Dan Campbell is one of those head coaches who will believe in his team no matter what, but after a crushing loss in the divisional round to the Washington Commanders at home as No. 1 seed, even the most optimistic people can feel deflated.
But not Campbell, who reiterated his belief that his Detroit Lions’ championship window remains wide open.
“Yeah, I do,” Campbell said when asked about the championship window via ESPN. “We talk about that core. That core group is still intact and we’ve signed some back, some are on contract and it will be ongoing. But yes, we absolutely do.”
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Lions head coach Dan Campbell speaks to the media after the game against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 5, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
“I think the most important thing is that you want to know that you have your culture, you have your identity and you have players that fit into that, and we have that.”
A perfect example was star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who signed long-term with the Lions last season, texted Campbell at 4 a.m. after the 45-31 loss to the Commanders on Saturday night.
The loss ate at him, but it showed Campbell that he has hungry players in the building, especially leaders like St. Brown.
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“I know the right guys. They’re our guys for a reason, and that’s what’s always going to give me hope and tell me we’re only going to get better.
“We’ll come back stronger, we’ll learn from this and it’s just more fuel on the fire, is what it is.”
Campbell said all this before reports surfaced that his offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, had been picked by an NFC North rival to be their next head coach. The Chicago Bears are bringing in Johnson to help turn things around, and he obviously knows all about the organization after the past three seasons in his role in Detroit.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell speaks to the media after the divisional playoff game against the Washington Commanders on Jan. 19, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Mike Mulholland)
But this shouldn’t come as a shock to Campbell, who should also be bracing for the loss of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Glenn will have his second interview with the New York Jets on Tuesday to potentially fill their head coaching vacancy as well.
Campbell told ESPN he needs to have a next-man-up mentality if he were to lose his coordinators, but winning right now doesn’t change that.
“We’re not going to allow that to happen,” Campbell said of a potential change in mindset. “Does it hurt to lose those guys? Absolutely. They’re part of why we’ve been here. They’ve been here for four years and they’re one of the main reasons we’ve been able to get where we has been.”
Simply put, the Lions shouldn’t be thinking about the future as they had already lost their innovative offensive coordinator and were preparing for the offseason. With their ability to put points on the scoreboard, they almost seemed to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell (Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images/File)
While the Lions have to go back to the drawing board, their head coach still believes they have the squad to make it to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
