The Detroit Lions are on the verge of going from first to worst. In 2024, the Lions came off an exciting 15-win season and were the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history, but now sit at 8-8, were eliminated from the playoffs and currently sit at the bottom of the NFC North.
The Minnesota Vikings, who have been eliminated from the playoffs in consecutive weeks, dealt a fatal blow to the Lions’ offense in an ugly game. Detroit allowed just 3.61 yards per carry, its lowest efficiency mark since 2020 and its sixth-worst single-game performance in the past 15 years.
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After the game, Lions coach Dan Campbell didn’t mince words. He clearly believes he and Lions general manager Brad Holmes need to make some changes this offseason.
“I’m going to be thinking about a lot of things. I’m going to be thinking about a lot of things because I don’t like watching the playoffs at home and I know our guys don’t like it either,” Campbell said. “Whenever you lose a game, man, it takes a village. Everybody’s involved, myself included. I always look at myself first.”
Campbell insists he will continue to demand a lot from his players when the Lions’ season ends next week against the Chicago Bears. He clearly doesn’t want to see any exit from them yet.
Once you turn the page, however, it’s time to get down to some serious work.
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“Brad and I are going to have a lot of decisions to make and a lot of things to consider,” Campbell said. “What, why, how do we improve because we need to improve.”
While everything will be closely watched this offseason, Campbell isn’t ready to say whether it will be a big overhaul or a smaller one. He needs more time to sit down and really digest this season.
However, he did say that sometimes all it takes is a small adjustment for things to fall apart and get back on track again.
“I know this, it doesn’t take much for things to get out of balance, not as much as you might think,” Campbell said. “So sometimes it could be one thing here, it could be a player, it could be a coach. You just never know – or where someone is. Maybe he needs to play here, or maybe he needs to do this.
“Every team is different every year, man. Even if you have a core and you believe in it and know why we have them, it’s always a new team. You’ve got to find your way, man. So, that’s disappointing.”
