Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions told reporters that the NFC championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers felt like getting his heart ripped out. He implied, though, that sometimes these experiences are necessary to winning a title.
But Campbell also sent a warning to his players — being close this season won’t matter at all when the 2024 campaign begins.
“I told those guys, ‘This may have been our only shot,'” Campbell told the media. “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 going to 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 hungry and the same work, which is a whole other thing once we get to the offseason, then we have no shot of getting back here.”
The Lions appeared on the brink of the team’s first Super Bowl appearance on January 28. They led the 49ers by 17 points at halftime.
But the 49ers erased that lead in the third quarter and held on to defeat the Lions, 34-31.
Dan Campbell Warns Lions About Target on Their Backs for 2024
Campbell is well respected around the league for his honesty with the media. It doesn’t get any more honest than telling players that they just lost what could be the biggest game of their life.
In front of the media, Campbell continued to argue why it will be difficult for the Lions to get back to another NFC championship game.
“I don’t care how much better we get, or what we add, or what we draft. It’s irrelevant,” Campbell told reporters. “It’s going to be tough. Everyone in our division is going to be loading back up. You aren’t hiding from anybody anymore. Everybody is going to want a piece of you, which is fine.
“So it’s hard. You want to make the most of every opportunity, and we had an opportunity. We just couldn’t close it out. It stings.”
Campbell’s message is probably more suited for a Super Bowl champion. If there are Lions players satisfied with an NFC championship game appearance, then frankly, they probably don’t belong in professional football.
But Campbell’s warning could also be the right tone for the 2024 Lions. The team accomplished a lot of firsts in franchise history during 2023. For that reason, they will likely demand more respect around the league to begin next season.
So, if anyone did overlook them in 2023, that’s less likely to happen next fall.
Lions Set Up for Long-Term Success?
Immediately after a championship game loss isn’t the time to discuss the future. But taking a quick aerial view of the franchise, the Lions don’t appear to be a one-and-down playoff team.
The foundation is set with Campbell as head coach and Jared Goff, who is expected to receive a contract extension, behind center. To complimented those pillars, Lions general manager Brad Holmes has filled the team’s roster with talented players in the past three NFL drafts.
The Lions will also enter this offseason with more than $61 million in cap space according to Spotrac.
But as every team does, the Lions will have difficult decisions to make with their own pending free agents. Furthermore, they could lose offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to a head coaching job.
Clearly, Campbell’s points are very valid. Every season is different and will present new challenges with injuries, scheduling, and more.
Lions fans, though, probably don’t need to be reminded of those facts. The team hasn’t earned playoff berths in back-to-back seasons since 1994-95.
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Dan Campbell Puts Lions on Notice After Heart-Ripping NFC Championship Loss