Dan Campbell Makes Lions' Plan on Resting Players Moving Forward Very Clear

It's possible one of the Lions’ upcoming games won't have any implications for their playoff seed.

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell stands on the sidelines. / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions are on a roll.

Sitting atop the NFC at 13-2, a win this week against the San Francisco 49ers, paired with a Green Bay Packers win over the Minnesota Vikings, would ensure that the Lions have the top seed in the NFC, and the first-round bye that comes with it, before a snap of football is played in Week 18.

If the Vikings beat the Packers, then bragging rights in the NFC North and the conference will come down to next week’s game between the Lions and Vikings, and this week’s game between the Lions and 49ers will essentially be meaningless in terms of conference seeding.

Given that the Lions don’t play until Monday night, and thus will know the outcome of the Packers-Vikings game before taking the field, there’s a scenario that Detroit knows their game in San Francisco does not matter, and could sit their starters. Any extra bit of rest, whether it came in Week 17 or 18, would be a boon for the Lions, as they’ve been dealing with a slew of injuries on defense.

However, Lions coach Dan Campbell doesn't sound like he plans to rest any players this week, regardless of the outcome of the Vikings game. That's not the Lions way.

“I’ll make this easy for everybody, that way all the critics can jump out and start attacking, but that way you don’t have to debate them anymore," Campbell said Wednesday. "We’re bringing everything we got to this game and we are playing, I don’t care what it looks like and where it’s at and who’s this, who’s that. We’re going out to play and win this game, out on the West Coast. So there you go.”

If the Vikings beat the Packers, this game against the 49ers will not mean anything for the Lions. Dan Campbell was asked if the Vikings win, would he will rest players to get ready for week 18’s matchup against Minnesota, which would decide the division:

“I’ll make this easy… pic.twitter.com/ksEt3QfdpK

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 25, 2024

Since Week 15, the Lions have lost running back David Montgomery, defensive lineman Alim McNeill, cornerback Carlton Davis III and cornerback Khalil Dorsey to injuries. The Lions still managed to crush the Chicago Bears 34–17 last weekend.

The Lions have their first Super Bowl appearance and win on their minds, especially after they reached the NFC Championship game season. Even though they have a hurt team, Campbell is still confident the Lions can make a deep run.

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