The Detroit Lions will adopt an "underdog mentality" for the NFL Playoffs despite being classed as one of the favourites to win the Super Bowl, says Dan Skipper.

Detroit are one of just four NFL franchises to have never played in the Super Bowl since the AFC-NFC merger, alongside the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

However, they are viewed as serious contenders to win Super Bowl LIX next month, having claimed the NFC's top seed with a 15-2 regular-season record.

They are currently on bye and will discover their divisional-round opponents this weekend, with the Opta supercomputer giving them an 11.3% chance of winning it all, making them third-favourites behind the Kansas City Chiefs (18.3%) and the Buffalo Bills (14.9%).

Offensive tackle Skipper believes Detroit were unfairly written off by many observers throughout the regular season, and he wants them to continue proving people wrong in the postseason.   

"Vegas is going to do what Vegas does, but we're keeping an underdog mentality," Skipper told Stats Perform when asked about their status as NFC favourites. "I think a lot of that comes from where we've come from as players. 

"Nothing's been easy. Throughout the years, we've been on the run and then two years ago, beating Green Bay [in the divisional round], the signs were there. We came up just a bit short last year.

"This year, I think things are different, but they're the same. People still count us out every week. It seems like we're always playing someone where it was, 'oh, this team's hot, this team's going to knock them off'. 

"You can trace those storylines throughout the year. Now it's that time, the playoffs, where we're going to get everyone's best shot. It's hard to beat teams.

"Every team we play, they've got the talent, anything can happen. I think we'd be remiss to not go in with an underdog mentality because nothing in this league is going to be given to you. "

You get a touchdown! YOU get a touchdown! EVERYBODY GETS A TOUCHDOWN! pic.twitter.com/k9XSj9rORL

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 10, 2025

Detroit finished the regular season 15-2 despite being in one of the most unforgiving divisions in NFL history. The Minnesota Vikings (14-3) and Green Bay Packers (11-6) also sealed wild-card spots from the NFC North, the former with a record better than every team in the AFC other than the 15-2 Chiefs.

"When you're playing that upper echelon week in and week out, you know what it takes to win. You're not nervous in those late moments, critical situations," Skipper said. 

"We've got those scars where we've been in this situation before, we're going to be okay. I think it just shows the resiliency of our group. 

"At the end of the day, the more scars you have and the more battle-tested you are, that prepares you for a lot of these late-season games where you can either rise to the occasion or you can crack."

On the eve of Super Wild Card Weekend, our projection model is high on the Chiefs (31.5%) and Bills (25.5%) to come out of the AFC. The Lions (26.3%) and Eagles (18.8%) are the NFC favorites.

And here are every team's chances of winning it all: https://t.co/C4ltzcWCGf pic.twitter.com/9UAxT4I2Kx

— Opta Analyst US (@OptaAnalystUS) January 10, 2025

Detroit's rise to the status of Super Bowl contenders has led to plenty of praise for head coach Dan Campbell, and Skipper says his aggressive approach is what sets him apart.

"It's awesome. You always know what you're going to get. We knew what was coming all week, all season," Skipper said of working under Campbell.

"I think with coach Campbell, the thing that separates him from most coaches I've been around is he's unapologetically him and that means being aggressive... we know how we're going to be.

"Then the defense knows it's not a huge shock when it's fourth down on our own 35, and we're going for it! When the situation presents itself, we're ready to go."