The Detroit Lions saw their 11-game winning streak snapped in Week 15, with head coach Dan Campbell's squad losing to the Buffalo Bills in a shootout on Sunday, 48-42.
In the process, the Lions lost three more defenders to injury. Cornerbacks Carlton Davis (jaw) and Khalil Dorsey (ankle) and defensive lineman Alim McNeill (knee) all left the game early, and all are feared to have season-ending injuries, Campbell revealed following the game.
"Yeah, normally if I'm saying, 'I don't feel good,' that means not good for the rest of the year," Campbell said when asked if McNeill's and Davis' injuries were season-ending, per Pride of Detroit. "So, I don't feel good about it."
The Lions will be in first place entering Week 16 no matter what the Minnesota Vikings do on Monday night, but Minnesota can pull even with the Lions record-wise by beating the Chicago Bears. Detroit's loss also allowed the Philadelphia Eagles to gain ground in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Most experts have the Lions falling a few spots in their NFL power rankings for Week 16, although there is one expert still holding strong with Detroit in the top spot.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 4 (-3)
Iyer: "The Lions are not a team built to erase deficits because their explosive finishing firepower is limited with Jared Goff when they can't afford to stick with the run. The pileup of defensive injuries might be getting more difficult to overcome."
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: 4 (-3)
Cluff: "The Lions could realistically still win it all, and very well might. But head-to-head wins should matter if the record is close and the Bills beat the Lions in Detroit."
Sayre Bedinger, NFL Spin Zone: 3 (-2)
Bedinger: "The Lions are going to have to be careful down the stretch this season. They have the Vikings luking right behind them in the standings and if they're not careful, they might give up the #1 seed to either Philly or Minnesota. They are another slip-up away from potentially being the 5th seed in the NFC, which is absolutely wild."
Taylor Wirth, NBC Sports: 1 (no change)
Wirth: "The Lions now have won a game in which Jared Goff threw five interceptions and lost a game in which he threw five touchdowns. Sunday's game against Buffalo was a shootout of epic proportions."
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