The window appears to have closed on the Detroit Lions. A year ago, the Lions were the most explosive team in the NFC as they finished with the No. 1 seed in the conference's playoff structure with a 15-2 record. The Lions have bumbled and stumbled to a 7-5 record this season with five games remaining on the schedule.
The loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the resurgent Chicago Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to the struggling New York Jets have robbed the Lions of much of their dynamic element. Without those two scintillating coordinators, the Lions are left with head coach Dan “Go For It” Campbell making most of the decisions.
There is no subtlety to Campbell's leadership. He does not want to punt on fourth down. Campbell does not want to kick a field goal on fourth down. He simply wants to go for a first down or a touchdown — without fail.
Everyone realizes Campbell is a macho, go-for-the-throat leader. That philosophy has imbued the Lions with guts and a can-do belief in themselves. However, that philosophy does not always work. Sometimes it gives the opponent an opportunity to win the game.
The Lions are fighting from behind this year and find themselves in third place as the season has reached the home stretch. They can't reverse any of the disappointing losses they have incurred at this point, but they can still be a playoff team if Campbell makes some philosophical changes and takes advantage of what opposing defenses will give them.
Unfortunately for the Lions and their long-suffering fans, easing off the throttle is not Campbell's way, and the team is not likely to fix the problems that have emerged this season.
Goff's numbers are once again elite for the Lions
While the Lions have fallen short in recent games against the Vikings, Eagles and Packers, Goff continues to thrown with precision. He has completed 264 of 378 passes for 3,025 yards with 25 TD passes and just 5 interceptions. Those kind of numbers indicate the Lions can move the ball up and down the field and threaten their opponents on a consistent basis.
However, one thing they cannot do this year is hit opponents with a string of big plays that allow the Lions to blow out their opponents. This is when a change in philosophy is needed, especially with star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) on the injured list. Jameson Williams is a dynamic speed receiver, but the Lions are at their best when St. Brown and Williams are a working together. St. Brown is likely to miss the Lions' Week 14 game against the Dallas Cowboys and could also miss the following week against the Rams.
The Lions will need to focus their attention on a ball-control game plan. That is unlikely given Campbell's all or nothing personality.
They clearly have the weapons to do just that because they also have the lightning and thunder ground game with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Gibbs is one of the more explosive running backs in the league and he also has the power to run through a tackler. Montgomery is the Lions' power back, but he can also run away from tacklers once he breaks into the clear.
Gibbs has 175 carries for 1,019 yards and 10 touchdowns. Montgomery has added 543 yards on 123 carries while scoring 6 touchdowns.
The running game is especially important to the Lions at this point because injuries on defense have left the team somewhat vulnerable.
Lions defense has taken a hit
Similar to last season, the Lions defense has been hit hard with injuries. As a result, they can't stop opponents from mounting long drives. The Lions are allowing 316.2 yards per game, and that ranks 14th in the league. Additionally, they are giving up 22.8 points per game, tying them with the Cleveland Browns for 15th in the NFL.
The Lions have edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson back in the lineup after last year's broken tibia and fibula, and he leads the team with 8.5 sacks. They are hoping safety Kerby Joseph can return to the lineup shortly, but he is unlikely to be at his best as a result of lingering pain from his knee injury.
Even if they get healthy, the Lions have had a lack of discipline that they never had in the past. In the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Packers, they had just 10 men on the field for a key play on the opening drive and later had too many men on the field and were penalized for it.
The Lions are not functioning smoothly in multiple areas, and that's why they are playoff pretenders this year.
