The Lions may not be favored to win another game this year, but at some point it's going to happen. No one goes winless in the NFL. Think of the irony, though, if a team with so many Tampa Bay castoffs becomes the first ever to go 0-16 — 32 years after the original Buccaneers went 0-14 and set a modern-day record for futility. The symmetry.

Of the four winless teams left — the Lions, Rams and Texans are 0-4, the Bengals 0-5 — Detroit has the best chance of going 0-for-the-season.

Houston should have won last week when it Sage'd away an upset of the Colts. As it is, the Texans will get their first victory before the month's out. They host Miami this week, the Lions next and the Bengals on Oct. 26. They may be 3-4 before Halloween.

The Bengals have a sure win at the end of the season when they host Kansas City, but they won't let it get that far. If Carson Palmer's healthy, they could upset the Jets this week or the Steelers next (depending on Pittsburgh's own health). If not, well, they still play Houston and Cleveland.

St. Louis has a more favorable schedule than the Bengals and Lions, but the Rams are the worst team in the NFL and will be 0-7 after games at Washington, against Dallas and at New England in the next three weeks. Still, with home games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Seahawks and 49ers before Christmas, they're bound to win eventually.

The Lions? Like I said, there's not a sure thing left on the schedule. I thought maybe they'd beat Washington Oct. 26 at Ford Field, but I've changed my mind. The Redskins are playing as well as anyone in the NFL right now. Ditto with the Thanksgiving game against Tennessee. The Titans have the best defense in the NFL.

Still, somehow the Lions will manage a couple wins. Maybe an upset at Carolina, maybe a home defeat of New Orleans. If not, the circle of life will be complete.