Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions is sacked by Kyle Dugger #29 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of an NFL football game at Ford Field on December 21, 2025 in Detroit.
Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
There’s a particular kind of silence that settles over Michigan on a Sunday evening after an exceptionally bad Detroit Lions loss.
It’s like the whole state just sits in a stupor, staring at their phones or televisions asking, “What just happened?”
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No one — not the fans, players, coaches or CBS commentators — could clearly understand how Sunday’s debacle at Ford Field ended. An offensive pass interference call, a touchdown, but time expired, end of game.
The one thing that was clear, as players finally left the field, is that Detroit’s season is over.
The Lions didn’t just lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home 29-24. They were escorted politely but firmly out of the playoff conversation, like a guy at a wedding who’s had one too many Coors Lights and is being told, “You’re drunk and you are making a fool of yourself.” And the person tossing you out the door and putting you into an Uber is your friend’s creepy stepdad, Aaron Rodgers.
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The Lions are officially back to being an offseason team.
Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions speaks with Jalen Ramsey #5 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of an NFL football game at Ford Field on December 21, 2025 in Detroit.
Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
So here are five offseason moves the Lions must make if they want to be back in the playoff picture instead of watching it on NBC with the rest of us.
Fix the hole in your O-line with a center. I wished center Frank Ragnow a happy retirement before the first snap of the season. He left the Lions with more than a hole at center — Ragnow provided stability, leadership and elite interior play that allowed Detroit’s run game and QB Jared Goff’s success.
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Replacing him isn’t just about filling a lineup spot; it’s about restoring certainty in the middle of the line. They must aggressively identify a long-term answer at center through the draft, free agency or both to protect their offensive identity. Spare no expense.
Edge depth and pressure opposite Hutch.Aidan Hutchinson is already treated like an elite rusher by opposing offenses — double teams, chips, slide protections, sneaky holds that never get called.
A reliable edge rusher opposite him forces quarterbacks to make faster decisions and prevents protections from tilting entirely one way. That’s how sacks turn into turnovers.
The Lions don’t need another Hutchinson, but they do need someone offenses have to respect.
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Depth matters, too. Hutchinson can’t play every snap at full throttle for 17 games and a postseason run. Rotational edge players who can maintain pressure late in games are critical, especially in December and January.
If Detroit wants its defense to close games — not just survive them — it must win the line of scrimmage with more than one threat
Find the right offensive coordinator. Was anyone ever sold on OC John Morton? I’m not 100% sure Head Coach Dan Campbell was. With roster changes coming, especially along the offensive line, Detroit needs more than a steady play-caller — it needs a problem-solver.
The next coordinator must adapt the offense without losing its identity, collaborate with Campbell, protect Goff if the interior line regresses and stay ahead of defenses that know Detroit’s tendencies. This hire is about sustainability.
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Get it right, and the Lions can absorb personnel losses and keep scoring.
Get it wrong, and even a talented roster risks becoming predictable and inefficient.
Evaluate coaching top to bottom. At the end of the season, Campbell will say the right things about grit and accountability, but this is the moment where words need to turn into uncomfortable honesty.
Too often, the Lions have shown up flat or unprepared — slow starts, blown assignments, confusion that looks less like bad luck and more like poor anticipation. That falls on coaching.
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Holding coaches accountable doesn’t mean public firings or press-conference blame. It means results mattering. It means responsibilities being clearly defined, mistakes being traced to their source, and adjustments happening before problems become trends. Too often this season Detroit has looked like a team that needs live reps to figure itself out.
That’s a preparation issue, and preparation lives in the coaching room.
But the season isn’t over! The Lions still have two games to play!
Yes, I know. The Lions have a 6% chance of making it to the playoffs, according to both NFL Next Gen Stats and to The Athletic’s model.
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And besides, what would be the point?
The ending of that Steelers game was a perfect, messy little bow on top of the season.
That chaos at the end of the game was familiar because it’s been the theme for most of the past 15 games:
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A promising start followed by head-scratching decisions by Campbell.
A lifeless “Turd Quarter” where the offense and defense both seem listless.
A team that looked prepared one week and oddly disoriented the next.
The final moments against Pittsburgh didn’t betray the season; they summarized it.
In the end, the Lions didn’t just run out of time on the clock.
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They ran out of answers, just like they have all year.
Dave Clark is editor of the Daily News. He no longer has any understanding of what the NFL considers a catch, safety or touchdown. Send your conspiracy theories, scripts and hate mail to david.clark@hearst.com
Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions speaks with line judge Daniel Gallagher #85 during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field on December 21, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.
Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images