The Thanksgiving feast has come and gone, but for Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions, the holiday left a bitter aftertaste of defeat and injury that now threatens their season. For a team that started with playoff aspirations, a 7-5 record in December feels like a crisis. For Lions coach Dan Campbell, it’s a reality that has the walls closing in.

Ahead of their week 14 clash, the team is still trailing the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. Preparing to face the Dallas Cowboys this weekend, Campbell remains worried, as he looks for a way to turn the tables.

“We gotta find a way to win this next one in front of us. I mean, time’s running out,” Detroit Times reported Campbell’s statement on X.

That turned out to be more concerning as it came at a time when their star wide receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown, appeared to have sustained an injury.

Amon-Ra St. Brown suffered an ankle injury in the Detroit Lions’ game against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day. The injury happened on the fourth offensive play when he was blocking on a running play, and a teammate rolled up on his leg from behind.

After that, St. Brown remained on the turf for a few minutes before walking off under his own power.

He was initially questionable to return, but the team ruled him out early in the second half. Medical tests after the game showed that St. Brown suffered a low-ankle sprain, with no structural damage. The Lions expect he could miss 1–2 weeks, meaning he might be out for the next one or two games if recovery goes well.

His absence changes the team’s offensive setup.

With St. Brown out and given other injuries (to their tight end, Brock Wright), the Lions will likely depend more on other receivers such as Jameson Williams, Tom Kennedy, and rookie receivers like Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett to fill the gap.

But Campbell’s concerns persist.

Dan Campbell thinks the Lions are in a “hole”

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said he is concerned about where his team stands after another tough loss to the Packers on Thanksgiving Day. The comments came right after the Lions lost to the Packers 31–24 on Thanksgiving at Ford Field. The defeat hurt because the Lions were already dealing with injuries to key players, including the loss of Amon-Ra St. Brown early in the game.

They failed to execute in critical moments, such as fourth-down plays. Campbell said the team’s mistakes and failed conversions contributed to the loss.

“Like I told the team, it’s frustrating, I know. We got a lot to be thankful for even after a loss,” Campbell said in a post-game press conference.

“We dug ourselves in a little bit of a hole, that’s the bottom line. We are in a little bit of a hole. All we gotta do is worry about cleaning up this and getting to the next game and finding a way to win the next one in front of us. That will be after this day or two here that they’ll get off, that’s what the focus will be.”

This latest loss leaves them in a precarious position in the standings, making their path to a division title or high playoff seed much harder.