<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Detroit Lions\u00a0have work to do.<\/p>\n
A spot in the 2025 NFL playoffs is\u00a0not\u00a0a foregone conclusion. After losing three of their last five games,\u00a0let\u2019s\u00a0consider what needs to be done.<\/p>\n
At 6-4, the\u00a0Lions\u00a0will\u00a0likely need\u00a0five more wins to secure a postseason berth. They have seven games left.<\/p>\n
Hardly a big ask.\u00a0But not an easy ask, either.<\/p>\n
It took 11 wins to make the playoffs last season in the NFC. The Lions hurdled that handily with 15.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0guessing you remember, and remember, too, that 15 regular-season wins\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0mean much in the end.<\/p>\n
Injuries on the defensive side meant more.\u00a0By the time the Lions\u00a0got to\u00a0their playoff opener against the\u00a0Washington Commanders, they\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0defend\u00a0Cass Tech.<\/p>\n
Health\u00a0matters most, but\u00a0only if a team makes the\u00a0playoffs\u00a0first. Right now, the Lions, again, have some work to do to get to\u00a011 wins and to get to a third straight postseason.<\/p>\n
Ten wins might do it \u2013 two 10-win teams in the AFC made it last year. But the Lions\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0want to\u00a0chance\u00a0it. Dan Campbell\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0want to\u00a0chance\u00a0it.\u00a0You<\/em>\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0want to\u00a0chance\u00a0it.\u00a0The stress\u00a0alone …<\/em><\/p>\n But then\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0play\u00a0center,\u00a0or\u00a0defensive end, or safety, or tight end.\u00a0All you can do is watch.<\/p>\n Dan Campbell used to play tight\u00a0end.\u00a0Heaven knows the Lions could use a little backup there, too.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0got other things to worry about though.\u00a0Like the\u00a0New York Giants.<\/p>\n That\u2019s\u00a0his focus,\u00a0he\u00a0told reporters in Allen Park on Wednesday, Nov. 19.\u00a0Of course he is\u00a0thinking about the Giants.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0a coach.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0the next team on\u00a0the schedule.<\/p>\n He\u2019s\u00a0also focused on the Giants\u2019 competitive\u00a0spirit, because\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0formidable for a team that is 2-9.\u00a0They\u2019ve\u00a0been in a lot of close games. Lost to the Green Bay Packers by a touchdown Sunday, after taking the lead in the fourth quarter.\u00a0Had a chance to tie it at the end, too.<\/p>\n So, toss the record out. Cliche\u0301?\u00a0Yeah.<\/em>\u00a0Smart?\u00a0Absolutely<\/em>, especially considering the\u00a0unevenness\u00a0this Lions\u00a0team\u00a0has shown this season.<\/p>\n \u201cLook\u00a0I don\u2019t\u00a0think\u00a0any of that,\u201d he said of the playoff race. \u201cI know this \u2013 and I hit the guys on this because I just want them, especially more now than ever … [to] just worry about this one\u00a0…\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0in front of you.\u00a0We\u2019ve\u00a0got to get another win. And\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0got to get back on our feet.\u00a0We\u2019ve\u00a0got to play better ball in all three units.\u00a0…\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0worry about anything else \u2013 don\u2019t\u00a0worry about\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0out there,\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0worry about the NFC, NFC North,\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0worry about the rankings or this, that. That\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0matter.\u00a0We\u00a0have to\u00a0win.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, they do.<\/p>\n Lose to the Giants\u00a0\u2013 for your first back-to-back losses since October 2022 \u2013 and the season goes sideways in a hurry.<\/p>\n Right now,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0listing. OK,\u00a0moderately\u00a0<\/em>listing,\u00a0considering that if\u00a0the playoffs started today, the Lions\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0make it.<\/p>\n So, once more:\u00a0Work to do.<\/em>\u00a0That starts against the Giants.<\/p>\n Beat New York and the Lions need just four wins to make our hypothetical magic number of 11 \u2013 a 4-2 finish to the season.<\/p>\n Not unreasonable … but not a sure thing either, considering they’ve gone 2-3 since that four-game win streak in September and October.<\/p>\n Here are the games the rest of the way: Green Bay Packers at home (on Thanksgiving), Dallas Cowboys at home (on another Thursday night), Los Angeles Rams on the road, Pittsburgh Steelers at home, Minnesota Vikings on the road, Chicago Bears on the road.\u00a0Assuming the Lions beat the Giants,\u00a0they\u2019ll\u00a0need four of those.<\/p>\n Beat the Packers and everyone exhales, at least for a moment.\u00a0Beat the Cowboys and\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0halfway home.<\/p>\n Beat the Rams?<\/p>\n The Lions can start thinking about winning the NFC North again.\u00a0Let\u2019s\u00a0assume a loss, however.<\/p>\n That’d put the\u00a0Lions at\u00a09-5\u00a0with three games\u00a0remaining \u2013two\u00a0wins from\u00a0an almost-certain wild-card berth.<\/p>\n Knock off Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers and it comes down to finding one more win on the road against oe of the two NFC North teams.\u00a0Another loss to the Vikings \u2013 on the road \u2013 could set up a win-or-go home game \u2013 for both teams \u2013 against\u00a0you\u2013know\u2013who<\/em>\u00a0in Chicago.<\/p>\n Ben Johnson might relish that. You would not.\u00a0Neither would Campbell.<\/p>\n The Lions’ season coming down to a cold-weather game against Campbell’s protege almost seems cruel. But then, this is life\u00a0at the adult table in the NFL.<\/p>\n Now, it\u2019s\u00a0possible\u00a0the Bears \u2013 who have a one-game lead over the Lions in the North entering Week 12 \u2013\u00a0slow down\u00a0on the fourth-quarter comebacks.\u00a0They wouldn’t be playing for a division title (or a wild-card spot) in that scenario, with their own slate of tough games, including the Philadelphia Eagles, the Packers (twice), the Steelers and, of course, the Lions.<\/p>\n Still,\u00a0they\u2019d\u00a0have plenty to play for, much like the Lions did three years ago when they went into Green Bay and knocked the Packers out of the playoffs despite having been knocked out themselves before the game.<\/p>\n Maybe that\u2019ll\u00a0bookend this Lions\u00a0chapter,\u00a0and the Bears will be the next\u00a0great story\u00a0in the\u00a0NFC North over the next few seasons.\u00a0Or maybe the Bears and Packers and Vikings all\u00a0tumble,\u00a0and the Lions\u00a0take the division with 10 wins.<\/p>\n Or\u00a0maybe they\u00a0get their Honolulu Blue act together.\u00a0Maybe it\u2019s\u00a0not as bad as it seems.\u00a0They did just stay with the Eagles \u2013 in Philadelphia!\u00a0\u2013 despite just about everything going wrong on offense that could.<\/p>\n That has to say something.<\/p>\n Whatever it says, though, the Lions have seven games left to hear it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" freep.com wants to ensure the best experience for all of our readers, so we built our site to take advantage of the latest technology, making it faster and easier to use.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"\nToss the record out for the Giants<\/h2>\n
A tight finish looks unavoidable<\/h2>\n