Lions running back David Montgomery shared that he could have returned to the game if he was needed, but his head coach, Dan Campbell, made the call to keep him out of the game. The reason being that Campbell believed they had “bigger fish to fry.”
Some Colts fans or even players may take offense to Campbell’s comment. But if we sit back and really think about it, I think he’s 100% right. The Lions are currently 10-1 and sit atop the NFC playoff picture. This matchup against a below-.500 AFC team is going to be very low on their priority list. Especially with them, they are still set to play four divisional matchups and a matchup with a fellow Super Bowl (Buffalo Bills) contender left on their schedule.
And the end result of the game showed that the end result was never really in doubt for the Lions. While this comment was warranted, hearing an opposing head coach think this about your football team should hit the Colts and their players hard. That is how they are viewed by one of the actual contenders in the NFL today. So things have to change, and luckily for them, there is still time left to do just that and get the 2024 season back on track and be in a better position for a big 2025. Up next, they have the New England Patriots, and while their 3-9 record may lead some to think this is an easy matchup, I would advise people to slow down with that mindset. The Colts aren’t the Lions, and they don’t have bigger fish to fry than the Patriots at the moment. They need to focus and make sure they fry every fish left on their schedule if they want any shot at earning a playoff spot.