Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was left on the verge of tears in his postgame press conference after their shock playoff exit on Saturday night. Despite being the Super Bowl favorites, the Lions fell at the very first hurdle in the Divisional round against the Washington Commanders, turning the ball over five times in a 45-31 loss at Ford Field.
The loss is a major blow for the city of Detroit, which had high hopes after a sensational regular season. The Lions claimed the NFC’s top seed for the first time ever with a 15-2 record. Campbell struggled to hold back his emotions during the press conference, saying, “It just hurts to lose, man. I don’t care if you’re the seven seed, six seed, five seed, one seed… cause I’ve lost all of them, damn near.” He added, “At the end of the day, I didn’t have them ready. It’s my fault. It’s my fault.”
The Lions were never in the game, trailing 31-21 at halftime and failing to recover from a poor first half that saw quarterback Jared Goff throw three interceptions and lose a fumble. Rookie Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, on the other hand, had a masterful game, completing 22 of his 31 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over once.
The loss marks the end of the Lions’ season and continues their wait for their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. The defeat is also a bitter pill to swallow for Campbell, who made headlines two weeks prior for his comment to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, saying, “I’ll see you in two weeks.” The remark was widely circulated in the media, and some critics claimed it brought extra motivation to the Vikings, who went on to lose to the LA Rams the following week. Now, the remark has come back to haunt Campbell and the Lions.