DETROIT -- Despite being eliminated from playoff contention and losing a shot at three-peating as champions of the NFC North, Lions coach Dan Campbell refuses to view the regular-season finale at Chicago as meaningless.
As Campbell entered the Meijer Performance Center at the beginning of the week following Detroit's loss -- its third in a row -- to Minnesota on Christmas, he continued to motivate his players and staff members to finish with pride.
"We've got one more left. And look, you can always find a lot out with one to go," Campbell said. "And no, we're not playing for the playoffs, but there are still things we can find out. And I expect the guys that we have here to give it what they've got one more time. That's the expectation."
Detroit was viewed as legitimate Super Bowl contenders entering the year, coming off back-to-back playoff appearances. They got off to a 5-2 start but struggled to stay consistent following the bye week, dropping six of their past nine games during the back half of the season.
"It sucks. I'm not gonna lie," Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell said following Thursday's 23-10 loss in Minnesota. "There's nothing I can do about it now. The result is the result. The sun comes up the next day, and we've just got to keep pushing forward."
The Lions have seen a stark contrast in their rushing attack in wins versus losses this season. They average north of 170 rush yards and 5.8 yards per carry in wins, and 69.4 yards and 3.1 per carry in losses. To add some context, both their 170.5 rush yards per game and 5.8 yards per rush in wins would be the top rushing attack in the NFL this season, and their 69.4 and 3.1 in losses would rank dead last, per ESPN Research.
There is also a notable contrast to how Lions quarterback Jared Goff's numbers look when he's pressured versus when he's not pressured, which has hurt the offense. He has been sacked a career-high 36 times through Week 17.
Goff's Total QBR drops from 77 when not pressured down to 12 when pressured, tied with San Francisco's Mac Jones for the largest drop-off in the NFL.
Goff finished with five turnovers (two interceptions and three fumbles lost) during the loss to the Vikings, which tied a career high. He'd like to put that result behind him and go out with a better taste in his mouth. Plus, there's always meaning behind a game against a division rival.
"Our pride and who we are. It's different than 2022, it definitely is different because of the expectations and the way it's finished the past two games, but the same thing remains where it's still your résumé," Goff told the "Costa & Jansen with Heather" show on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday. "It's still who you are and what you put on tape for four quarters and what do you want the rest of league to see? What do you want your own teammates to see?
"What do you want your coaches to see and the front offices across the league. That's what you're putting on tape and for myself and everyone on our team, how do we want to finish this year? And how do we want to at least have somewhat of a stamp on feeling good about this last game."
Part of these struggles could be that Detroit's offensive line has not been up to par this season. It ranks 20th in run block win rate (70.7%), 31st in pass block win rate (55.3%). The unit struggled to adapt with the key offseason departures of four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow, who abruptly retired in June, and veteran guard Kevin Zeitler, who signed with the Tennessee Titans.
Campbell would like to see a strong finish from that particular group versus Chicago.
"I'd probably start with the O-line. Just want to see -- and just a tick more, just a little bit better," Campbell said. "See if we can polish some things up, work together, work our combinations -- just a little bit. But I can say that for every position too, I really can. Just like I can say that for us as coaches. I mean we've got to collectively all get better."
The Lions cruised past the Bears 52-21 in their last meeting in Week 2 in Detroit.
But things have drastically changed since then with the Lions out of playoff contention and the Bears atop the NFC North standings. Detroit (8-8) is looking to avoid its ninth loss, which would be their most (and first losing season) since going 3-13-1 in Campbell's first season in 2021.
"They're more polished. They're a better team," Campbell said of how the Bears look since facing them earlier this season. "They've really since that time they lead the league in takeaways on defense. I mean, they're getting them. It's like we talk about, it's contagious for them. Those guys are getting them in a good way."
