The Lions’ Season Was Over Long Before Christmas

By Scott King

X/Twitter: @NFLFantasy_More

The Detroit Lions were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Christmas Day in a 23–10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The box score will point to a disastrous six-turnover performance as the cause of death. But the truth is more uncomfortable: this team was not going anywhere this season anyway.

That loss didn’t end the season; it simply confirmed what had been building since September.

This Team Was Broken Up Front From Day One

You cannot overhaul the interior of an offensive line and expect continuity. Period. The Lions entered 2025 with three new starters on the line following the retirement of All-Pro center Frank Ragnow and the departure of Kevin Zeitler.

That is not a “plug-and-play” situation in the NFL. An offense built on timing and rhythm requires a clean pocket, yet Jared Goff spent the year under siege. Interior pressure collapses pockets faster than edge pressure, and it showed: the Lions’ sack total jumped to 48 allowed, up significantly from their elite 2024 campaign. This wasn’t bad luck; it was structural.

Injuries Were Not an Excuse — They Were the Reality

The injury situation was severe, exposing a lack of depth that Brad Holmes usually manages better.

  • The M.A.S.H. Unit: The Lions led the NFL in players on Injured Reserve for much of the season, at one point hitting 14 players on the shelf.
  • The Trenches: The line never stabilized, with starters like Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell battling nagging injuries that left the unit shuffling through practice squad elevations.
  • Defensive Erosion: The defense lost key contributors like Alim McNeill and Kerby Joseph for critical stretches, forcing young projects into roles they weren’t ready to fill.
Blaming Ben Johnson’s Departure Is Lazy Analysis

The easiest narrative has been to blame the offensive regression on Ben Johnson leaving for the Chicago Bears. That argument doesn’t hold water.

Yes, the offense regressed from an NFL-leading 33.2 points per game in 2024 to 30.1 (and significantly lower in high-leverage games). But the reason is obvious if you watch the tape:

  • Protection issues limited the deep-shot playbook.
  • Interior pressure destroyed Goff’s timing routes.
  • Run concepts stalled; the duo of Montgomery and Gibbs, who combined for over 2,100 yards last year, saw their efficiency dip as the push up the middle evaporated.

No coordinator, not even one as creative as Johnson, fixes an unstable interior line.

The OC Change Was Inevitable

John Morton as offensive coordinator simply did not work. The scheme lacked answers for the protection issues and failed to adapt when the league caught up to the “Air Coryell” tweaks. When Dan Campbell took back play-calling duties, it wasn’t about ego—it was about damage control. By the time the switch happened, the Lions had already slid to 3rd in the NFC North.

Christmas Was the Breaking Point, Not the Cause

Six turnovers against the Vikings was ugly. Jared Goff’s two interceptions and three fumbles made for a miserable holiday. But it wasn’t a fluke. It was the result of a team pressing, trying to compensate for a foundation that had been crumbling for months.
Last year, the Lions turned the ball over only 8 times in their first 15 games. To cough it up 6 times in a single afternoon reveals a team that has lost its identity.

Brad Holmes Is Still the Right Guy — But the Work Is Clear

Brad Holmes has built a real culture, but this offseason requires a “return to the trenches” mentality. The 2025 draft strategy of taking “upside projects” like Giovanni Manu backfired when the team needed immediate, durable starters.

The Offseason Priorities:
  1. Interior O-Line: Finding a true successor to Ragnow is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity.
  2. Defensive Front Seven: The defense needs players who can “get home” without relying on complex blitzes.
  3. Proven Reliability: We need fewer projects and more “plug-and-play” veterans.
Final Thought

This season wasn’t stolen by a bad call or a single coordinator change. It was lost in the offseason when too many foundational pieces were swapped at once and then compounded by injuries that exposed those gaps. The Lions are still a talented team, but 2025 proved that in the NFL, if you don’t win the trenches in September, you won’t be playing in January.

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