The Detroit Lions, playing while considerably shorthanded thanks to multiple absences of key players – not the least of which was injured linebacker Jack Campbell – did what they had to do on Sunday against the struggling Miami Dolphins.
While it wasn’t the prettiest offensive performance, the Lions picked up a 19-9 victory over the Dolphins, improving their record to 6-2; the Dolphins fell to 1-7.
All week long, the focus was understandably on the health of Campbell, who eventually reported that he has full movement in his lower body and that movement in his upper body remains progressive.
Afterward, head coach Dan Campbell spoke emotionally about the injured linebacker and said that it was the club’s goal to get the win for him.
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell Spoke Emotionally About Injured Linebacker Jack Campbell After Injury
Following the victory over the Dolphins in Miami that improved their record to 6-2, Lions head coach Dan Campbell explained how injured linebacker Jack Campbell served as the inspiration for the win.
“A lot of what we said was, ‘Man, let’s win No. 6 for No. 46’. And we did that today, we got that done,” he said.
“The whole week was prepare and play like Jack. Kind of felt like we owed it to him. It’s all we can do,” Campbell continued. “This was hard because you want to talk about it and acknowledge it. You don’t want to brush it under the rug. That’s not fair. The guy means too much to us. We bonded together and ultimately we found a way to win the game. It was emotional.”
As the club’s head coach, Campbell said that he talked to his team in two different veins – as their head coach, and then as their teammate and a human being.
“I’ll start there – I would say, you know, I told them as a coach, there are things we need to clean up and we can be much better,” he continued. “We created some of our own issues at times, but ultimately we played pretty dang good defense. And then offensively, when we needed, man, we hit some explosives.
“As a human being and their teammate, I’m unbelievably proud of them. For everything that this week has been, it’s not been easy on anybody. And for them to come in here, man, and lock back in and fight, get in a dogfight – and hang in there, and do what we had to do, I’m unbelievably proud.”
Jack Campbell Inspired Detroit’s Win Over The Dolphins
Afterward, Campbell’s teammate Aidan Hutchinson explained that the club was motivated to get the job done for him.
“It was big,” Hutchinson said. “To me, the motivation wasn’t hard. I mean, it was a weird week for sure. This is the first time in years I haven’t had Jack in the defensive meetings and out there at practice. He’s a quiet dude, but his presence is big. So that one was definitely for him.”
Dan Campbell Shares Powerful Jack Campbell Message After Lions Win