The Lions have been at the center of attention this week following Sunday night’s loss to the Chiefs. From the controversy surrounding Jared Goff’s touchdown catch and how it was officiated, to safety Brian Branch’s postgame hit on JuJu Smith-Schuster, his resulting suspension, the appeal process, the NFL Films segment criticizing him, and the team’s reaction — it’s all been about Detroit lately.

On Saturday, head coach Dan Campbell addressed reporters about players defending Branch after the league-owned media outlet portrayed him negatively.

“We deal with adversity, and look, that’s their brother,” Campbell said. “If you come after their brother, they’re going to stand up for him. We’ve got a close-knit locker room, and like I said before, BB’s a good man. He’s facing the consequences for what happened, and he’ll be back and ready for Minnesota.”

Campbell was then asked if the matter might become a distraction for the team.

“We can’t let that affect us, especially when it comes to how we play,” he said. “If we spend time worrying about that, or about what’s called or not called, or any of that outside noise, we lose focus. The only thing we control is how we play. We just have to cut it loose and play our brand of football, period. When we do that, we like our odds. Our players understand that. We go in assuming nothing will go our way, and that’s fine. Every game has calls — good teams fight through them. We’re not concerned about it.”

While the question centered on Branch, Campbell appeared to slip in a broader message that “we’re going to get nothing to go our way.” It might subtly reference his frustration from Wednesday about the league office influencing the flag on the Goff play, which he said violated the rulebook.

That remains the biggest storyline from Sunday night’s contest. If Campbell’s version is correct, the NFL may have opened Pandora’s box — and it will be vital for the league to fix the issue during the upcoming offseason rule adjustments.