A long offseason awaits the Detroit Lions. Longer than usual, after missing the postseason for the first time since 2022.

“Brad and I will have a lot of decisions to make, you know, a lot of things to look at,” Dan Campbell said after a 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. “The what’s, the whys, the how do we improve? Because we need to improve.”

Those words were more about the months ahead than the week ahead, but Campbell faces a decision before the season concludes. The Lions are set to travel to Chicago (Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET) to face the NFC North champion Chicago Bears. Campbell’s approach to that game is worth discussing. This team is injured, and certain vets could be far too important to let compete in a game that no longer determines their playoff fate. The Lions have a lot more to gain from a loss — draft positioning, perhaps a lighter schedule — than from a win.

But then, well, there’s the matter of pride and the message you want to leave your team heading into an extended break.

Given how Campbell operates, it should be a fascinating decision.

Let’s talk it through.

The injury situation

Detroit’s injury situation has been well-documented. This is the second-most-injured team in the NFL this season, in terms of games missed with an injured reserve designation (254). Detroit trails only the Arizona Cardinals (269).

Before the year, the Lions lost key reserve pieces such as Levi Onwuzurike, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Josh Paschal, who wasn’t able to return within his practice window. Detroit’s entire starting secondary has been on IR at some point this season. Two of its four starting defensive linemen (Alim McNeill, Marcus Davenport) had IR stints, too. Star TE Sam LaPorta played nine games before having season-ending back surgery. Starting left guard Christian Mahogany missed six games with a broken fibula, while starting left tackle Taylor Decker has missed three games and played the majority of the season with a bad shoulder.

Most recently, the Lions saw Penei Sewell leave the Vikings game with an ankle injury before returning to action. Star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown went down late in that game, and was already dealing with a knee injury before Week 17. Alex Anzalone was evaluated for a concussion. McNeill played just 14 snaps after suffering an abdominal injury. Decker and starting center Graham Glasgow, who’s missed the last two games, didn’t play.

The Lions aren’t in a position to have guys gut it out for a game that no longer factors into their playoff chances. For their own sake, it would make sense to rest certain veterans, with an eye toward 2026.

2026 NFL Draft positioning

When teams get eliminated from the playoffs, the natural next step involves a look at draft positioning. The Lions haven’t been eliminated from playoff contention prior to Week 18 since the 2021 season — Campbell’s first year in Detroit. But this is their current reality.

After Sunday’s slate, the Lions are currently slotted to draft 15th overall. Obviously, the higher the pick, the better off the Lions are. Not only would they have access to a higher tier of prospect than they’ve had in recent years, but also they could trade back and recoup some draft capital lost from the Isaac TeSlaa trade. And while they can’t jump far, getting up to, say, No. 13, feels realistic.

The Lions have a number of needs in 2026, but if they are able to land a high-level edge or an offensive tackle who could play guard until he’s ready to kick out to tackle and replace Decker, it would make sense to take one in the first round. But as we know, GM Brad Holmes is going to draft the best player on his board.

The benefits of a fourth-place schedule

Now we get to the difficult conversation. The Lions could finish fourth in the NFC North, a year after earning the conference’s No. 1 seed at 15-2.

Look at some of the teams that have benefited from a fourth-place schedule in 2025. The Bears and Patriots won their divisions after fourth-place finishes. New England’s strength of schedule of .384 was the easiest in the NFL, while Chicago’s (.452) was the fourth easiest. It can certainly help jumpstart a season.

What could this mean for Detroit?

Right now, the Lions would be set to face the fourth-place finisher from the following divisions: the NFC West, the AFC South and the NFC East. That would mean facing the Cardinals (in Arizona) and the Titans and Giants at home. Those teams have a combined record of 9-39.

As for a third-place schedule, entering Sunday, the Lions would face the Rams (in Los Angeles), the Colts and the Commanders (presumably, with a healthy Jayden Daniels). Those three teams have a combined record of 23-25 as of Sunday night, with the Rams scheduled to play Monday night.

• Third-place schedule: 23-25

• Fourth-place schedule: 9-39

After mentioning the turnaround the Bears and Patriots made, it’s fair to point out that you never know what you’re going to get year-to-year in this league. Maybe the Cardinals make the leap. Maybe the Titans hire the right coach to maximize Cam Ward. Maybe the Giants, with a healthy Malik Nabers, Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, become a problem. All that said, none of those teams boast the talent the Lions do. This Detroit team is in need of tweaks — not a massive overhaul. That can lend itself to a quick turnaround, especially with a lighter schedule.

Players and coaches on this team would tell you they want to play the best, that they’ll line up against anyone. And they should. It would come across as weak to say otherwise. And, look — I get it. It’s an odd conversation to have for a team that just won 15 games. The idea of it feels … off for this group. It’s not Campbell’s style at all to wave the white flag by resting starters.

But given where they’re at, he’ll have a fascinating decision on his hands.

Pride is a factor here, too

After laying all of that out, we can now circle back to the Lions and the Lions alone.

Something tells me the NFL Draft and the 2026 schedule aren’t on Campbell’s mind this week. There’s probably a message in there somewhere about effort and toughness and fighting until the very end. The Lions have a chance to finish with a winning record for the fourth consecutive season. That hasn’t been done here since 1969-72. And considering the opponent — old friend Ben Johnson and the playoff-bound Bears — there’s probably a bit of pride on the line. Finishing in last place would certainly leave a sour taste heading into the offseason.

Last season when the outcome of the Lions’ Week 17 Monday night game against the 49ers didn’t matter because the Vikings had won the previous day, creating a Week 18 NFC North title-deciding game between Detroit and Minnesota, Campbell still played to win. The Lions beat the 49ers that night, 40-34.

All that to say, don’t be surprised if none of this matters to Campbell. After all, his job is to win football games.

“I expect everybody to be ready to go when we get back in a couple of days, be locked in and be ready when we get on a plane to go to Chicago, to be locked in one more time,” Campbell said Thursday. “That’s what I expect. And then we’ll go from there.”