ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions are coming off their first loss in three months.
“This is not time to freak out and panic and start acting like things are worse than they are,” coach Dan Campbell said Monday.
Campbell, though, doesn't like that Detroit gave up 48 points in a six-point loss to the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills on its home turf.
“Losing is one thing, it’s also how we lost that puts a bad taste in your mouth,” he said.
Detroit (12-2) lost more than its franchise-record 11-game winning streak against Buffalo.
The Lions' long list of injured players now includes running back David Montgomery, defensive tackle Alim McNeill, cornerback Carlton Davis and special teams ace Khalil Dorsey.
Campbell said Montgomery and McNeill, two of the team's best players, need to have season-ending knee surgeries after both were hurt in the loss to the Bills. Dorsey had season-ending surgery Sunday night after breaking his leg against Buffalo. Davis is out indefinitely with a jaw injury.
The Lions, who still have hopes of defending their NFC North title and earning the top seed in the conference playoffs, play at Chicago on Sunday.
“I’m sure there will be a ton of stuff written about the sky falling, but no, internally, we’re good,” Jared Goff said after matching a career high and team record with five touchdown passes and throwing for 494 yards against Buffalo. “We would’ve loved to win every game out, all the way through the Super Bowl.
“I hope we can look back on this one as a good learning lesson for us and move on and use some of the stuff that we learned in this game to help us win these next three before we hit the playoffs.”
After traveling to play the Bears, the Lions will play at San Francisco the following week before closing the season at home against rival Minnesota, perhaps with the division title at stake.
What’s working
Scoring. The NFL's top-scoring team scored 40-plus points for the fifth time, matching the 1952 team's franchise record.
What needs help
Hurry-up offense. The Lions had slim odds of coming back to beat Buffalo, but they did not have a sense of urgency on their, 16-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by a touchdown to pull within six points.
“No excuse for that,” Campbell said. “That’ll be something that we talk about.”
Stock up
Tim Patrick. Detroit didn't know who its No. 3 receiver would be after letting Josh Reynolds leave in free agency. Patrick has been the answer. After missing the previous two seasons with injuries, he has 31 receptions for 379 yards, and his three touchdowns have come in the last two games.
Stock down
Frank Ragnow. The three-time Pro Bowl center was called for holding twice against Buffalo. He was also part of an offensive line that didn't create many holes for running backs and allowed Goff to get sacked three times after giving up a total of two sacks over the previous two games.
Injuries
The impact of the season-ending injuries to Montgomery, McNeill and Dorsey could be massive.
“Nobody cares,” Campbell said. “Nobody is going to give us a pass, or put an asterisk next to your record.”
Key number
8 — When McNeill is put on injured reserve, he will become the eighth Lions defensive lineman to be on the list no one wants to be on.
Next steps
Campbell plans to put his team through some relatively tough practices this week to find out who can fill in for injured players, particularly McNeill and Davis.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Larry Lage, The Associated Press
