Injuries are regrettably a part of football, and for the Detroit Lions, the injury bug has been especially devastating these past two seasons.

Injuries are one of the biggest reasons the Lions sit at 8-7, in need of a miracle to get into the playoffs. That miracle could happen, and maybe discussions like this can feel silly in hindsight. However, if this season does end up being a lost cause, the team and its fans can’t hide behind the injury excuse once again and leave it at that.

Blaming injuries made a lot of sense last season. The team was 15-2, and did well enough to adapt to the loss of players like pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson or cornerback Carlton Davis III over the course of the season. That was always a ticking time bomb, and the hope was that those injuries wouldn’t catch up to them before winning the Super Bowl. Sadly, it did, and sadly, it happens.

This season is different. Injuries are just one among many problems.

The new look coaching staff has had serious growing pains

First and foremost, the new look coaching staff has been a dud. New offensive coordinator John Morton lost his play-calling duties after an underwhelming performance coming out of the bye week against the Minnesota Vikings.

Since head coach Dan Campbell took over, quarterback Jared Goff has had four of his five 300-plus yard passing games, including a current streak of three-straight. Wide receiver Jameson Williams has also more than doubled his yards per game.

Campbell calling the shots still hasn’t been perfect. The Lions still struggle to convert on third and fourth down situations, and Campbell is prone to questionable decisions on when to actually go for it on fourth down. Running back David Montgomery’s rushing attempts have also dropped by roughly four attempts a game, as Campbell has leaned more heavily on Jahmyr Gibbs.

Overall, the offense has looked better, raising the question of whether Campbell took too long to make that move, and if he should remain the play-caller into next season.

On the defensive side of the ball, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard started off with promise. His defense did step up in a big way against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles, despite injuries. Afterward, the wheels have come off. The defense has allowed an average of 31.6 points and 458.6 yards per game the past five weeks.

The injured secondary has contributed to that, yes, but those replacement players can only do so much when the middle of the field is frequently schemed unguarded, giving opposing teams easy first downs, even in long yardage situations.

There’s also the matter of preparation and adjustments. Having more rest and preparation days than an opponent should be a huge advantage. However, the Lions have a 2-5 record in those games, which includes the losses these past two weeks. It’s a baffling record that could point to issues in how the team prepares for its opponents. Is that extra time being used wisely? If not, why?

And once the game has started, Campbell and other coaches have struggled to make necessary adjustments, especially halftime ones. These past two weeks have been true “turd quarter” games where the team was held scoreless with negative yardage, with the opposing team dominating time of possession. That’s inexcusable at any point, much less when playoff hopes are on the line.

Trust in Brad Holmes is being tested

“Let Brad Holmes cook,” fans have long exclaimed. “Trust in Brad Holmes,” they’ll repeat. General Manager Brad Holmes has absolutely earned respect and grace for the core pieces he has brought in and for being able to lock them up long-term. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t whiffed.

For some odd reason, Holmes just cannot find a cornerback to save his life. This could always go back to coaching, but no CB Holmes has brought in has come close to being a true lockdown corner, or even a Pro Bowl-level one.

Terrion Arnold could still develop into one, while guys like Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin have done well in their intended roles. It’s an area of the defense that is still aggressively exploited in the opposing team’s passing game, and it continues to cost the Lions.

It’s easy to give Holmes the benefit of the doubt in regards to center Frank Ragnow’s post-draft retirement. At the same time, there still isn’t a strong enough safety net at left tackle for the often-injured Taylor Decker.

The guard unit was also missing the veteran presence of Kevin Zeitler. Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge haven’t been terrible, but neither had played a regular-season snap prior to this season. A veteran like Zeitler might’ve been able to better manage the poor play out of center Graham Glasgow, allowing Ratledge time to focus on learning center to possibly take over down the stretch.

But few aspects of this season were more frustrating than the lack of trades. Watching the Green Bay Packers trade for pass rusher Micah Parsons was devastating. Then, watching other teams like the upstart Indianapolis Colts or the middling Dallas Cowboys making aggressive moves to address their issues while watching Holmes stand pat was infuriating.

Holmes loves his draft picks, for sure, but if he’s willing to trade three third-rounders to draft a WR who currently has 12 receptions this season, then it would be nice to see a similar enthusiasm to acquire a proven veteran, at least on a rental, when the team needs it most.

Star players haven’t stepped up enough

The Lions are banged up, and that includes star players like safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. Despite that, most of the Lions’ top players are healthy and have played every game so far. Yet, their performances as of late have been inconsistent.

On the subject of Joseph, he still leads the team in interceptions (3), despite not playing the past nine games. The Lions have just six interceptions and three fumble recoveries across those games. Turnovers are perhaps the biggest reason why the Lions are 8-7, while the Chicago Bears, and their league-leading 29 total turnovers on the season, are leading the NFC North at 11-4.

On the defensive frontline, Hutchinson, who entered the season as the betting favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, has been elite when it comes to pressuring the QB. Yet, he’s struggled to convert those into sacks. His 11.5 on the season ties a career-high, but his two-sack game on Sunday was just his second multi-sack game this season.

This is partially due to teams only respecting him on the pass rush, but Hutchinson has had his opportunities, only for QBs to slip from his grasp.

As for the offense, Goff and Williams have had an impressive stretch lately, but the remainder of the offense has been inconsistent. Gibbs has been shut down the past two weeks, after alternating between great and underwhelming the previous few weeks.

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has been more prone to dropped passes, often at the worst possible time. If anything, tackle Penei Sewell has been the consistent bright spot this season, as he leads all tackles with a 95.8 grade on Pro Football Focus.

Altogether, the Lions are 8-7 for a variety of reasons. Injuries certainly had a role to play in each of those reasons, and that shouldn’t be ignored. Unlike last season, however, the Lions haven’t been able to mask those injuries and adapt.

This has exposed a series of flaws in coaching, roster building, and inconsistent player performance that have contributed to this potentially lost season just as much, if not more, than injuries have.