Detroit Lions Penei Sewell says doubters can ‘hop off’

Much has been made about the future outlook of the Detroit Lions after a 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Put in perspective, the Lions‘ loss is hardly a cause for concern given they hadn’t lost previously since Week 2. However, a defense that was already beaten up by injuries sustained multiple key losses to put the unit at a further disadvantage. Additionally, the offense looked sluggish to start the game.

As a result, some fans and much of the national media have begun to worry about whether or not the Lions can put everything together and sustain a deep playoff run.

However, these concerned sentiments are not shared by players and coaches within the team facility. In fact, team captain and starting right tackle Penei Sewell shared a passionate message following Thursday’s practice.

“That’s why I don’t really concern myself with the talk,” Sewell told MLive. “The real ones know we’re gonna find a way at the end of the day. If you want to keep questioning, just go ahead and hop off. You’ll see what happens.”

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The adversity that the Lions face currently is much different than the adversity they dealt with earlier in head coach Dan Campbell’s tenure. In Sewell’s rookie year, which also marked the first year other stalwarts Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown were with the organization, the team struggled to win games.

Now, the team is facing concerns about their health as many significant members of their defense are on injured reserve. After the loss to Buffalo, their flaws were exposed. This sets up a pivotal final three games of the regular season ahead of the playoffs.

Still, the group appears undaunted ahead of that stretch, which begins Sunday with a road game at Chicago.

“I really don’t see the noise. I think the whole game for us is to bounce back and focus on Chicago this week,” said wide receiver Jameson Williams. “I’m pretty sure nobody in the locker room is worried about what people are saying, or even seeing it, because we’re just so focused right now.”

Detroit has clinched a postseason berth already, but is still fighting for the NFC North division crown and the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs.