After a Thanksgiving loss to the Packers, the Detroit Lions hope to get their season back on track.
The Detroit Lions haven’t won a division championship in over 30 years.
It wasn’t going to be easy to break that streak.
The Lions were 7-2 ten days ago and faced a pair of home games against the struggling Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. A pair of wins would have put them in command of the NFC North and allowed them to host their first playoff game since moving to Ford Field in 2002.
On Friday, the Lions were relieved that things didn’t get any worse.
Detroit needed 17 points in the final three minutes to defeat the Bears 31-26 before falling to the Packers 29-22 on Thanksgiving Day.
“I know what it looks like — we haven’t been good enough out there — but I’m not panicked,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “It doesn’t matter who we play, if we don’t play our best game and the other team is perfect, things like this will happen.”
“We’re the type of team that has to fight, scratch, and claw for everything.” We can’t be on autopilot.”
The Lions have struggled on both sides of the ball, but none more so than quarterback Jared Goff. He fumbled three times against the Packers after throwing three interceptions against the Bears.
“There have certainly been some plays where I need to take better care of the ball,” he said. “There’s no rhyme or reason — I’m going to look at all of them individually and figure out what I can fix.”
The Lions don’t play again until Dec. 3 against the New Orleans Saints, and Campbell intends to use that time to get things back on track.
“We’re going to clean up some things and then we’ve got six games to go,” he told reporters. “If we turn the ball over three times against everyone we play, the odds of winning are going to be pretty slim, but I don’t see that happening.”
WHAT IS SUCCESSIVE
Brian Branch, a rookie safety, has emerged as the defense’s leading playmaker. He led the team with eight tackles against Green Bay after recording three tackles for loss against the Bears. His season began with a pick-6 against Patrick Mahomes in Detroit’s win over Kansas City, and he’s also been a standout in the box.
WHAT IS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE
The pass rush failed to record a sack against Jordan Love and has only two in the last three games. While Detroit has 23 sacks this season, 18 of them have come in victories over Atlanta, Green Bay, and Las Vegas. The Lions have one or no sacks in seven games.
GET STOCKED
Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has surpassed Amon-Ra St. Brown as Goff’s No. 2 weapon. He has 55 catches for 539 yards and five touchdowns, including a 7-yard touchdown against Green Bay in the first quarter.
STOCK REDUCTION
In the last three games, Detroit has given up 760 yards and eight passing touchdowns. The Lions also allowed Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears to rush for 104 yards. On a third-and-1 play late in Thursday’s game, Love broke a 37-yard run.
INJURIES
The Lions came into the game in good shape, with only guard Jonah Jackson missing, and no significant injuries.
KEY NUMBER 6 — No team in the NFL can win consistently if its quarterback turns the ball over six times in two games. Goff is usually good with the ball — he hadn’t fumbled all season before Thursday — but he needs to get back into shape quickly.
UPCOMING STEPS
The Lions have a couple of days off before traveling to New Orleans on December 3. A road victory would do a lot to eliminate the possibility of a late-season collapse.
