Alim McNeill Delivers Strong Message After Lions Blow NFC Championship Lead

The overall feeling in the Detroit Lions locker room following the 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game was heartbreak and a little bit of pride. The Lions blew an opportunity to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl, but they also accomplished more than any other team in franchise history over the last 60 years.

Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill had a slightly different message, one that echoed something head coach Dan Campbell said after the loss.

“We have to continue to work. We can’t just lay down and think we’re just going to get back here next year,” McNeill told the media. “You got to put in the work because like coach Campbell says, it’s going to be twice as hard.”

“You got to work consistently. Every day, it can’t stop.”

McNeill added that the loss to the 49ers was “all the motivation” he needed to put in the work he described.

Dan Campbell Tells Alim McNeill, Detroit Lions That 2024 Will Be Harder

The Lions appear to possess the makeup of a team poised to return to the NFC championship. That’s what the 49ers did in 2023.

After defeats in the NFC championship game each of the past two seasons, the 49ers returned this year and erased a 17-point halftime lead to return to the Super Bowl.

But Campbell made it clear to his players that it’s far from a guarantee that the Lions will do the same.

“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,” Campbell told reporters after the loss.

“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.”

Clearly, McNeill has already bought in.

McNeill made a significant jump during his third season. He posted career highs of 5 sacks with 10 quarterbacks in 13 games. He also matched his career-best 6 tackles for loss from last season.

But the 23-year-old sounds prepared to work harder to get even better for 2024 in the hopes of making a championship run.

McNeill Describes What Lions Are Building in Detroit

Early in his postgame press conference, Campbell’s devastation appeared to cause him to lose focus on a question.

A similar thing happened to McNeill, who told reporters after a question that “he can’t think right now.” The defensive tackle also admitted to being “in and out” when Campbell addressed the team immediately after the loss.

As expected, McNeill expressed strong disappointment in not being able to finish the job in the NFC championship game. But when he was able to regather his thoughts, he added that the Lions laid a foundation for success during 2023.

“We established a standard of being a tough, gritty team,” McNeill told reporters. “We’re gonna fight, fight, fight until it’s over. I feel like that’s what we’re establishing here. Honestly, just a tough, gritty team that’s just gonna play football all the way through.”