For a while, the Detroit Lions looked like a secret favorite for the Super Bowl. However, the Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers showed that this team is not yet at the top of the league – for various reasons.

Sport, especially the NFL, can sometimes be very fast-moving. The Detroit Lions are currently experiencing this in a very painful way. It was less than two weeks ago when the Lions won a spectacular away game at the Los Angeles Chargers 41:38 and quarterback Jared Goff once again shone.

The offense as a whole was cheered and praised to the highest heights. However, after an already more than fortunate win against the Chicago Bears after a comeback and the devastating defeat against the Green Bay Packers, the mood in Motown has changed.

The 22-29 loss to the division rival from the Cheese City on Thanksgiving of all days has raised fundamental questions about where exactly the Lions fit in. They certainly no longer looked like a team that had previously been 8-2. And there are various reasons for that.

Detroit still leads the NFC North quite comfortably and is heading purposefully towards its first playoff appearance in seven years. But there is no longer any talk of a contender that can perhaps even upset the big boys with its red-hot and almost unstoppable offense. The hype train threatens to derail

Detroit Lions: The defense isn’t good enough

When you allow 26 points against an offense led by Justin Fields and let Jordan Love show you up at times, you have to be part of the problem. The Lions’ defense simply isn’t playing at the level a top team demands.

Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers – the three current top teams in the NFC are all characterized by a strong overall package of offense and defense. If the worst comes to the worst, all three units can save games for their offense with their defense. The Lions are a long way from that.

Strong offenses have already shown Detroit’s defense its limits several times this season. The Lions conceded 38 points against both the Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens. Even weaker offenses like the Bears, Packers and Panthers found ways to score reliably against the Lions.

The Lions’ success this season has often depended on what Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown are capable of. If both had a good day and rode the same wave, things could get uncomfortable for the opponent. Logically, when the ball was running well in their own offense, their own defense was also on the field less often.

But in the past two games, something that can trip up any team has become more frequent

Detroit Lions produce too many turnovers

The Lions are having a hard time keeping the ball. It almost seems as if Goff in particular is already in a pre-Christmas giving mood.

He threw three interceptions against the Bears and the 29-year-old lost the ball three times via fumble against the Packers. Against Green Bay, one of his fumbles also led directly to a touchdown for the visitors. Turnovers hurt every NFL team, but the Lions’ current phase is almost grotesque

The Lions have already committed nine fumbles this season, only three teams have more. Detroit has a turnover ratio of -5, meaning it has given away five more balls than it has recovered.

This does not even include turnovers on downs, i.e. fourth down attempts that were not successfully completed. Which leads directly to the next topic:

Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell has lost his mojo

When Dan Campbell took over as head coach of the chronically unsuccessful Lions almost three years ago, the 47-year-old’s top priority was to change the team’s mentality. More courage, more determination and more confidence in their own qualities. He also showed this in his decisions in the game.

Under Campbell, the Lions suddenly played the fourth try regularly, he tried fake punts, he didn’t care about taboos. After all, the Lions had nothing to lose. If it goes wrong, so what? What was also special was that most of the time it even worked. In a way, Campbell also became a pioneer.

But just with the recent successes, his luck seems to have run out with such risky moves. Against the Packers, the Lions tried to go for it on fourth down five times – only once did it work

A call by Campbell midway through the third quarter at 14:23 was particularly absurd from the Lions’ point of view. At his own 23-yard line (!) and with four yards to go, he attempted a fake that failed mercilessly. The Packers took advantage of the field position and three plays later scored a touchdown to make it 29-14.

“Yes, that was a bad call by me,” Campbell was self-critical afterwards: “I shouldn’t have done that to the boys.”

If the Lions really want to play at the top, Campbell needs to find a healthier balance between risk-taking and common sense

Detroit Lions: Offense no longer scares

The Lions are also currently suffering the fate that befalls every team with a new coaching staff and new ideas: Defenses adjust better and find ways to take strengths out of the game.

The Lions’ system with quarterback Goff works best with play action, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has nearly perfected these plays. Goff had also found his go-to-guy in St. Brown. Against the Packers, however, St. Brown was out of the game for a long time and only got into the game better in the second half.

The Lions will have to find ways to be more variable. However, Goff is the quarterback they have, with all his limitations. It’s not for nothing that the Los Angeles Rams sent him to Detroit in 2021 to get Matthew Stafford. Goff can implement a system tailored to him well, but he’s not an elite quarterback.

The Lions have done a good job so far of emphasizing Goff’s strengths and masking his weaknesses as much as possible. Doing that again with slight and necessary adjustments to the game plan will determine how far it really goes for the Lions.

Detroit Lions and the thankful game plan

The playoffs will probably provide an answer to this question, as the schedule has been kind to the Lions – as it has been all season. The Ravens – along with the Kansas City Chiefs on the very first matchday – were the only team from the league’s top group that Detroit had to play so far. And against Baltimore, the Lions saw no land at all in their 6:38 loss.

All the other teams the Lions have won against so far have virtually no chance of making the playoffs or – as in the case of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – can only hope to do so because of their weak division.

The away game at the Dallas Cowboys on New Year’s Eve may provide an answer to the question of whether the Lions are more than just a sometimes spectacular team that is still a long way off the top of the league. Because at the moment, that’s exactly what they are