Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions are on the verge of going first to worst. After a thrilling 15-win season in 2024 in which the Lions earned the NFC’s top seed for the first time in franchise history, the Lions are 8-8, eliminated from the playoffs, and current reside at the very bottom of the NFC North.
The Minnesota Vikings, who have eliminated from the playoffs for a few weeks now, delivered the death blow to the season in an ugly game for the Lions offense. Detroit managed just 3.61 yards per offensive play, their worst efficiency mark since 2020, and sixth-worst single-game performance in the last 15 years.
After the game, Lions coach Dan Campbell didn’t mince words. He clearly believes there are some changes he and Lions general manager Brad Holmes needs to do this offseason.
“I’m going to be looking at a lot. I’m going to be looking at a lot of things, because I do not like being home for the playoffs, and I know our guys don’t either,” Campbell said. “Whenever you lose, man, it’s takes a village. Everyone is involved, including myself. I’m always going to look at myself first.”
Campbell insisted he’s going to continue to demand a lot from his players next week when the Lions close out the season against the Chicago Bears. He clearly does not want to see any quit in them yet.
However, once that page turns, it’s time to get to some serious work.
“Brad and I will have a lot of decisions to make, a lot of things to look at,” Campbell said. “The whats, the whys, how do we improve, because we need to improve.”
And while everything will be under the microscope this offseason, Campbell isn’t yet ready to say whether it’s going to be a big overhaul or a small one. He needs more time to sit down and really digest this season.
He did say, however, that sometimes all it takes is a small tweak for things to fall apart—and for things to get back on track.
“I know this, it doesn’t take much for things to get off-balance, not as much as you would think,” Campbell said. “So sometimes it could be one thing here, it could be one player, it could be one coach. You just never know—or the placement of somebody. Maybe he needs to be playing here or maybe he needs to be doing this.
“Every team’s different every year, man. Even if you have the core, which you believe in and why we’ve got them, it’s always a new team. You’ve got to find your own way, man. So, it’s disappointing.”
