The Lions Must Heed Dan Campbell’s Warning
Credit: Junfu Han via Imagn Images
In the moments after the Detroit Lions lost in last year’s NFC Championship Game, Dan Campbell took the podium. While Campbell is known for his enthusiasm, he delivered a grim reality after blowing a 24-7 halftime lead to the San Francisco 49ers.
“I just told those guys, this may have been our only shot,” Campbell said. “Do I think that? No. Do I believe that? No. However, I know how hard it is to get here. I’m well aware. And it’s gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year. That’s the reality. And if we don’t have the same hunger and the same work — which is a whole ‘nother thing once we get to the offseason — then we got no shot of getting back here.”
Campbell’s words spoke the truth. Each year, fans look at teams that fell just short of a championship and think they’ll be back the following year. But the NFL is always changing. Teams are adapting, making coaching and personnel changes to usurp teams that just lost a Super Bowl, or Championship Game, or went one-and-done in the playoffs.
Just look at the 49ers, who went from the Big Game to watching the big games on the couch. If it wasn’t for the sheer amount of talent on the Lions roster or the team’s brilliant coaching, they might have joined them after so many injuries. Still, the Lions made it through a grueling regular season, and didn’t get there by accident. But it could all slip away if they don’t heed Campbell’s warning.
Even if the Lions get other shots, they might not get any better than this. 15-win seasons don’t happen, and the rest of the playoff field knows they’ll have to go through Detroit to get what they want. Who knows when all that will come together again?
Maybe it’s a given when you have an S-tier quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, but even perennial MVP candidates like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are squaring off for the right to go to just their second-ever AFC Championship Game. Lions fans love Jared Goff, and he’s proven to be one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL, but he’s not quite on that level. Can we expect better from him than back-to-back Conference Championship appearances?
Maybe, as Detroit’s well-built infrastructure has tons of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Whether you’re talking about a loaded offensive line led by Penei Sewell, receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, or the running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, it’s an embarrassment of riches. Goff hasn’t only been able to get the ball where it needs to be, he’s been getting it in the hands of Pro Bowl-caliber weapons.
But that simply doubles as reasons why now is the time to strike. This roster might be difficult to maintain going forward. While Goff is making a manageable $27.2 million against the cap this season and $32.6 million in 2025, that number spikes to $69.9 million in 2026.
The Lions have gotten ahead of this by reaching long-term deals with St. Brown, Sewell, and Montgomery, but will still have to ink extensions for Aidan Hutchinson, Williams, and Gibbs in the coming years.
There’s also the matter of the people orchestrating this attack. Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn have become two of the top coordinators in the NFL, but that’s usually a precursor to a departure for a head coaching job. After staying last season, Johnson seems poised to leave at the end of this playoff run and Glenn may follow suit with an opportunity of his own.
This isn’t to say the Lions don’t have candidates on their staff to replace Johnson and Glenn, but transitions can be tough. There is an acclimation process that could take most of a season under new coordinators, and it’s not safe to assume that the Lions’ elite talent will make up for it.
Campbell wasn’t predicting doomsday. He stated his belief the team would get back to the NFC Championship Game, and he’s one win away from being right, two wins away from getting to the Super Bowl, and three away from the Lombardi Trophy.
With that, the Lions need to take things seriously. According to Williams, the team isn’t taking anything for granted, even with their 15-win season.
“I think people tend to forget where we came from,” Williams said. “Last year, I don’t remember what seed we were, but we were lucky enough to have a home game, too. This year, it’s just like people forget that we came from so far underneath and they think that everything’s been easy and stuff like that. Everybody’s got the same mindset. We don’t look at it like, we’re the No. 1 seed. We’re the best team. We still practice and play like we’re nothing.
“We’re still trying to go out there and get a win, and we’re still trying to go out there and play hard for our brothers next to us. I feel like people tend to just use this season to forget that we’ve still got that grit in us. And it’s the playoffs, so you’ve got to get a win or you’re going to be on the couch.”
It all comes back to Campbell’s initial message. It’s important to cherish where the Lions are and how far they’ve come to get here. But it’s also important to embrace a sense of urgency as Detroit prepares for a prolonged playoff run.
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