The Detroit Lions didn’t find much to be thankful for on Thursday, falling to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving and watching their path to the playoffs grow even steeper.
The Lions played from behind all game, losing 31-24 to fall to 7-5. The loss means the Lions may need to run the table for a chance at a third straight NFC North title, and requires them to get some help for even a shot at a wild-card berth.
After Thursday’s game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell outlined the dire position his team now faces.
Lions Need Help to Reach Postseason
Speaking to reporters after the game, Campbell admitted that the Lions face a harsh reality after Thursday’s loss. They are two losses behind the Chicago Bears, who play the Philadelphia Eagles on a Black Friday matinee, and dropped to eighth place in the NFC.
Campbell was blunt, stressing that the Lions no longer control their own fate.
“It’s more that you need a little help,” Campbell said, via SI.com. “You’ve got to do your job, you’ve got to win and you need a little help. And that’s what it is. But it all starts with you doing your job, which is us, and finding a way to win the next one in front of us. It really is that simple. Don’t make more of it than need be. It’s frustrating, it sucks, it’s tough, but we did it to ourselves and we’re the only ones who are going to get out of it as well.”
Dan Campbell Addresses Criticism of the Offense
The Lions faced criticism for their final offensive possession, when they reached the 3-yard line but were forced to kick a field goal to bring the deficit to a touchdown. The Lions drove for 13 plays and took a little more than six minutes off the clock, allowing the Packers to run out the clock on the next drive.
When asked about the lack of urgency after the game, Campbell said he understands the frustration and stressed that he trusted the defense to get the ball back.
“Yes. I know. I know that’s frustrating when you’re a fan watching,” he said. “But I know how we needed to play against that defensive front. And it was about playing for the last possession. We were going to do that, I was going, defense was going to get the stop, we were going to use our timeouts, get one more shot to go win the game and that’s how we were playing it. I wanted to play it just like that. So, I wanted to keep it in our hands and not turn it into a pin your ears back and start flying up the field with Micah Parsons and those guys.”
The Lions could face an even bigger challenge given the uncertainty around star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. He was injured early in the game when he was hit from behind while blocking, limping to the locker room and not returning.
Campbell gave some hope that St. Brown would return this year, but said the team wouldn’t know for certain until he underwent further testing.
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