ALLEN PARK – Dan Campbell knows the position the Detroit Lions are in ahead of their three-game homestand at Ford Field.
Currently third in the NFC North and eighth in the conference rankings, the Lions (6-4) face a difficult task ahead with three opponents (Giants, Packers, and Cowboys) in 17 days this month. On top of that, given where they stand, stringing together some victories is necessary as the schedule gets shorter and their playoff future hangs in the balance.
Despite these hurdles the Lions have to leap over, Campbell doesn’t buy into the idea of a “can’t lose game” ahead for his team. Instead of looking too far ahead, he is instructing his players to focus on one opponent at a time.
“We’re going to get crunched here, and that’s beside the point,” Campbell said regarding the amount of games over the short span. “Those teams are playing the same schedule we are. Green Bay is coming on a short week. (Then) Dallas, only seven days later. So what’s important is you just worry about what’s in front of you. We’ve got to get another win, get back on our feet. We’ve got to play better ball in all three units. And so really, that is the focus: New York Giants.
“Don’t worry about anything else. Don’t worry about what’s out there, don’t worry about the NFC, the NFC North, don’t worry about the rankings — none of that matters. We need the win. So all our focus goes into winning and understanding this opponent. Period. And then we will attack the next challenge when it comes. But right now, it’s got to be that.”
Following their Week 1 loss to the Packers, the Lions went on a four-game winning streak, which the Kansas City Chiefs snapped in Week 6 at Arrowhead Stadium. Since then, the Lions have failed to string together consecutive wins.
With the current NFC playoff race, the Lions going back and forth between wins and losses doesn’t give them a realistic shot at reaching the playoffs and picking up the pace and winning at least four of their next five games, which also include tough matchups against the Matthew Stafford-led Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Should they continue to flip-flop between winning and losing every other week to end the season, they would finish 10-7, which could put them in danger of missing the postseason.
When asked when the team would begin to feel a sense of urgency about their future, Campbell shared that the urgency has not gone away.
“We’re an urgent team. Things haven’t gone our way the way we’d like,” Campbell offered. “We’d love to be sitting here undefeated right now, but that’s not the reality. We’re not undefeated. But there’s an urgency that’s there. And I know this — if you say, ‘Well, let’s ramp up more urgency,’ that’s when you start making mistakes.
“That’s when you start panicking. That’s when guys start doing things they shouldn’t do. They’re trying to make plays, and then they cost us all. That’s where bad stuff happens, because that means you don’t truly believe in what you’re doing. You’re grasping at straws. I know what we’re doing. I know what we need to do. We go back to work, clean up the little things, adjust, adapt, move on, and let’s find a way to get it done.”
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