Devastated by injuries, Lions no longer look like favorite in NFC North

The Lions may have lost four key players to season-ending injuries against the Bills.

Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (97) celebrates a tackle against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Nearly unbeatable for more than three months, the Detroit Lions are a wounded beast that will have to manuever its way through a downpour of injuries in order to secure the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.

On Monday, the Lions reportedly lost standout defensive tackle Alim McNeil to a torn ACL that will end his season. On top of that, cornerback Carlton Davis could miss the rest of the season with a broken jaw while running back David Montgomery has a potentially season-ending MCL injury in his knee.

Oh, and backup cornerback Khalil Dorsey's season is over after he broke his leg.

The injuries leave Detroit's defense in shambles, having already lost edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport for the season, along with significant injuries to linebackers Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes.

Anzalone might not be back until the playoffs and Barnes has been on injured reserve with a knee injury since early November.

Za'Darius Smith may need to be a one-man wrecking crew if the Lions hope to keep generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Smith, traded from the Browns to Detroit before the Nov. 5 deadline, has generated 22 quarterback pressures and four sacks in five games with the Lions.

Meanwhile, without Montgomery, the pressure is on Jahmyr Gibbs to be Detroit's bell cow running back. Gibbs (186 carries) and Montgomery (185 carries) have split the workload this season and the next most-used running back is Craig Reynolds, who has toted the ball just 12 times.

Detroit still has a great offense with Jared Goff, Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and a talented offensive line, but outside of two stud safeties in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, the defense is a shell of the unit that the Lions had just weeks ago.

That could mean Detroit is forced to outscore opponents the rest of the way. They're capable of it, but the defense is likely going to have a hard time on the road the next two weeks against the Bears and 49ers, and then at home in Week 18 against the Vikings.

The door to the NFC North is wide open for Minnesota. If the Vikings beat Chicago on Monday night, the division will come down to the last three weeks and possibly the final Sunday of the regular season in Detroit.

The betting odds Monday still favor the Lions to win the North, but the Vikings are lurking and are the healthier team during the most crucial point of the season.