The Detroit Lions indeed have a tough matchup against the Rams. And they will likely struggle to contain Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. But here is the Lions’ playoff picture with DVOA, The Athletic, and ESPN model before their Week 15 battle.
The Lions are coming off an impressive 44-30 win over the Cowboys, and stand with a record of 8-5. The Rams are likely the toughest team they have remaining on their schedule, so getting a win here could be crucial.
Lions need to focus on Wild Card route
It’s not impossible for the Lions to win the NFC North. However, they have only a 9.9% chance, according to FTN Fantasy. Their best bet is the Wild Card picture, where they stand with a 50.5% chance.
Key injuries have hurt their chances. They will have to face Stafford without standout safety Brian Branch. He was lost to a season-ending Achilles injury in the Dallas game. Campbell said the surgery was successful, according to NBC Sports.
“He’s had it repaired and it sounds like everything went well,” Campbell said. “They’re always going to give you the whatever — eight to 12 months or whatever that is, from the time of the surgery. But the surgery went well. Everything went well.”
But Campbell said the loss of Branch doesn’t help the team’s playoff hopes.
“Anytime you lose somebody like BB, it's gonna hurt,” Campbell said. “He's a productive player. He's an outstanding football player, he's a team guy, he's a great locker room guy, teammates love him. So, you lose all of that.”
However, Campbell remained strongly positive, according to NBC Sports.
“We’re good, man. . . . We got options here, but it’s like anything — you lose a good player, it hurts,” Campbell said. “But it’s not like we’re in dire straits.”
ESPN puts Lions at 54% chance of reaching playoffs
A lot of the Lions’ chances hinge on Jared Goff. He will need to play at a high level to help the team navigate a tough schedule. After the Rams, they play host to the Steelers before finishing with road division games against the Vikings and Bears.
Goff is still, after all these years, dealing with questions about the trade from the Rams to the Lions, according to foxnews.com.
“It feels like a long time ago, and I think we kind of talked about it earlier in the year of how it's kind of my career now [I’ve] spent more time here. It certainly feels like a long time ago,” he said Wednesday, before being asked separately if he still feels an “emotional charge.”
“No, not so much anymore,” he responded. “And really, we played them in that playoff game, and it was such a big deal, and the next year we played them again, and that felt like even less, and so now it's even further removed.”
Goff has been on a roll of late. He has thrown for over 250 yards in each of his last six games. And he has 11 touchdowns with only two interceptions in that stretch.
And his former head coach said he’s happy Goff has found a good place in Detroit.
“There were a lot of great memories [in Los Angeles] and a lot of really good ball that he did here that I’ll always cherish,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “I’m truly happy for him. He’s married and has a beautiful little girl now. It’s awesome to see. I think I’m reminded of those things, and then you’re also reminded of when you need to be able to grow up and handle things a little bit better. I’ll never run away from that. What I’m grateful for and appreciative of is that he’s got such grace towards me and understanding. I’m happy for Jared.”
