The Detroit Lions are moments away from their last game of the season on Sunday, January 4, and with the team’s 8-8 record, and they’re not in the playoffs, unfortunately. But, Dan Campbell has said that the Lions will still give it their all when they take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 4, on the road.
The Detroit Lions were officially kicked out of postseason contention on Christmas Day, December 25, when they lost to the Minnesota Vikings at home, with a 23-10 loss. It certainly wasn’t the holiday celebration that Campbell and the Lions wanted, but it’s what they got, and now, it’s back to the drawing board for the 2025-26 season.
On the upside, no Detroit Lions players were punished by the NFL for their actions in the game against the Vikings. But, one Minnesota Vikings player did get in hot water with the league for what happened during that game.
NFL Announces Punishment for Minnesota Vikings Player in Detroit Lions Game
Each week during the season, the NFL gives punishments to players for actions that happened during the previous week’s games. The NFL states on their official website that these actions are “to protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity.” Before of the season each year, the NFL and NFL Players Association agree on the set of game-related rules violations that result in these accountability measures.
On Saturday, January 3, the NFL announced that they’re punishing Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers for his actions in the team’s game against the Lions. Plus, he’s getting hit with one of the larger fines of the week. The NFL is fining him $17,389 for “unnecessary roughness” and a “hit on the defenseless player” at the 14:14 mark in the third quarter of the game.
If Rodgers wishes to appeal the fine, he’s allowed to do so. According to the NFL, “Cases are heard by appeals officers and former NFL players, Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster or Jordy Nelson, who are jointly appointed and paid by the NFL/NFLPA.” After the final look-over, though, “the decisions made are final and binding.”
If he pays it, it will go to , it will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation to “support legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.”
Rodgers wasn’t suspended for his actions, so he’s expected to play in the team’s final regular season game.
Detroit Lions Taking on Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears
The Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears in Week 2 with a 52-21 final score, and it’s payback time.
“While I can definitely see the Lions duplicating what they did in 2022 (upsetting Green Bay on the road in a game that meant nothing in terms of the playoffs), it’s hard to pick against a Bears team that still has something to play for,” Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports says in a piece out on Friday, January 2, “along with the fact that there is a score to settle after losing by 31 points in Detroit back in Week 2.”
Vikings Player in Trouble for What He Did at Lions Game