It’s crunch time for the Detroit Lions, and they’re coming up on a game on Sunday, December 21, against the Pittsburgh Steelers that’s really a must-win to get into the playoffs. Actually, the Lions have to win every game left in the regular season to make it into the postseason, so there are no throw away games at the point.
After the Lions’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, December 14, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell said, “It is extremely difficult defensively to defend those guys if you cannot even corral or limit their run game. It started there. A number of things with the turtle motions and the inserts with the tight ends, they force your corners to be support on inside, just a couple of tricky things.
He added, “We had nine plays for six yards. That was tough. There were a number of errors we had some technique and fundamental things that we have to get cleaned up that you can’t get away with against a team like that that really got us.”
Detroit Lions Make Amon-Ra St. Brown Announcement
To perform well against the Steelers, the Lions will need to have all their starters ready and raring to go. One of them, Amon-Ra St. Brown, just made franchise history.
On Tuesday, December 16, the Detroit Lions took to social media to announce that St. Brown notched the most receiving yards by a Lion through five career seasons, surpassing Calvin Johnson.
They also announced that St. Brown and Jameson Williams are the first wide receiver duo in franchise history to each produce more than seven receiving touchdowns in consecutive seasons. So, St. Brown is making a slew of franchise history this week.
Postseason Status for the Detroit Lions
After the Lions’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit, according to NFL research, have just a 41% probability of getting to the playoffs. As reported earlier, they have to win out the remainder of their season. So, there’s no room for error, and they absolutely have to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears over the next three weeks. As for the rest of the NFC North, the Bears and Packers are pretty much shoo-ins to get to the postseason, and the Minnesota Vikings are out.
Both the Steelers and Lions have 8-6 records going into the game, but the Steelers have a better chance of getting to the postseason at 61%, according to NFL research. Aaron Rodger, of course, is the quarterback for the Steelers, and it would be pretty heartbreaking for the team’s former rival, back in his Packers area, to know the Lions out of playoff contention.
Campbell hasn’t given up on the Lions’ road to the playoffs. “We still have an opportunity, and we have to make the most of it,” Campbell said after the loss to the Rams.
“Now you have first-hand knowledge of what the top of the NFC looks like,” Campbell added. “That’s them. So, now you know. You know what it looks like you know what it is, and we’re not there right now. Doesn’t mean we can’t be, but now we know what it looks like. We’ve got to get better.”
The Detroit Lions will have a chance to show their better side when they take on Rodgers and the Steelers.
Lions Announce Amon-Ra St. Brown News Before Critical Game