"The brawny, 260-plus-pound running back rumbled 3 yards into the end zone and immediately channeled his inner 10-year-old.

At that moment, T.J. Duckett didn't feel like a Lions running back simply doing what he was paid to do. He felt more like that wide-eyed youngster from Kalamazoo who longed for division titles, playoff appearances and Super Bowls after every Barry Sanders-led Thanksgiving Day triumph at the Pontiac Silverdome.

Duckett, after all, had every reason to dream.

His contribution helped the Lions destroy the Broncos, 44-7, at Ford Field in Week 9 of the 2007 season, leading to the franchise's first 6-2 start since 1999.

This victory also, according to the Associated Press, gave the Lions more than favorable odds to make the playoffs.

In the Super Bowl era, 76 percent of the 146 teams that started 6-2 made the playoffs, the AP reported at the time."