The Detroit Lions suffered a tough loss on Thanksgiving to the Green Bay Packers, 31-24. It was a divisional battle that really separated the two teams in the standings. Now, the Lions sit on the outside of the playoff picture at 8-5, and pundits like Julian Edelman are beginning to worry that the team has lost its aura.
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Last year’s Lions team was special. They went 15-2 and at times looked like the best team in the NFL on both offense and defense. But ever since they got mollywhopped in the playoffs at home by the Washington Commanders, they haven’t been able to get right.
After Thursday’s loss, many are now saying that the spark that carried the team last season is gone. Edelman seems to agree, professing that Detroit is no longer a tough football team.
“The Detroit Lions may have lost their toughness,” Edelman stated on FOX. “How are you a tough football team? You could run the football, you could stop the run, you could protect the quarterback. 7 quarterback hits, 3 sacks on Jared Goff, 7 hurries. I mean, they couldn’t protect, and Jared Goff needs to have that middle of the pocket.”
The Lions have that first part down. They are fifth in the league in rushing yards per game with 138. And they somewhat have the second part down, too. They are middle of the pack in rushing yards allowed per game with 103.7.
However, protecting Jared Goff has definitely been an issue. The Lions have allowed him to be sacked 26 times this season, resulting in 170 lost yards. Those numbers rank in the bottom half of the NFL, which is why Edelman’s criticism was justified.
But it wasn’t just the offense that Edelman criticized.
“And on the other side, zero sacks, 3 hurries; they just couldn’t get anything on [Packers QB] Jordan Love,” he said.
“The Detroit Lions may have lost their toughness.” @Edelman11
Can the Lions turn it around in the NFC North race as they currently sit in 3rd place at 7-5? pic.twitter.com/Z5aAwRk4px
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 30, 2025
To be fair, the defensive performance felt like an outlier for Detroit. They are one of the best sacking teams in the league over the course of the season. Yet in their last three contests, they’ve averaged less than one sack per game. So maybe opposing teams are starting to figure them out.
Notably, standout safety Kerby Joseph has missed the last six games, and over that span, the defense has been inconsistent. On top of that, Sam LaPorta is now out for the season, which will hinder the offense. Additionally, Amon-Ra St. Brown left Thursday’s game with an ankle sprain and didn’t return.
This is to say that the Lions are banged up. Maybe Edelman is right, and this is a sign they’re losing their toughness. But it’s more likely that injuries have held them back from reaching their full potential.
The Super Bowl champion is often the team that can stay the healthiest, and the Lions haven’t been able to do that so far. It’s gotten so bad in Rock City that they even entertained the idea of bringing Frank Ragnow out of retirement.
We’ll see what else they have up their sleeve to counter the injury bug. But, for now, one way or another, it’s setting up to be another painful end to this season for Lions fans.
