Inglewood, Calif. — Despite all the errors and issues facing them this season, the Detroit Lions entered Sunday relying on one reassuring truth: They controlled their own destiny for a spot in the postseason.
Following a 41-34 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, that is no longer the case.
The Lions will now not only have to win their remaining games in the regular season, but also get some help from other teams as they hope to jump the San Francisco 49ers (10-4), Chicago Bears (10-4) or Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) for one of the NFC’s top seven seeds.
Detroit’s best path to the playoffs remains finishing better than the Bears, who host the Lions in Week 18. The Lions, with a win in the finale, would secure a tiebreaker over Chicago. Put simply: If the Bears lose one of their next two contests (vs. the Packers and at the 49ers) and Detroit wins out, the Lions would bounce them from the playoffs.
“We’ve got to take it one week at time, that’s the biggest thing. … Don’t look too far ahead, don’t start counting games (or) looking at teams,” said receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had 164 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams. “Just focus on the task at hand, the team we’ve got up. Put all your energy into that and take it one week at a time.”
Next up for the Lions is a home tilt with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who play the Miami Dolphins on Monday. Following that will be road tests at the Minnesota Vikings and Bears. The Lions were upset by Minnesota in Week 9 but smoked Chicago in Week 2, though the Bears have won all but two of their games since.
Sunday’s result in Los Angeles doesn’t change the already heightened level of urgency the team had heading into the game, linebacker Jack Campbell said: “Every game in the NFL, you’ve got to be urgent. You’ve got win every single game. That’s what it comes down to, and we haven’t been doing that. We put ourselves in this position. … I feel like every guy in this locker room’s been urgent since we showed up [for training camp].”
Dan Campbell’s Lions have been praised for their resolve over the last handful of years. They showed it last season, when they marched to 15 wins in spite of being the NFL’s most injured team. They’ll need that quality over the next three weeks — they haven’t won consecutive games since Week 5 — in addition to some luck.
“I believe on the guys on this team (and) the character of the players on this team, our captains, the core of it. … I know we can do it. These players know we can do it,” Campbell said. “You go back to work, man. I don’t believe for one second anybody’s lost confidence. … We’ve got three to go here. We don’t control our own destiny, but we need to win these three, and it starts with Pittsburgh at home.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18