After losing to the Packers on Thanksgiving, the Lions are looking to get back on track for the season.
The Detroit Lions haven’t won a division championship in 30 years, and ending that streak won’t be easy. A week ago, the Lions (7-2) had two home games against the Chicago Bears (2-7) and Green Bay Packers (2-7). A win would have given them a commanding lead in the NFC North race and their first playoff appearance since Ford Field opened in 2002. On Friday, Lions coach Dan Campbell was glad things didn’t turn out that way.
The Lions beat the Bears, 31-26, on a last-minute drive in which they scored 17 points. But they couldn’t make the same comeback against the Packers, 29-22 on Thanksgiving Day.“I know it looks like we haven’t played our best ball, but I’m not panicking,” Campbell said after the game. “No matter who we’re playing, if we don’t play our best ball, these things happen.”
We’re the kind of team that has to fight for everything, and we can’t just sit back and wait for things to happen. We need to make sure we’re turning the ball over at least three times against every team we’re playing, and I don’t think that’s going to happen. The Lions have been struggling on both ends of the field, but nobody has been more hurtful than quarterback Jared Goff, who had three turnovers against the Bears after losing three fumbles in the loss to the Packers. “There are definitely some plays that I need to be better at,” Goff said, “but there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. I’ll look at them all individually and see what I can do to make them better.” The Lions have a bye week coming up, so Campbell plans to take advantage of it. “We’ll take advantage of this break to get some things straightened out, and then we’ll have six games in between,” he said.
Brian Branch, a second-year safety, has emerged as the defense’s go-to playmaker. He had three TFLs against the Bears and eight tackles against the Packers. Branch’s season began with a game-sealing pick-6 in Detroit’s victory at Kansas City. He’s also been very effective in the box as a run-stopper.
The Lions’ pass rush hasn’t registered a sack since Week 1 against Jordan Love, and has only two in the past three games. Detroit has allowed 23 sacks this year, but 18 of those sacks have come in victories over Atlanta, Green Bay and Las Vegas, leaving the Lions with one sack or zero sacks in seven games.
BUILD UP
Sam LaPorta, the second-year tight end, has become Goff’s go-to weapon behind St. Brown. LaPorta has 55 catches for 555 yards and five scores, one of which was a 7-yard reception in the first quarter last week against Green Bay. The Lions have allowed 760 passing yards in the past three games, including eight passing touchdowns, and Chicago’s Justin Fields has rushed for 104 yards in that span. Love had a 37-yard third-down conversion late in the first half on Thursday. The Lions entered the game with just one major injury, guard Jonah Jackson, and did not suffer any significant ones.
Key Number
No team in the NFL can win consistently if its quarterback fumbles six times in the first two games.
Next Steps
The Lions have a bye week before playing at New Orleans on December 3rd. A road win over the Saints would eliminate any chance of a late season collapse.
