INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Detroit Lions' loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday puts their record at 8-6 and a game and a half behind the Green Bay Packers for the final playoff spot in the NFC with three games remaining.
Detroit is in a position where they'll likely have to win their remaining three games vs. Pittsburgh, at Minnesota and at Chicago to end the regular season to give themselves a chance to extend their season beyond the regular season. They could need some help along the way too.
A little adversity is nothing new to this team, and head coach Dan Campbell remains confident the Lions can make a run to end the season.
"We have to get better and move on," Campbell said after Sunday's loss. "Can't sulk about it. Can't feel sorry for ourselves. We make the corrections and move on.
"The core of this group, man, they are the right guys and they've been through this. I believe in the guys on this team, the character of the players on this team, our captains and the core of it."
Campbell knew his team had to play a near perfect game to beat the Rams on the road Sunday and they weren't able to get it done. Now they are in must-win territory moving forward.
"I know we can do it, these players know we can do it," Campbell said. "You go back to work, man. I don't believe for one second anyone has lost confidence."
Quarterback Jared Goff echoed that sentiment after throwing three touchdown passes in the first half vs. the Rams and finishing with 338 passing yards and a 111.6 passer rating Sunday.
"We have a resilient group, man," Goff said after the game. "We've bounced back after things like this and got a home game in front of our fans and expect them to bring it for us and find a way to win that one and go on to the next. It would be nothing better if it ends in the playoffs on a three-game win streak and that's got to be the goal."
THIRD QUARTER WOES
A 24-17 halftime lead turned into a 34-24 deficit heading into the fourth quarter for the Lions Sunday after both sides of the football lost their spark in a critical third quarter.
The Rams put together an 11-play drive that took nearly six minutes off the third quarter clock to start the second half and ended in a field goal. The Lions followed that up with a three-and-out fueled by a holding penalty that put them in a 2nd & 15 they couldn't overcome and were forced to punt.
The Rams marched 88 yards in nine plays, scoring a touchdown on a quarterback Matthew Stafford to tight end Colby Parkinson 11-yard touchdown that gave the Rams a lead they'd ultimately never relinquish. Another three-and-out by the Lions' offense and touchdown drive by the Rams on their next possession put Detroit down 10 heading into the final 15 minutes.
"I think more than anything, we just couldn't get our run game going," Campbell said of the third quarter lull. "That was going to be important and that hurt us. The bottom line is we weren't able to convert. We strung the defense out and then all the sudden it flips. You're up 10, you're down 10. That was a rough quarter for us."
ST. BROWN, WILLIAMS IMPRESS
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams were the main weapons in a Lions passing attack that put up 338 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
St. Brown logged 13 receptions for 164 yards (12.6 avg.) and two touchdowns and has now reached 11 receiving touchdowns on the season, becoming the first player in franchise history to record 10-or-more receiving touchdowns in three straight seasons. St. Brown has produced at least 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth straight season.
"It was tough, man," St. Brown said after the game of the loss. "We have to be better as an offense. We have to execute and make more plays, especially going against a team like that. We just didn't make enough plays."
Williams registered seven receptions for 134 yards (19.1 avg.) and one touchdown and has now produced at least seven receptions and 95 receiving yards for the thir -straight game, the longest streak of his career.
"We have to do better," Williams said. "We have to finish. That's the main thing. Just get the win. We just have to make plays for 60 minutes and come out on top."
