With eight games left in the season, the Lions are on track to achieve their two primary goals: win the division and claim the top seed in the conference.
"We got 11 games left," Dan Campbell said Tuesday.
What now?
While discussing his decision to rest Za'Darius Smith for a game before his Lions debut, Campbell explained that a few factors went into it: Detroit isn't desperate, fellow defensive end Josh Paschal was returning to action last week and Smith, 32, had "already played a lot of football" this season and was in the middle of his bye week with the Browns when he was traded to the Lions.
"And I just felt like, let's get him acclimated to how we do things around here, our defensive terminology and give him a breather, because it is a long season," Campbell said on 97.1 The Ticket. "We got 11 games left here, and we're going to need him for every one of those. And every time we get a little bit closer to the end, they get more critical."
Campbell is well aware that eight games remain in the regular season. Just as he knows that if the Lions, who lead the NFC at 8-1, secure the No. 1 seed in the conference, they'll have to win three more games for their first-ever Super Bowl title. The top seed comes with a first-round bye and just as significantly, home-field advantage through the conference playoffs.
"Our guys know that," Campbell said. "That was one of the things we talked about in training camp, because you have to work backward. You can't just keep saying that the end game is the end game. Yeah, we all know that. So now, what do you have to do? You have to win your division and preferably you want to be the 1 (seed), and that's kind of where it goes. So that whole focus is the division and getting that 1 seed, because your odds go up. It only helps you.
"Doesn't mean you can't go all the way if it's not that -- and that's fine, you take it as it comes -- but that's what we're shooting for. And ultimately that means you have to play each week one at a time and you have to give it your full attention, doesn't matter who you're playing."
The Lions are hosting the last-place Jaguars next, followed by the Colts (4-6) next Sunday in Indianapolis. Then they enter a crucial stretch of the schedule with back-to-back division games against the Bears (4-5) and Packers (6-3) leading into a potential Super Bowl preview against the Bills (8-2).
Detroit leads the NFC in point differential (+117), 40 points clear of anyone else. Buffalo leads the AFC in point differential (+97), 28 points clear of anyone else. They are two of four teams in the NFL who rank in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Eagles and Vikings are the others.
Sure enough, the Lions hold a one-game lead in the division over the Vikings (7-2) along with the head-to-head tie-breaker, and a one-game lead at the top of the conference over the Eagles (7-2).
As for Smith, he'll debut for the Lions on Sunday and "yes, I'm excited to get him going," said Campbell. "I think he's going to be an excellent addition for us. He brings, there again, a complementary piece to our defense and that D-line."
