REASON FOR HOPE: Pedigree.
Head coach Dan Campbell always has preached grit as the bedrock of the culture he’s built with the Lions. He wanted toughness when he was trying to teach this team how to shed losing habits, and he needs to lean on that principle now that the Lions are in real danger of missing the postseason. The Lions are a good team at 7-5, one that still has plenty of talent on offense and defense. The problem is that being good doesn’t get you very far in the ultra-competitive NFC North. Detroit went 15-2 last season and had to beat Minnesota in the season-finale to claim the division title. This time around, Chicago and Green Bay are the teams that have pushed ahead in the standings and created a real dilemma for a Lions team that has won the last two division titles. Detroit probably needs to win four of its next five games to feel safe as a playoff participant. That means it must roll through a schedule that includes the Cowboys, Rams, Steelers, Vikings and Bears. That’s a daunting task on paper, but the Lions also have been through a lot under Campbell over the last few years. This team went from winning three games in its first season to nine, then 12 and finally 15 in 2024. It still possesses one of the best offenses in the league, and most of the core players remember what it was like to lose in the NFC title game in 2023. That stuff matters when you’re talking about finding ways to win meaningful games in December and January. The Lions clearly have things to sort out — the offense, for one, hasn’t been as smooth of an operation since Campbell took over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton a few weeks ago — but they’re not dead yet. That’s what happens when you play a lot of big games over a short period of time. You worry less about the magnitude and more about what you have to do to survive.