The Detroit Lions don’t have enough wins to make it three consecutive trips to the playoffs, but one thing they aren’t short on is pride.
With a record of 8-8, the Lions are tied for third place in the NFC North but technically reside last place due to tiebreak scenarios with the Minnesota Vikings, who are also 8-8 with one game to play.
The Lions have won the division each of the past two years and took the No. 1 seed into the playoffs last season, when Ben Johnson was still their offensive coordinator. He left last winter to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears (11-5), stealing the North crown from Dan Campbell and company in his first year on top job.
Johnson and Chicago achieved that success despite an 0-2 start, which included an embarrassing 31-point drubbing at the hands of the Lions in Week 2. Now, in the rematch set for Week 18, the Bears are fighting for the conference’s No. 2 seed, and Campbell intends on doing everything he can to make sure they don’t get it.
That includes treating an otherwise meaningless game for Detroit like any other contest the team played while it was still in contention.
“If they can play, we’re playing,” Campbell said of his intentions for Lions players dealing with injury issues.
Campbell also spoke directly to Johnson and the transformation he’s authored in the Windy City.
“Ben’s done a good job. The system is in,” Campbell continued. “They found a run game. Play-action pass, Caleb [Williams] is playing really well. O-line is playing really well.”
“They’re playing at a high level,” Campbell added, “much more polished.”
Jared Goff, Offense Biggest Problems for Lions in Crucial Late-Season Losses
GettyQuarterback Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions.
Detroit will play Chicago on 10 days rest after losing to the Vikings and undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer on Christmas Day.
But it wasn’t Brosmer or Minnesota head/coach offensive guru Kevin O’Connell who got the better of Campbell and the Detroit defense. Rather, it was Lions offense and its six turnovers, including five from quarterback Jared Goff (two interceptions and three lost fumbles) that sealed the team’s playoff fate.
“The story of that game was six turnovers,” Campbell said during the postgame press conference. “Can’t turn the ball over six times and win in this league.”
“Last week [against Pittsburgh], we just couldn’t score in the red zone when we needed it,” Campbell added.
Dan Campbell Implies Major Changes Could Be Coming in Detroit Ahead of Next Season
GettyDetroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
Despite the .500 record and the team’s regression from the top of the division in each of the previous two seasons, the Lions still own the best point differential (+65) in the NFC North, which could end up the only division in the NFL that boasts four teams with winning records in 2025.
It is also impossible to tell the whole story of Detroit’s season without mentioning how badly injury problems have snakebitten the defense for the second consecutive year, particularly in the secondary.
But in a league where excuse-making is an original sin, Campbell is among the least likely figures to commit that transgression. As such, he told reporters following the Lions’ loss on Christmas that he will look hard at the entire organization this offseason, implying strongly that major changes could be on the way in the months to come.
“I’m gonna be looking at a lot of things,” Campbell said. “Because I do not like being home for the playoffs, and I know our guys don’t either.”
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