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Dan Campbell will keep it low-key with his Detroit Lions – for better or for worse.
This year it didn’t turn out as many thought it would for the Lions and Campbell was asked during his end-of-season press conference how he would rate the 2025 campaign.
For a team that was a Super Bowl favorite out of the NFC in the preseason, Campbell called it like it is for his team.
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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell speaks to the media after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
“Not good enough. We didn’t come in, we underachieved,” he said, according to Yahoo Sports. “So, not good. I’d give myself a goddamn F.”
The Lions were able to make it above .500, winning their Week 18 matchup against the Chicago Bears, 19-16. But Campbell has always been a tough critic of himself, as much as he is of his team, so it’s not shocking to hear him judge himself so harshly.
But Campbell knows it’s the first time since 2022 that the Lions have missed the playoffs, and a 9-8 season isn’t the norm now for the franchise.
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The Lions have had a slow build to one of the more formidable teams in the league, after going 15-2 last year to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They certainly didn’t live up to expectations when they were upset by rookie Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders at Ford Field in the divisional round.
Two years prior, the Lions played in the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers after winning 12-5. They also would have reached the team’s first-ever Super Bowl if not for a second-half collapse in the Bay Area, where a miraculous 49ers comeback clinched a spot in the Big Game.
Campbell saw movement last season in his coaching staff, with both of his top coordinators finding head coaching jobs elsewhere.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell looks on during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Matt Kartozian/Imagn Images)
The big one was Ben Johnson, the offensive whiz who unlocked Jared Goff and company and took the Bears job in the NFC North. Johnson went from a strong ally to a bitter rival, and Chicago went on to win the division title in his first year.
Aaron Glenn, the Lions’ defensive coordinator under Campbell, didn’t have the same luck as Johnson as his New York Jets went 3-14. However, Glenn was not among those cut during “Black Monday,” as the Jets remain committed to at least starting the 2026 season.
Campbell still can’t believe what happened after such a hot start to this season. The Lions went 4-1 to start the year, but failed to find consistency after that.
A shocking Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 ended their playoff hopes.
“It’s hard to believe that it is,” Campbell said. “It’s going to be a tough pill to swallow to see these teams in the playoffs. But I think you have to see them. You have to force yourself to do it because it’s a desire to be there, to be a part of it.”
Head coach Dan Campbell looks on prior to the game against the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field on September 28, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
There’s no doubt that Campbell will continue to trust his process and his team to get the job done, but he’ll have to wait until September for a chance to check off the playoff goal again.
Campbell just completed his fifth season as head coach of the Lions. He owns a record of 53-43-1 over 97 games.
