The loss to the Los Angeles Rams was not an unexpected outcome, but that does not make it an easy pill to swallow for the Detroit Lions.
The Lions sit at 8-6 on the season with three games left to play and things are dire. The odds of making the playoffs sit below 50 percent, and even those chances would require the team to win out and get some help along the way. Unfortunately, the Lions are in a situation no team wants to be: their playoff hopes are out of their control.
What they can control is their performance over the next three games. This is do-or-die time for Detroit, and they can ill-afford stumbles down the stretch. The Lions have not won back-to-back games since Weeks 4 and 5, a tumultuous string of wins and losses that have set Detroit onto an inopportune path of their own making. Now, they need to rebound to keep the season alive. Three games to glory or three games to heartbreak—what does fate have in store for these Lions?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Are the Detroit Lions good enough to win out?
My answer: I do not think so.
With three games left and plenty of tape from the 2025 season, we have a good understanding of each NFL team’s identity. Unfortunately for the Lions, their remaining three opponents pose a challenge and it all comes down to defense. The Lions offense is playing at a high level right now, even considering an off day from Jahmyr Gibbs and the run game. However, they are required to play perfect football—any hiccups and the game spirals. The reason, pure and simple, is the defense.
Over the last four weeks, the Lions have allowed 27, 31, 30, and 41 points. Whereas the team was riding on the coattails of their defense against the likes of the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles, the tables have suddenly turned and the defense is suddenly a massive liability. We saw this same problem plague Detroit in recent seasons: the offense might be able to score 30 points, but the defense is not making clutch stops. Looking at the numbers from the Rams game, that offensive outcome should win you most games: 34 points, 338 passing yards, three touchdown passes and zero turnovers. Sure, they only added 70 yards on the ground, but calling that the reason they lost would be cherry picking a stat.
The defense just is not up to snuff. The pass defense has been an issue throughout the season, compounded by injuries across the depth chart. With Brian Branch and Terrion Arnold out for the season and Kerby Joseph on pace to have missed most of the season, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for this group. Nobody is coming to save the secondary. If the Lions want to win, they need to do it with their current roster, and I just don’t see a turnaround happening. D.J. Reed or Amik Robertson are giving up 100 yards on a weekly basis—these are starters that need to be assets, not liabilities. Surprisingly, it has been the backups—Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper—playing well in relief.
Worse yet for the Lions has been the regression of the run defense. Once a lone bright spot of the defense, the Lions are seemingly incapable of stopping the run. Against the Rams, they were horrible—even worse than the Matt Patricia or Rod Marinelli eras:
This is not a one-off occurrence either. They allowed Javonte Williams to run for 3.9 yards per attempt and a touchdown the week before. Against the Packers in Week 13, Josh Jacobs ran for a 4.9 yard per attempt average. Things have gone south for the run game, and I am not entirely sure why.
The Lions defense is a unit without a strength. They are struggling in pass coverage. They are regressing at stopping the run. They do not consistently rush the passer. They do not create many turnovers. This is not a recipe for success, even if they manage to make the playoffs.
I have regained a lot of hope in the offense, but with the defense only getting worse as the season comes to a close, my optimism is dwindling. Which outcome is more likely: the offense carries the team to the playoffs or the defense rekindles their early season success? I would say the former is more likely than the latter, but both could very well be stretches regardless.
Pittsburgh. Minnesota. Chicago. Three games are left to decide the fate of the 2025 Detroit Lions.
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