They're pretty much out of that race, they are for all intents and purposes two games behind the Saints with only three games to play.
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9863840
"After out-coaching, out-hustling, and just flat out embarrassing the Cowboys at home -- spanking them with glee might be a more appropriate description -- the Saints put the league on notice."
Heh... sportswriters enjoy their jobs more than anyone I know.
The Lions don't suck, they just are not playing well enough to win. And haven't been for years. Marty won 5 in two seasons, Mooch won 6 in one season, or, as I term them, "the good old days"...