Missing playoffs, Lions fall short of expectations and preseason predictions for Campbell's team
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — By missing the NFL playoffs, the Detroit Lions did not meet their expectations or preseason predictions.
Detroit's disappointing season ended with a 19-16 win against the NFC North champion Chicago Bears on the road Sunday, sweeping a series that showed what Dan Campbell's team was capable of during an uneven season.
“We fell short this year,” Campbell said Monday. “We all acknowledge that.”
The Lions (9-8) started strong, routing the Bears 52-21 in Week 2 and scoring 34-plus points in each of the next three games to seemingly validate their status as Super Bowl contenders with a 4-1 record.
Detroit, though, could not stay in a groove.
The Lions' three-game skid in December took the stakes out of the final regular-season game and sealed a fourth-place finish in the NFC North for the two-time defending division champions.
Campbell took responsibility, giving himself a failing grade.
“I give myself a freakin’ F,” he said.
Even though the Lions went to Chicago already eliminated from the postseason, Campbell came away with confirmation the franchise has prideful players.
“To have guys lay it on the line when you say you’re not playing for anything, that speaks volumes,” Campbell said to the team after the game in the locker room. “To do what you guys did, takes a certain kind of pride and respect for the guy next to you.”
The Lions went 2-5 against playoff teams and were inconsistent in the biggest games because they didn't regularly play complementary football, according to two-time All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“It hurts, but we didn't do enough,” St. Brown said. "We didn’t make enough plays.
“We don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.”
Aidan Hutchinson had 14 1/2 sacks — just short of Robert Porcher's team-record 15 in 1999 — a year after breaking his leg.
The Lions signed Hutchinson to a four-year, $180 million deal early in the season and his play made that move look like a good one for the franchise's future.
Detroit's nucleus includes three of the NFL's best playmakers on offense: running back Jahmyr Gibbs, St. Brown and speedy receiver Jameson Williams.
Gibbs, who ran for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns, had 1,839 combined yards and 18 touchdowns. St. Brown had 117 receptions for 1,401 yards with 11 touchdowns.
Williams set career highs with 65 catches and 1,117 yards along with a career-high-matching seven touchdowns receiving.
Detroit, which won a franchise-record 15 games last season, has had a winning record in four straight seasons for the first time since 1969 to 1972.
The Lions will give left tackle Taylor Decker some time to decide whether to return for an 11th season or call it a career.
“I want to make this decision moving forward informed,” said Decker, who endured a shoulder injury all season. “I don’t want to make it emotionally because if I make it emotionally, I already know what the answer is going to be.”
Campbell said the team learned lessons after four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow’s retirement in June putting them in a bind on offensive line.
Retaining or replacing offensive coordinator John Morton, who lost his play-calling duties to Campbell midway through the season, is a top priority this offseason.
In free agency and the draft, perhaps with the No. 17 pick overall, help is desperately needed on the offensive line. The position group went from one of the NFL's best to one that couldn't consistently protect drop-back quarterback Jared Goff or open holes for the running game.
Detroit also has to determine if tight end Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch, possibly entering the last year of their deals, along with Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell, potential free agents in 2028, should be signed to contract extensions.
The 24-year-old LaPorta, who was limited to nine games this season before having back surgery, does not expect to have talks about a new deal this offseason.
“How are they going to extend me if I can't play football right now? I've got to get healthy," LaPorta said.
While LaPorta is expected to be back by training camp, Branch's recovery will linger longer because he had surgery on his torn Achilles tendon.
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