DETROIT – At the beginning of this season, Lions fans weren't sure what to expect from a team introducing an all-new coaching staff. After breaking a long playoff drought in 2011, the Lions lost eight straight games during the second half of 2012, and then threw away a division title in 2013. Jim Schwartz was fired after last season and Jim Caldwell brought in a new staff of largely unknown coordinators. Some of the most optimistic Lions faithful thought the team would make a postseason push, but many figured another losing season would rear its ugly head.

"Mystery" was the best way to describe the Detroit Lions heading into the 2014 season. Undeniable talent struggled against a recent track record of failure in the battle to formulate expectations in Detroit, and predictions around the city ranged from NFC North bottom-feeders to playoff hopefuls.

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But few thought that through 16 weeks, the Lions would be 11-4 with a chance to secure a first-round bye in the season finale. As a whole, the season has been a surprise, but some trends from the old Lions haven't changed.

With a spot in the postseason already locked up, let's examine what we already knew, and what we couldn't have known, about the first-place Lions.

We knew: The Lions would commit maddening penalties

As the Lions searched for a new head coach this offseason, one word hovered around the entire process. Sure, that search was months ago, and Caldwell is nearly an entire season removed from being a free agent head coach. But the word used by every single football fan, from television analysts to casual fans in Detroit, when talking about the Lions job, was "discipline."

Throughout the Schwartz era, the Lions were defined not only for standing among the league leaders in penalties each year, but also for committing those penalties at the most egregious moments. Even the head coach, who should have been improving the team's most debilitating problem, picked up his own penalty to cost the team a game against Houston in 2012 by throwing an illegal challenge flag.

When you remember how undisciplined the Lions were, it's clear that Caldwell had no chance to fix those problems in just one year.

Unfortunately, penalties have continued to haunt this year's team. The team as a whole has committed the 10th most penalties in the NFL, totaling 108 flags for 936 yards. For a Lions defense allowing an average of 295.9 yards per game, that's over three games' worth of yards gifted via penalty.

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To be fair, the NFL's officials have called more penalties than ever this season after putting offseason emphasis on flagging defenders for illegal contact infractions. But the untimeliness of those penalties is what really frustrated Lions fans for years, and that trend lives on.

For example, Julian Stanford's 15-yard personal foul for roughing the punter Sunday gave the Bears a first down at the 24-yard line. Instead of the offense taking over after the punt, the Lions gave Chicago an excellent scoring opportunity deep in Detroit territory. Three plays later, Jimmy Clausen hit Alshon Jeffrey in the end zone to give the Bears a 14-10 lead that almost sent the Lions to their first division loss of the year.

Another lapse in discipline came in the second quarter against Tampa Bay, when a defensive stand by the Lions with 17 seconds remaining in the first half was erased by a facemask penalty that gave the Buccaneers the ball at the Detroit five-yard line. On the next play, Mike Evans caught a touchdown pass to pull Tampa Bay within one possession before halftime.

Detroit has certainly been more disciplined off the field, with most players refusing to look ahead to the postseason or speculate about the future. But penalties and mental mistakes on the field have survived the coaching change and hurt the Lions nearly every week.

We didn't know: Jim Caldwell is a football genius

That's right, Caldwell has been an absolute genius since he arrived in Detroit. Over the last 52 seasons, the Lions have won at least 11 games only once, when they went 12-4 in 1991 under Wayne Fontes. Throughout those 52 years, the Lions have played for a total of 15 coaches, 14 of which failed to tally 11 wins.

But this year Caldwell has a chance to match Detroit's 1991 Coach of the Year, as his 11-4 Lions look for a division championship in Green Bay. Caldwell not only won 11 games and secured a playoff spot in his first year, he did it with a team that has lost at least 10 games 10 times in the past 13 seasons.

When the Lions were conducting their coaching search, the majority of Lions fans were hoping that Ken Whisenhunt would take the job. After Whisenhunt chose the Tennessee Titans and the Lions went with Caldwell, fans were underwhelmed with the hire.

My, how the tide has turned.

Whisenhunt is well on his way to earning the worst record in the league, as his 2-13 Titans are riding a nine-game losing streak into their final game against the Colts. Whisenhunt chose the Titans because he thought he had a better chance to win with that team. Clearly, Caldwell was the better hire.

The tenure of an NFL coach in any given job can collapse as quickly as it begins, so Caldwell will have to keep the Lions in contention for a few years to earn the trust of this fan base. But he's off to a great start, as his Lions compete for a division championship and first-round bye.

We knew: Detroit bombed the 2014 draft

A few months after any NFL Draft, it's easy to look back at what happened and think about steals and busts. For a Lions team that made a questionable selection with the No. 10 overall selection, looking back at who they missed really burns.

When Detroit drafted Eric Ebron in the first round, the fans weren't sure what to think. Ebron was a little-known tight end from North Carolina who struggled with dropped passes throughout his career. Now, 15 games into the season, it's clear that Ebron wasn't ready to help an NFL team as a rookie.

Though the young TE might still evolve into a solid offensive weapon, the Lions really needed a player to help them win immediately. Instead, Ebron has caught just 23 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown all season. In his most impactful performance, he caught three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown against the New York Jets.

Who did the Lions miss out on? How about receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., who has gained 1,120 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in just 11 games with the Giants. Imagine lining Beckham up next to receivers like Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, instead of Ebron in the slot.

Another option was linebacker C.J. Mosely, who was taken by the Ravens. The rookie leads the team with 126 tackles and has added three sacks and eight passes defended. The Lions needed a linebacker, but waited until the second round to draft Kyle Van Noy, who missed most of the season with an injury.

The Lions carried many pressing needs into the draft and simply overthought the process and reached for a tight end. Ebron, Van Noy and the rest of the draft class may contribute to the Lions down the line, but this season hasn't seen any major performances from the rookies.

We didn't know: Martin Mayhew flexed his free agent muscles

Is it possible for a general manager to botch an entire draft and still win executive of the year? If so, Mayhew should be on the short list of candidates to do so.

Mayhew's signing of Golden Tate back in March drew little attention around the nation, despite the Super Bowl champion's 898 receiving yards in Seattle last year. Tate was brought to Detroit to play Robin to Calvin Johnson's Batman, but ended up taking over the offense in wake of Megatron's injury.

With Johnson out three games in October, Tate reeled in 24 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, the 26-year-old leads the team with 1,286 receiving yards and is second to Johnson with four touchdowns. Tate has picked up 55 first downs on the year and leads all NFL receivers in yards after the catch.

Tate hasn't been anybody's sidekick, he's been the most valuable player on the offense.

In an even quieter signing during the summer, Mayhew brought safety James Ihedigbo to Detroit in an attempt to shore up a porous secondary. The veteran ballhawk responded by picking off four passes and forcing two fumbles.

Ihedigbo has been instrumental in the rapid development of cornerback Darius Slay, who takes advantage of his reliable safety tandem to play aggressive man coverage. As a result, the Lions have held electric quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees to a combined 30 points this season.

As if the acquisitions of Tate and Ihedigbo weren't enough, Mayhew also brought in little-known defensive end George Johnson to provide depth to the defensive line. But Johnson hasn't been a typical backup lineman, picking up six sacks and 28 tackles in 15 games. When tackle Nick Fairley was lost to injury midway through the season, Johnson picked up the slack from the outside and helped the Lions maintain their elite pass rush alongside Ndamukong Suh.

Mayhew is used to taking heat from Lions fans about personnel moves, but he was among the best in the NFL this offseason, picking up three free agents that have carried Detroit to 11-4.

We knew: Detroit's offense wasn't New Orleans' offense

When Caldwell brought Joe Lombardi to Detroit as offensive coordinator, speculation about the former Saints coach's plans centered around images of Brees and Jimmy Graham connecting for a league-high 16 touchdowns in 2013.

The comparisons intensified when the Lions reached for Ebron in the first round of the draft and the prospective rookie publicly demonstrated his interest in Graham's request to be paid as a wide receiver. Before taking a professional snap, Ebron indirectly compared himself to one of the top receiving tight ends in league history.

But fans weren't buying it, and they haven't been pleasantly surprised

No matter what Lombardi draws up, he can't turn Ebron into Graham, and he certainly can't turn Stafford into Brees, who has thrown for over 5,000 yards four times, owns a 66.2 percent career completion rate and won a Super Bowl ring.

The Lions' offense has been much worse than last year, scoring 30 points just three times and less than 20 seven times. A running game that exploded behind Reggie Bush and Joique Bell last season has been largely ineffective, while Stafford's maddening tendency to turn the ball over flared up again this year.

A stout defense carried the Lions to 11-4, but a once-explosive offense has struggled to find a rhythm throughout 2014.

We didn't know: This defense is elite

Of all the pleasant surprises in Detroit this season, none came as unexpectedly as the defense rising to the top of the NFL. Throughout the recent era of Lions football, the team has relied on an offensive arsenal packed with playmaking weapons to lead the organization. But awful secondary play and a general lack of tackling discipline led to a flood of losing seasons for Detroit, despite breakout campaigns from guys like Megatron and Stafford on offense.

Most importantly, the Lions have been the second best team in the country at holding opponents off the scoreboard, allowing 16.8 points per game. Opponents have mustered less than 20 points in 11 of 15 games this year, including a seven-point effort from the offensive powerhouse Packers in September.

Suh and linebacker DeAndre Levy lead a historically dominant rushing defense that allows just 63.8 yards per game. The closest rushing defense to the Lions in the NFL is that of Denver, which allows nearly 17 more yards per game. Some teams, like the Bears and Patriots have attacked the Lions with a game plan that abandons the run completely.

Teryl Austin deserves much of the credit for turning a mediocre defense into the group that keeps Detroit in every game. The former Ravens secondary coach decided not to add an impact player in the draft, instead turning Slay and Glover Quin into Pro Bowl caliber players. Detroit has vaulted to the No. 6 passing defense in the NFC this season.

Who are the Lions?

Perhaps more than any fan base in the country, Detroit cares not only about their NFL team's record, but also the franchise's identity. The poisonous phrase "Same Old Lions" pops up with every turnover and penalty, regardless of the team's performance and record.

But from what we knew before the season, and what we've learned over the last four months, how can we categorize these Detroit Lions?

Clearly this team is different from those in the recent past. For example, when was the last time the Lions ranked among the league leaders with a positive turnover differential? The team leads the NFC with 20 interceptions and the offense is protecting the ball, which has allowed the Lions to survive some abysmal offensive efforts.

Detroit has also made a habit of winning close games in the fourth quarter, reversing the franchise's trend of blowing late leads. While Schwartz's Lions coughed up six fourth-quarter leads in the final seven games last season, the Lions are 6-2 in one-possession games under Caldwell.

Sunday's game provides the perfect test for a Lions team hoping to exorcise the demons of the past. A win in Green Bay would bring a second-round playoff game to Ford Field and make Detroit a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

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