The Detroit Lions aren’t going to the postseason for the first time since 2022, and that hurts. The team was officially eliminated from the playoffs on Christmas Day, December 25, after a 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at home. That loss gave the Green Bay Packers a holiday gift of securing a spot in the playoffs, and it also gave the Lions coal from Santa.
Now, it’s time for the Detroit Lions to look ahead, but with the postseason just around the bend, it’s also difficult to ignore what’s going on around the NFC North. The Packers and Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears both have slots in the postseason, according to NFL research, and the Lions and Vikings are out.
“I’m going to be looking at a lot of things, because I do not like being home for the playoffs, and I know our guys don’t either,” Campbell said at his presser after the team’s loss to the Vikings. “Whenever you lose, it takes a village. Everybody’s involved, including myself, so I’m always going to look at myself first. I’m always going to wish I’d given Goff more, those players more.”
Campbell added, “Losing is very disappointing. I hate losing. They do. We do, but look, some of these things that come up, the effort’s there, it’s just we’re a little off here, and it’s costing us significantly.”
More Pie in the Face of the Detroit Lions Thanks to the Chicago Bears
We love the Lions, but it’s simply sad and pours salt in the wounds of the team’s season to see Johnson and the Bears accomplish their latest goal.
On Saturday, December 27, following the Green Bay Packers dropping their game to the Baltimore Ravens, the Bears have officially clinched the No. 1 spot in the NFC North for the 2025-26 season.
That hurts. Just one year removed from having Johnson as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, he’s leading the Chicago Bears to the kind of success that the Lions saw when he was in Detroit. They may even go farther than Detroit did.
The Detroit Lions Are Watching Ben Johnson With the Chicago Bears
Those in the NFL are taking notice of Johnson’s quick turnaround for the Bears, and they’re also noticing Detroit’s fallout.
“While many in the media were big fans of the Johnson hire in Chicago, no one predicted the Bears would go very far this season,” Anthony Miller of Bear Goggles On states in a Sunday, December 28 feature.
:It was clear from the beginning of the offseason that this Bears team was different,” he adds. “Johnson and Bears general manager Ryan Poles went to work on rebuilding the offensive line, which now had four new starters who weren’t on the team in 2024.”
He adds that the naysayers were quick to write the Bears off, but things turned around quickly. “Chicago started 0-2, with many expecting them to fall apart and have another below-average season,” he notes. “All of a sudden, the Bears stormed to win 11 of their last 13 games to clinch their first playoff spot in five years and division title in seven years.”
The Detroit Lions absolutely have the talent to go far in the postseason. But, they just didn’t get there. Here’s to the 2026-27 season..
Ben Johnson Pours Salt in the Wounds of Lions and Dan Campbell