Show us something, Detroit Lions.Show us that you're for real. Show us that you belong. Show us that you're a legitimate Super Bowl contender.We're talking to you, quarterback Matthew Stafford. And you, receiver Calvin Johnson. And you, coach Jim Caldwell. It's time to step up to the plate and get the job done.Go to Lambeau Field on Sunday and beat the Green Bay Packers. Defeat your hated rivals in the state of Wisconsin for the first time since George H.W. Bush was in office (December 15, 1991) and exorcise some of the demons that have plagued the franchise since its last championship, all the way back in 1957.For Caldwell, Stafford and the Lions, this is the show-me spot. The 11-4 record and playoff berth is nice, but without a road victory over the Packers, it's going to be tough to feel confident in a franchise that has disappointed more often than not over its not-so-illustrious history.If the Lions are to be taken seriously as a threat to advance deep into January, beating the Packers at Lambeau Field is a must. The difference between a win and a loss is stark: The victor will claim the NFC North championship and the spoils that go along with it (a home playoff game and probable first-round bye), while the loser will be playing on the road on Wild Card Weekend.It's true that Lions fans have reason to be confident. Back in Week 3, Detroit's defense smothered Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and company en route to a 19-7 win. That victory gave the Lions needed confidence, and over the course of the season, Caldwell's team has shown more mettle and moxie than Motown's teams of yesteryear.Consider the Lions under Caldwell's predecessor, the deposed Jim Schwartz: They were an undisciplined bunch who would fold in the big spot. To Caldwell (and the team's) credit, the 2014 iteration of the Lions have done exactly the opposite.Do you think there's any way that Schwartz's Lions would have completed a 10-point comeback in the game's final moments to beat the Saints, like Caldwell's charges did in Week 7' Or roar back from a 21-point deficit to down the Falcons in London (Week 8)' Or ride a last-minute touchdown to victory in Week 10 over the Dolphins'These Lions haven't been the same ol' Lions, known for losing in pathetic fashion.But even with all the plaudits and an earlier win over Green Bay, it'll all be for naught if they can't down the Packers on Sunday.Speaking to Lions reporters earlier in the week, Packers star receiver Jordy Nelson had this to say about Sunday's de facto NFC North title game (h/t Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press):It's fun. These are the games you want to play in. You want to play in the big-time games. It's not quite like a playoff game because it's not win-or-go-home, but the games are against good opponents and to have some stuff at stake are the fun ones to play in.Nelson and Green Bay can have "fun" with the proceedings because, well, they've been there and done that. The Packers won the Super Bowl following the 2011 season and have proven under coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers that they're to be taken seriously as a perennial Super Bowl contender.And that's truly what the Lions are aspiring to be.They're just not there yet.Sunday offers an opportunity for Stafford to elevate his game to the rarefied air occupied by elite passers like Rodgers. While Stafford has only tossed 19 touchdown passes this season (to go along with 12 interceptions), it's been his best season in terms of leadership and victories. If he can go head-to-head with Rodgers and beat him in Green Bay, Detroit's confidence in its on-field leader will grow exponentially.But if he loses, the mantra will be "same ol' Stafford" and "same ol' Lions."Sunday also affords the Lions defense an opportunity to put its stamp on the 2014 season. The unit is ranked second overall in total defense and is allowing only 16.8 points per game (trailing the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in both categories). Keyed by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, defensive end Ziggy Ansah and linebacker DeAndre Levy, the defense has been fearsome.But if Rodgers and the Packers score 30-plus points in front of the throaty faithful at Lambeau, the mantra will be "same ol' defense" and "same ol' Lions."As crazy as it sounds, Sunday's tilt in Wisconsin means so much more to the Lions than just a division title and home playoff game. It's a chance to ride a wave of momentum into the postseason, beat their hated rivals and be taken seriously as a team that could actually raise the Lombardi Trophy.Lose to the Packers, and no one will believe that the Lions are capable of making noise on the road in January. Lose to the Packers, and face a week of public and media bashing leading up to a road game on Wild Card Weekend. Lose to the Packers, and wear the dreaded scarlet letter "S" for "same ol' Lions."But if they beat the Packers, it can all change. Belief will be instilled. Confidence will radiate.For the Lions, the stakes couldn't be higher.Show us something, Detroit. Beat the Packers and show us that you're for real.If that happens, thenand only thenwill you be taken seriously as a threat to win the Super Bowl.
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