The Detroit Lions are the most beat up playoff team in the NFL.
But don’t expect Dan Campbell’s gritty crew to back down just because of a long list of injuries.
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“Y’all want to call them backups, we just call them players,” Lions defender Levi Onwuzurike exclusively told talkSPORT.
A 13-2 Detroit team was forced to again rely on a new collection of ‘players’ entering a Monday Night Football road contest against the San Francisco 49ers.
David Montgomery and Kalif Raymond are out against San Francisco, while the Lions are hoping that Pro Bowl defender Aidan Hutchinson can rejoin the squad if Detroit makes the Super Bowl.
Onwuzurike, 6ft 3in and 304lb lineman, joined the Lions in 2021 as a second-round draft pick out of Washington.
The veteran defender said that everyone who takes the field is ready to work.
“There’s guys who have shown flashes and who’ve been handling business, whether they’re from the P (practice) squad or from training camp,” said Onwuzurike, who has 24 tackles (13 solo), 1.5 sacks and 11 QB hits in 14 games (eight starts) this season.
“So I don’t think any of us have the expectation of, ‘Oh, you know it’s going to be harder this week.’
“No, we’ve seen what everybody can do. Everybody can handle business.”
Detroit has been a Super Bowl contender since a Week 1 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
While quarterback Jared Goff has been a season-long MVP candidate, Campbell has been linked with the Coach of the Year award.
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But it’s only gotten tougher for the Lions, who’ve lost player after player on their way to 13 wins.
As of Monday morning, the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) held first place in the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 seed.
The Lions face the 49ers in Santa Clara to close out Week 17 and a win would set up a blockbuster final day showdown against the Vikings with everything on the line.
Detroit must keep winning and winning, shaking off injuries all the way to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
The Lions also plan to keep embracing their gutsy style of play under Campbell.
“Without a doubt, we’re not changing nothing,” Onwuzurike said. “I mean, we’re going to be as aggressive as we are.
“We’re going to play our brand of football, no matter who’s in.
“I think the guys that understand that are the guys on the field.”
The final two games promise to define the Lions standing as they chase a first ever Super Bowl for the franchise
The Lions’ regular-season conclusion will also allow the team to better understand exactly how aggressive it can be in the postseason.
“These next two weeks are critical to us figuring out how we do,” Onwuzurike said.
“One, how we do that and, two, how aggressively we play.”
Detroit went 3-13-1 during Onwuzurike’s rookie campaign in 2021.
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Since then, the Lions have become one of the NFL’s best stories, while Detroit has embraced Campbell’s passion, pride and intensity.
For Onwuzurike, the Lions are at their best when they’re being true to themselves and ignoring the outside noise.
“I think everything we’ve been through, most of us have grown together on this team,” Onwuzurike said.
“I mean it’s been four years and it’s about the same people on the team, so I think we got to use that.
“We got to use that growth and that maturity and that relationship we built with each other, and we got to apply that to the game.
“I think we can make a lot of things come true if we if we just focus on that.”
