It was supposed to be the year. After the heartbreak of the 2024 NFC Championship, Detroit felt like a team possessed. But as the 2025 season wound down, the locker room at Ford Field didn't smell like champagne. It smelled like biofreeze and frustration. If you want to know why a 9-8 record feels like a gut punch, you have to look at the trainer's room.
Every team deals with "next man up." It's a cliché for a reason. But for Dan Campbell’s squad this past year, the "next man" was usually a practice squad elevation or a veteran playing through something that would sideline a normal human for a month. Honestly, the sheer volume of Detroit Lions player injured lists by December was enough to make any fan lose their mind.
The Sam LaPorta Back Issue Changed Everything
The biggest blow? No doubt about it: Sam LaPorta. Losing your All-Pro tight end in Week 10 is a nightmare. This wasn't just a "tweak" or a sore muscle. LaPorta recently admitted he was basically "walking like an 80-year-old man" after a disc fully herniated against the Washington Commanders.
Think about that for a second.
One minute he's a focal point of the league's most creative offense. The next, he’s opting for season-ending surgery because the pain was unbearable. Before he went down, the Lions were averaging over 31 points per game. Without him? That number plummeted to 24.8. You can't just replace 40 catches and the ability to move the chains on third-and-long with a backup. Ben Johnson’s playbook essentially lost its middle third.
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LaPorta is targeting a return for training camp in 2026, but the damage to the 2025 campaign was irreversible.
The Offensive Line: A War of Attrition
Then there’s the "Big Three" up front. We’ve always heard that the Lions' offensive line is the engine of the team. Well, the engine spent most of November and December sputtering on three cylinders.
Penei Sewell is a warrior. There’s no other way to put it. He played through an ankle injury for nearly two months before it finally became too much to handle in late December. By the time the Lions hit Week 18 against the Bears, the staff finally had to pull the plug. He was officially ruled out, ending his season on the sidelines alongside Taylor Decker, who was battling a shoulder injury and illness.
- Penei Sewell: Missed the finale with a nagging ankle issue.
- Taylor Decker: Struggled through the late stretch with shoulder problems.
- Trystan Colon: Ended the year on IR with a wrist injury.
- Kevin Zeitler: Dealt with various veteran "rest" and minor soft tissue issues.
When you see Dan Skipper starting at right tackle, you know things have gotten desperate. Skipper is a great story and a fan favorite, but he’s not Penei Sewell. Nobody is. The lack of continuity meant Jared Goff was under more pressure than we’ve seen in years, and the run game—usually so dominant—just couldn't find its rhythm.
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Defense and the "What Ifs"
Defensively, it was a tale of two realities. On one hand, you had Aidan Hutchinson, who was a miracle worker. Coming back from that gruesome 2024 leg injury to record 14.5 sacks is legendary stuff. But he was often a one-man army because the secondary was a revolving door of medical reports.
Brian Branch? Achilles. Out.
Terrion Arnold? Shoulder. Out.
Kerby Joseph? Knee. Out.
By the time January 2026 rolled around, the Lions were starting guys in the secondary that most fans would need a program to identify. It's hard to play aggressive, man-to-man defense when your corners are essentially learning the scheme on the fly. Alex Anzalone also missed time late with a concussion, leaving the middle of the field vulnerable at exactly the wrong time.
What Needs to Happen Now
Dan Campbell didn't mince words when he graded himself a "freaking F" for how the season ended. It was harsh. Maybe too harsh. But it shows the standard in Detroit has changed.
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If the Lions are going to fix this, they have to address the depth issues that the Detroit Lions player injured plague exposed. You can't rely on five or six superstars to carry the entire weight of a 17-game season. The 2026 offseason has to be about building a "middle class" on this roster—players who can step in and provide 80% of a starter's production without the scheme falling apart.
Next Steps for the Offseason:
- Monitor the LaPorta Rehab: The team needs him at 100% by August. Back surgeries are finicky, and any setback there would be catastrophic.
- Evaluate the Training Staff: Campbell mentioned a "deep dive" into why these "freak" injuries keep happening. Whether it's the turf at Ford Field or recovery protocols, something has to change.
- Draft for Trench Depth: You can never have enough offensive linemen. Expect Brad Holmes to look for a high-upside tackle early in the 2026 Draft.
- Secure the Secondary: With Branch and Arnold coming off major injuries, the Lions need veteran insurance in the defensive backfield.
The window isn't closed. Not even close. But 2025 was a loud, painful reminder that in the NFL, your biggest opponent isn't always the team across from you—sometimes, it's just the luck of the draw in the medical tent. Keeping the stars on the field is the only way Detroit finally gets that elusive ring.