DETROIT (AP) – In thirty years, the Detroit Lions have not won a division championship.
It would not be simple to break that streak.
Ten days prior, the Lions were 7-2 and scheduled to play the Green Bay Packers and the struggling Chicago Bears at home. Two wins would have put them in a strong position to host their first postseason game since moving to Ford Field in 2002 and win the NFC North.
On Friday, the Lions were glad things didn’t go even worse.
Detroit needed 17 points in the final three minutes to beat the Bears 31-26, then couldn’t pull off another comeback in a 29-22 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Packers.
“I know what it looks like — we haven’t been good enough out there — but I’m not panicked,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “If we don’t play our best game and the other team is perfect, it doesn’t matter who we are facing, things like this are going to happen.
“We’re the type of team that is going to have to fight and scratch and claw for everything. We can’t be on cruise control.”
The Lions have struggled on both sides of the ball, but no one has hurt the team as much as quarterback Jared Goff. After throwing three interceptions against the Bears, he lost three fumbles against the Packers.
“There have certainly been some plays where I need to take better care of the ball,” Goff 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’ next game is on December 3 at home against the New Orleans Saints, and Campbell intends to use that time to regroup.
“We have six games left after cleaning up a few things,” he stated. “Our chances of winning will be very low if we turn the ball over three times against every opponent we play, but I don’t see that happening.”
What is effective
Rookie security The main playmaker on the defence these days is Brian Branch. He led the team with eight tackles against Green Bay, following up his three tackles for loss against the Bears. In Detroit’s victory over Kansas City, he opened the season with a pick-6 against Patrick Mahomes. He has also been incredibly successful as a run stopper in the box.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
The pass rush didn’t register a sack against Jordan Love and only has two in the last three games. While Detroit has 23 sacks this season, 18 of those came in wins against Atlanta, at Green Bay and against Las Vegas. The Lions have seven games with one or zero sacks.
STOCK UP
Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has become Goff’s No. 2 weapon behind Amon-Ra St. Brown. He has 55 catches for 539 yards and five touchdowns, including a 7-yard score in the first quarter against Green Bay.
STOCK DOWN
Detroit has allowed 760 passing yards and eight passing touchdowns in the last three games. The Lions also allowed Chicago’s Justin Fields to rush for 104 yards. Love broke off a 37-yard run on a third-and-1 play late in Thursday’s game.
INJURIES
The Lions entered the game in good shape — only missing guard Jonah Jackson — and didn’t sustain any significant injuries.
KEY NUMBER
6 — No team can win consistently in the NFL if its quarterback turns the ball over six times in two games. Goff is usually good with the ball — he hadn’t lost a fumble all season before Thursday — but he needs to regain that form in a hurry.
