There will be no playoffs for the Lions this season. (USATSI)
Nine days ago, the Lions were in first place in the NFC North. Now, two losses later, they're out of the playoffs completely, even though coach Jim Schwartz, when not chastising fans for booing one of the NFL's sorriest teams, says the season hasn't been a failure. (Using Millen math, sure. By any conventional measure, it's been a steaming pile of failure.)

It gets worse: On Monday, some fans received their Lions playoff tickets.

It's the Christmas equivalent of getting coal in your stocking except that the only thing you're guilty of is being a Lions fan.

The Detroit Free Press' David Burkett writes that the team mailed playoff invoices to season ticket holders last month when the Lions were 6-5 and tied atop the division. In the month since, they have dropped three of four, and have lost five of six.

“We didn’t make the playoffs and I think that’s obviously anybody’s goal, so we didn’t achieve that goal. But I don’t know if I’d be as strong as to call it failure,” Schwartz said Monday.

Those fans stuck with Lions playoff tickets might disagree.