knocked out, if he's injured and gets pulled from the game, we are screwed

He is the lone running back we have He is a beast He is an absolute beast He elite no doubt about it But if we lose Jameer Gibbs we have zip not a zilch no running game So while I don mind it being all Jameer Gibbs all the time

if he goes down, that is serious trouble for this football team

Now let's wrap up talking about a couple more football teams. Both of our college teams, Michigan and Michigan State

expected to have massive blowouts this weekend, just on opposite ends of the spectrum

You got Michigan a 30-plus point favorite against UTEP. Last I saw around the 35 mark

Meanwhile, Michigan State starting off their season 2-0. They have got quite the mountain to climb

They are facing number three Notre Dame this weekend. That is going to be a tough one in the nightcap

Notre Dame looks like the real deal. Michigan State good start to their year with a couple of wins

They weren't expected to have many on the year. Going 2-0 is nice

I don't think anybody is predicting them to have a chance against Notre Dame

Meanwhile, Michigan. Michigan, this is my call to you. You, against UTEP, are actually playing for a lot

You, Michigan, are playing for redemption. You did not look good the last time you were heavy favorites against a team

That was against Western Week 1. You played like booty. You were not good

and you embarrassed yourselves on a major scale. However you still come away with the win Now you have a chance to prove everybody wrong Prove that Western Michigan who is a good football team prove it that they were just so good that night and it wasn that your offense

was so bad. You got redemption points with your win against Oklahoma. This is the Wolverines

chance to go out there and annihilate a team that on paper everybody is calling you should annihilate

There is no reason this UTEP game should look anywhere close to competitive the first five minutes into this game

Michigan should have a handle. They better put 30-plus points on the board easily

Bryce Underwood, this is your chance to blow a ball out. This is your chance to have a performance of a game that makes you look like a legit QB for this squad

This should be an easy win. It's not about winning. It's about style points, and you need to lay it on thick

Otherwise, if you have any struggles at all against UTEP, we're going to kind of disregard what you just did against Oklahoma

and my concerns for this football team outside of the defense will be very, very real

Once again, those are my thoughts, not yours, so make sure you tell me what your thoughts are

Want to hear them in the comments? Make sure you're liking, sharing, and especially when it comes to our newsletter, please subscribe

All you have to do so is drop your email. It's completely free

No other information needed. Drop that email to subscribe. Once more, I'm Dustin Fiocco

It's been your Daily Rundown here on Detroit Sports Nation