Dan Campbell identifies the main issue in humiliating Week 14 loss to Bears

They are now 9-4, but must contend with the remainder of their division, which is either in or near playoff contention. When asked what led to the Lions’ loss, Coach Dan Campbell summed it up best: a lack of discipline (h/t Colton Pouncy of The Athletic).

Given that the Lions lost in every statistical category in the Bears game — they committed three costly turnovers (two interceptions from Quarterback Jahmyr Gibbs and one fumble by first-round pick rookie Running-back Jahmyr Gibbs) to the Bears’ zero, eight penalties to the Bears’ four, and were out-gained in all forms of yardage — I couldn’t agree with Coach Campbell more.

While the Lions have been incredibly explosive this season, ranking near the top of most statistical categories, their Achilles heel has been their weak defense. They are now 14th in total defense, 21st in passing defense, 5th in rushing defense, 23rd in scoring defense, 30th in red zone defense, and 13th in third-down defense.This demonstrates an extremely inconsistent unit that may make or break this squad. The defense must dramatically improve for the fifth-oldest team in league history, which is one of four teams that have never won a Super Bowl in the modern era and aspires to earn their first division title in 30 years.

Lions have an intriguing schedule ahead after the loss to the Bears

There is still hope for the Lions to restore their early-season momentum, but they should not underestimate their remaining opponents.

Their next game is against the 7-6 Denver Broncos, who are 4-1 in their last 5 games despite being one of the lower-ranked defensive teams statistically, but lead the league in turnovers caused in typical Coach Sean Payton fashion. Following that comes a game against their division rivals, the 7-6 Minnesota Vikings, who they will also conclude the season against, but with quarterback uncertainty and another injury to top wide receiver Justin Jefferson today, they must capitalize in both games.

All eyes will be on their second-to-last game against the Dallas Cowboys, probably the third-best club in the NFC this season, who boast one of the league’s greatest offenses and defenses. The game is in Dallas, will be broadcast on primetime television for Sunday Night Football, and will be the most important remaining test for the Lions to see whether they are true contenders or pretenders. If their fans travel to Dallas to support their Lions, perhaps the odds will be in their favor.