When the 2025 NFL schedule was announced, there was an expectation that the three Thanksgiving games would feature some of the top Super Bowl contenders in the league but this season has played out very differently than the last few.
The Lions, Chiefs and Ravens all suffered losses on Thursday and all three teams would miss the playoffs if the postseason was starting on Friday. The Lions are the only one of those three teams that still has a winning record, although their 7-5 mark is only good for third place in the NFC North and they’ve been swept by the Packers after Thursday’s 31-24 home loss to their rivals.
After the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell acknowledged the position that his team is in while also keeping his attention focused on what’s still in front of the Lions.
“We dug ourselves [a little bit of a hole](https://www.detroitlions.com/news/four-downs-lions-in-a-little-bit-of-a-hole-focused-on-next-game-up) and that’s the bottom line,” Campbell said, via the team’s website. “We are in a little bit of a hole. But that’s just what it is. There’s nothing more than that. All we have to do is worry about cleaning up this and getting to next game and find a way to win the next one in front of us.”
The Lions will host Dallas next Thursday and another loss in that game would drop them behind the surging Cowboys in the race for a spot in the postseason tournament. A trip to Los Angeles to face the Rams would be on tap after that, so it’s just about now or never time for the Lions to fully right the ship.