Lions look for solutions to stabilize season after already losing more games than they did last year

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ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions are approaching the midway point of their season after experiencing a series of highs and lows, leading to more losses than they had last season.

Detroit (5-3) was expected to have a tough time matching last year's franchise-record 15-2 regular-season mark due to having a retooled offensive line, two new coordinators and a challenging schedule.

The Lions opened with a flop at Green Bay and responded with a 52-21 win over Chicago, an eight-point victory against the Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore Ravens on the road, a 24-point win over Cleveland and a 13-point victory at Cincinnati.

After Detroit was humbled by a 30-17 loss at Kansas City, it bounced back again with an impressive 24-9 win against Chicago.

Coming off a bye week, the Lions lost to Minnesota 27-24 at home on Sunday with a sloppy performance.

“As bad as it tastes right now, I’m a big believer in you look back at some point and say, 'Man, that may have been the best thing that happened to us because we had to overcome this,'" coach Dan Campbell said Monday.

Detroit will travel to face the Jayden Daniels -less Washington Commanders (3-6) on Sunday, aiming to extend the NFL's longest active streak without consecutive losses in the regular season.

The Lions have not lost two straight in the regular season since dropping five in a row from Sept. 25 to Oct. 30, 2022.

Campbell has lamented the team's lack of success on third down for weeks, and the problem isn't going away.

Detroit has converted on 36% of third downs, ranking among the worst in the NFL. That has led to Detroit averaging 60.8 plays per game on offense, putting them toward the bottom of the league in snaps after ranking among the best the previous two years.

Linebacker Jack Campbell is putting himself in a position to earn a contract extension in the offseason with a franchise that has drafted, developed and retained players such as Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Penei Sewell and Kerby Joseph under general manager Brad Holmes.

Campbell, selected No. 18 overall in 2023, leads the Lions with 71 tackles, is second with six tackles for losses and tied for third with four sacks.

Jameson Williams is coming off a productive game, making four catches on six targets for 66 yards with a 37-yard touchdown, but the speedy receiver is averaging just 2.6 receptions and 44 yards receiving with three touchdowns in eight games.

Williams had a breakout season in 2024 with 58 catches for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns after injuries and suspensions stunted his first two years. Just before this season kicked off, the Lions gave him a three-year extension worth up to $83 million.

Detroit's offensive line is suddenly banged up, most notably guard Christian Mahogany, who broke his left leg Sunday.

“He is definitely going to be out for a while — for a long time,” said Campbell, who's holding out hope Mahogany can return in late December.

Three other starters on the offensive line — tackles Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker, along with rookie guard Tate Ratledge — played through injuries against the Vikings.

Campbell said Sewell and Decker don't have long-term injuries, but wasn't sure if they would play at Washington. Ratledge is expected to be available against the Commanders.

All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph, cornerback D.J. Reed, edge rushers Marcus Davenport and Josh Paschal, linebacker linebacker Malcom Rodriguez and defensive back Khalil Dorsey are expected to return from injuries.

“We’re going to start getting some good players back — some really good, impact players,” Campbell said.

28 — The Lions have 28 sacks to tie their second most through the first eight games of a season. Hutchinson leads the way with seven sacks and 30-year-old edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad has matched a career high with six, turning a potential weakness into a relative strength.

Detroit has to determine by Tuesday afternoon if it wants to make moves to improve the roster, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines, before the NFL trade deadline.

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