It just seems we need an Animal House reference to gain some kind of perspective on the Bills loss and all of these injuries. Just like Belushi was saying in his own way, don't dwell on the negative, look to the possibilities and this is the direction the Lions and their own Belushi are taking with Dan Campbell's epic response so far detailed here in this PoD article by Jeremy with MCDC talking in a radio interview along with any media interactions with the Lions from players to coaches. Don't get caught up in the food fight the media is creating over Dan "Gamble" and his decisions, this team believes in their coach and reflect him heart and soul.
BTW, I hate that nickname, it's lazy and really not accurate, Campbell is taking calculated risks and just because some of the media doesn't agree with his calculations does it mean the decisions he makes are simply throwing caution to the wind. I personally will not use that nickname in the future and fight against anybody else using it and I hope you will do the same.

Lions are circling the wagons and still control their own destiny; they win these last 3 regular season games, and they have the top seed wrapped up in the NFC. With the hopes some of the key injured players will be back for the playoffs there is plenty of reason to keep fighting. We expect Alex Anzalone back and a very real possibility they get Hutchinson, Carlton Davis, Iffy, JeRM and Rakestraw back during the playoffs stretch that could all help an undermanned defense and Special Teams. Just hang in there, the calvary might be on the way.

Maybe it's good they go on the road right now where it can be easier to focus on the details. Lions are undefeated on the road this year and have been road warriors since turning everything around in week 9 of the 2022 season by going 16-5 away from Ford Field compared to a 18-5 mark at home over the same time period, not exactly seeing the big home field advantage we would expect.

It starts with the only cold weather game of the season in Chicago where the weather reports are saying a crisp game in the 20's but no adverse conditions. Only been 3 games since the Lions faced the Bears who changed the HC, but the Lions have 2 games worth of film to get an idea of what the new HC and OC want to do and frankly, with that rookie playing QB it hasn't been impressive. Too bad Knuckles doesn't get to return to his old neighborhood and show them what they are missing but the Bears are a team in total freefall and the Lions should have enough to win this game. After getting punched in the mouth by the Bills the Lions are probably ready to play this game right now, losses don't sit well with this crowd and the Bears are unfortunate to be in the way this week.

Next up is a trip to the West Coast to take on the 49ers and those long flights to the Pacific time zone has been a problem for the Lions in the past, even Dan Cambell is only 1-3 on the West Coast with only a crazy game against the Chargers in '22 being a happy plane ride home. Good it's a Monday night game because it takes away that extra little time constraint and maybe mitigates the jet lag a little.
These are not the same 49ers the Lions faced in the Conference Championship just last year, injuries and age has caught up to them and the 40whiners should be well out of the playoffs by then, their offensive skill positions are a mess and that matches up perfectly with the Lions weakness right now. I like the idea of this currently ragtag defense not trying to chase down Christian McCafferty nor cover Brandon Aiyuk, amazing how mortal Purdy looks without stud players everywhere. Everything points to the Lions taking a little revenge for that crushing loss to the 49ers last year.

If the Lions win those two games they come into the last game of the season with a 14 - 2 and a home match against the Vikings that could be for not only the division but the #1 seed. No guarantees the Vikings are 14-2 with a trip to Seattle and a visit from a Packers team that is rounding into playoff form the Vikings need to navigate before they get to the Lions. Nevertheless, it looks like the Lions will need this for the #1 seed because Philly is on a roll and their schedule looks easy, one misstep and the Lions could be playing on a chilly field in late January.
The Lions should be a vastly different team by that last game against the ViQueens with the new players having 2 more games in this scheme under their belt plus the coaching staff being able to adjust to the latest injuries. Throw in the hope that Anzalone could be back by then and two more weeks should help the injured players that returned in the last game and give them all a chance to blend in with their new teammates. Don't overlook the value of the coaches having those games to evaluate what they can and cannot do. This won't be the defense we saw against the Bills and I'm confident we won't see Sam Darnold doing any Josh Allen impressions.
The Lions and Dan Campbell have had the Vikings number, after winning his first game against the Lions Minnesota's head coach Kevin O'Connell is coming in on a 4-game losing streak against Detroit. The Lions scored 30 or more points in all 4 of those wins, including all 3 matchups against the much-heralded DC Brian Flores. At what point can we talk about these Lions being in the Vikings head.

I don't know if the Lions can go to Philadelphia for a Conference Championship game and win, I sure would like their chances a whole lot more if that game is in Ford Field for a number of reasons. The Lions need to win out to pull that off and this seems doable, just need to go out and do it.

Going forward the Lions need to lean on the OL that frankly needs a bounce back. They haven't really dominated like we expect for a few games now and with the defense needing the offense to control the game and T.O.P. we need that domination more than ever.
Over the last 4 games this OL has given up 9 sacks with 26 QB hits and yes, one of those sacks was on Sewell but we understand how this kind of pressure disrupts the Lions offense. Meanwhile they gained 490 rushing yards and maybe that 122 rushing yards a game might seem good, until you consider that in the 10 games previous the Lions averaged 152 yards a game and the average yards per rush has gone down from 4.7 to 4.3. Ben Johnson needs to crank up the running game and it gets a little harder without Montgomery, but he can't do it unless the OL cooperates. If the OL steps up Gibbs is more than capable of leading any rotation the Lions come up with, but even Barry would have had a hard time running behind that OL play against Buffalo.
It's time for the veterans on the OL to step up. With 3 of the starters 30 or older and a 4th, Center Frank Ragnow now 28 and battling injures for a couple of years now it's that quartet that needs to grab the opportunity to get that ring before it's too late. I suspect no one understands this more than those 4 players and expect them to respond for this 6-game stretch, win the 3 regular season games in front of them, take a week off then win 3 games in the playoffs and it's a season to remember forever. I'm sure all 4 can see the urgency, all 4 could be retired much sooner than we want to admit, there are not that many chances left for them.
This is on Ben Johnson also; they need game plans that rely on dominating upfront and then calling it that way. Keep running the screens and shots over the middle to keep those LBs and Safeties loose but don't stray too far away from just letting the OL push people around.

So no, it's not over, an epic end to an epic season is still possible. Stay the course, let Glenn and this defense work like a Belushi synchronized watch (if you know, you know) because somehow it worked. Let the offense take this home with a super talented group from players to coaches to help the defense that has been put on double, secret probation from all the injuries. Maybe we can still have that memorable parade that can be our own Animal House moment.