“I believe we can beat anyone in the league,” said coach Dan Campbell on Monday.

With a 7-1 record, the Lions are off to their best start since 1956, despite missing eight key defensive players, including Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit has now won six straight games for the first time since 1995.

As the defending NFC North champions, they lead the conference and have already secured road victories over division rivals Green Bay and Minnesota.

“We’re in a good place right now,” Campbell said.

However, the Lions are in dire need of an edge rusher following injuries to Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, and John Cominsky, along with Josh Paschal’s illness.

Campbell mentioned that it was uncertain whether Detroit’s general manager, Brad Holmes, would make a trade before the NFL deadline on Tuesday.

“I don’t think it’s entirely up to us,” Campbell noted. “I can tell you we’re trying. Brad’s working hard on it.

“We’ve explored everything, made numerous calls, and he’s been on it. We’ll see, there’s still some time left.”

If a trade doesn’t happen, Campbell outlined the team’s backup plan.

“If we don’t get a deal done, we’ll start looking at practice squads,” Campbell said. “We’ll target guys we liked coming out of college, see if they have potential, and continue giving opportunities to those on our roster.”

What’s working

The offense. Since Week 3, Jared Goff has completed 82.8% of his passes, with a 140.1 passer rating—the best six-game stretch in NFL history for any quarterback with at least 100 attempts.

Amon-Ra St. Brown has caught every pass thrown his way in the last 30 targets and has scored a touchdown in six consecutive games, tying Herman Moore’s franchise record from 1994.

The Lions have rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown in each of their first eight games, marking the first time they’ve done so since 1936, with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs benefiting from one of the league’s top offensive lines.

Gibbs is the first NFL player to average more than 5 yards per carry in a seven-game stretch with at least 10 carries per game.

What needs help

Sacking quarterbacks. Hutchinson’s injury has left a void—he had 7.5 sacks before breaking his leg during a 47-9 win over Dallas last month.

Without Hutchinson in the lineup, the Lions have recorded only one sack by a defensive lineman in the three games since.

Stock up

Kerby Joseph has recorded six interceptions, tying for the league lead. He’s the first safety since Ed Reed in 2002-2004 to reach 14 or more interceptions in his first three seasons.

Along with Brian Branch, the team has an interception in every game this season, marking the first time in over 40 years.

Stock down

Jameson Williams, suspended for two games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, has yet to return to form after missing three games last year for violating the league’s gambling policy. The Lions have managed well without the speedy receiver.

Injuries

Paschal has missed the last two games following his routine cancer checkup after being diagnosed with foot cancer in 2018 while at Kentucky.

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez missed the Packers game due to an ankle injury but is expected to return against Houston on Sunday night.

Key number

0.0001% – That’s the likelihood St. Brown had of catching 30 consecutive passes, factoring in the difficulty of each throw, according to NFL’s NextGen stats.

What’s next

The Lions will soon determine how much they are willing to pay for edge rushers by the trade deadline before facing the AFC South-leading Texans.