The Detroit Lions’ 2024 campaign came to an ugly end on Saturday night, when the Lions were upset by the Washington Commanders at Ford Field in a 45-31 defeat.
That was not the way the Lions or their fans envisioned this season going after head coach Dan Campbell’s team was widely considered one of the favorites to win a Super Bowl following a trip to the NFC Championship Game the year prior.
Campbell has had some time to reflect on the loss and during his media availability on Monday, he revealed that he’s gone through a range of emotions. Campbell also believes had Detroit brought so much as its “B-game” to that contest, things could’ve been different.
Here’s what Campbell said on a range of topics during his presser on Monday morning.
Dan Campbell on Lions playoff lossDan Campbell on the Lions’ playoff loss: “I think if we bring our B game we got a chance to win that game. We didn’t bring that.” Said he’s already run the range of emotions from feeling like he lost a family member to anger and is ready to move forward.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) January 20, 2025Dan Campbell on Lions Super Bowl windowThanks to fantastic roster building by general manager Brad Holmes, the Lions are still a supremely talented team that isn’t going anywhere. And, as you’d expect, Campbell believes Detroit’s Super Bowl window is still wide open.
“That core group is still intact… we absolutely do,” he said of Detroit’s chances to win a Super Bowl, per Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News. “I think the most important thing is you want to know you’ve got your culture, you’ve got your identity, and you’ve got players…and we’ve got that.”
Dan Campbell on Lions injuriesOne of the biggest issues for the Lions this season was no doubt injuries. Campbell chalked that up to 2024 being “one of those bizarre, freakish years” for injuries, per Colton Pouncy of The Athletic.
While some have called for changes to the training staff, Campbell’s response suggests those aren’t coming.
Dan Campbell on losing coordinatorsWith offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn being two of the hottest head-coaching candidates in this year’s cycle, Campbell admitted he expects to lose both.
“I would expect to lose one or both coordinators,” Campbell said, per Bianchi. “This train rolls on. I’ll find the next best guys for us.”
Campbell added that quarterback Jared Goff will have “a lot of input” for who the Lions will hire as Johnson’s replacement, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
The Lions figure to have at least three in-house candidates in running backs coach Scottie Montgomery, offensive line coach Hank Fraley and passing-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand.
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