It has been two straight years of heartbreak for the Detroit Lions. A miraculous turnaround that began with an opening-day thrashing of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 hasn’t led them to the kind of success they were hoping for. After an NFC Championship Game loss last season, their 15-2 2024 season ended unexpectedly in the Divisional Round with an upset by the Washington Commanders.
While it was euphoria for Washington, the immaculate vibes and talent in Detroit fell woefully short, leaving their head coach Dan Campbell in despair.
Dan Campbell Emotional After Upset Loss
When Campbell first came to Motor City, the cynicism was at an all-time high. Not only had the franchise been moribund for decades, but his coaching career hadn’t gotten off to an electric start either. However, over the past two seasons, he changed their entire identity.
Thanks to his culture-setting ways and legendary motivation tactics, Campbell became not only a Detroit legend but a hero all over the NFL. Unfortunately, it didn’t amount to much when standing across from a rookie who might very well be the greatest rookie QB of all time.
Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, with their “college offense,” shredded through the Lions’ defense en route to a 45-31 upset. Just a year ago, the same 31 points haunted the Lions who were up 24-7 on the San Francisco 49ers going into halftime of the NFC Championship Game before losing 34-31 in heartbreaking fashion.
As he stood in the post-game press conference, Campbell cut an unenviable figure, the loss weighing heavy on him.
“It hurts,” was the simplest way he could put it when describing a game that was equal parts odd and equal parts self-aggravated. Jared Goff, who had exorcised his demons against the pressure throughout the regular season, fell victim.
Two interceptions when pressured, along with a lost fumble, gave Washington far too many chances to capitalize. However, Campbell wouldn’t let the brunt fall on his team, revealing how he spoke to them after their season ended abruptly.
“I still, you know, I love the guys, and I respect and I appreciate everything they put into it. But, it’s not the time to talk about what a great year or how many wins. Because at this moment, I don’t think any of us feel that way.”
#Lions HC Dan Campbell said it hurts to lose, regardless of being the No. 1 seed. “It hurts,” he said. Campbell described it as an “odd day” and things were just “a little bit off.” pic.twitter.com/pNKPW7e3mR
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 19, 2025
All season, the Lions had a take-all-comers attitude, taken directly from Campbell himself. It led to a 15-2 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC for them, while giving them the best offense and fifth-ranked defense in the league, according to PFN’s Offense+ and Defense+ metrics, respectively.
While injuries hampered their potential, particularly on the defensive end, all of their success to get here became irrelevant. “The whole point of doing what we do is to get to the show and play this game and we fell short.”
His emotions got the better of him, recalling the sacrifices each player made. Over the season, over 20 players were injured at one point or another with names like Aidan Hutchinson going down for the entire season.
“What they put into it, lot of people don’t know what they go through,” Campbell said as his voice choked up with tears. “You have to get up, bodies beat to s**t, and mentally stack locked in, and do those things.”
Dan Campbell is devastated.pic.twitter.com/geLFIR3Ff6
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 19, 2025
Ultimately, for Campbell, the blame fell squarely on just one person: “It’s my fault. My fault.”
But, as hard as this reality is to expect, the future isn’t steady for Detroit. Both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are in the running for lucrative head coaching roles around the league. During the offseason, the team could shift radically in identity.
So far, Campbell has answered virtually every question put in front of him. But after back-to-back heartbreaking seasons, can he pull it off again?