Chris Canty says ‘Lions are done’

Absurd, afflicted, outrageous. Just some of the terms that still don’t adequately describe the Lions’ injury situation following their 48-42 loss to the Bills last week. Fact-checkers will confirm, however, that Detroit still clings to the NFC’s No. 1 seed entering Week 16. And the conference’s only first-round bye would seem to mean more to the Lions than any other team.

But after the Vikings (12-2) decimated the Bears on Monday night, Chris Canty thinks Detroit’s season-ending injuries to running back David Montgomery and defensive tackle Alim McNeill put the Lions across the point of no return. And the point of their arrow is no longer pointing up.

“I think the Detroit Lions are done,” the former player said Tuesday morning on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike. “I don’t think they’re going to go on a championship run. I don’t even know that the Detroit Lions are going to win their division. It’s hard to overcome all of those injuries.”

The Lions (12-2) are on the road for the next two weeks, at Chicago on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX) and at San Francisco on a Monday night in Week 17. Their regular-season finale is an NFC showdown with the Vikings at Ford Field.

Call him authentic, bold or even nuts, but head coach Dan Campbell demonstrated true leadership minutes after losing the NFC Championship, 34-31, on Jan. 28, when he said returning to that perch this season would be twice as hard as it was a year ago. So, his perspective on the current situation should surprise no one.

“We acknowledge the fact that we’ve lost players. We’ve lost really good players,” Campbell said Monday. “But nobody cares. No one cares. Nobody’s going to give us a pass or put an asterisk next to your record. We’ll do what we have to do to win a game and that’s all that matters. That’s all that matters from here on out, is you just need to have one more point than the opponent.”

True, but Canty still doesn’t buy it. Unprecedented attrition may not prevent the Lions from winning the NFC North, he said, but losing all those players will keep Detroit from making its first Super Bowl appearance.

“At some point, you’re just not going to replace those losses,” Canty said. “They’re signing guys off the street. … At some point, you just can’t overcome all of these losses, and that’s where I’m at with the Detroit Lions. It feels like we’ve gotten to that tipping point.”

Keep an eye on the Lions’ offense, though. Since Campbell tabbed Ben Johnson to guide his offense in 2022, Detroit has never shied away from shootouts like last week, when Jared Goff threw for 494 yards and five touchdowns. Last week, Goff became the first player ever with four career games with at least 400 passing yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions.

The Lions rank first in scoring offense (32.8 points per game), second in total offense (403.9 yards per game) and second in red-zone touchdown percentage (70.0). Most of Detroit’s injuries are on defense. And Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta are more than happy to trade added pressure for Super Bowl rings.

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