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Dan Campbell Delivers Harsh Reality Check As Lions' Playoff Chances Dwindle

Detroit no longer controls its own destiny.

Kyle Koster

Dan Campbell's Lions are now 8-6 on the year.
Dan Campbell's Lions are now 8-6 on the year. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Detroit Lions could not capitalize on a golden chance to improve their postseason prospects on Sunday as they allowed the Los Angeles Rams to score at will in the second half. With the defeat, Dan Campbell's team no longer controls its own destiny. If there's good news for the organization it's that they don't need too much help if they handle their own business and close out the season with three straight wins.

Detroit sits at 8-6 and is in great danger of joining the Kansas City Chiefs as the biggest underachievers against expectation this year. And even if the Lions do sneak into the tournament, repeated measuring tests against the top of the NFC have not gone well. The Lions were swept by the Green Bay Packers and sustained a loss to the Philadelphia Eages in addition to their stumble on Sunday.

Their situation should be a bummer and sting, per Campbell.

"It should burn at you," he told reporters after the game. "It should eat you up. Do not go numb to the losing ... It's as simple as going back to work and we've got to get better with Pittsburgh coming into town. We've got to play better. And now we know, now you have firsthand knowledge of what probably the top of the NFC looks like right now. Now you know what it looks like, you know what it is and we're not there right now. Doesn't mean we can't be."

Campbell's unit needs to beat the Steelers next Sunday at Ford Field and then pass a Christmas road test against the Minnesota Vikings in the hopes of setting up a win-and-in situation in Week 18 against the Bears in Chicago.

The Lions sport a point differential that is better than five current division winners but have dropped four of their five one-score games this season. If they do end up on the outside looking in when the final bracket is set they'll have plenty of reasons for regret.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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