If there’s one thing Dan Campbell has proven over the years, it’s that he’s never afraid to tell it like it is, win or lose. And after a disappointing home loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions head coach made it clear that he’s not panicking, even as critics start to question whether this team can live up to its Super Bowl expectations.
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Campbell Keeps It Real About the Pressure
Speaking to reporters before Friday’s practice, Campbell didn’t shy away from the fact that this season feels different. Detroit is no longer the scrappy underdog or the team flying under the radar. After last year’s 15-2 regular season, the Lions entered 2025 with a target on their backs, and Campbell knew the pressure was coming.
“I told the team before it started, the reality is when you win 15 games and you only lose two in a season, then boy, it’s going to be looked at differently when you lose a game,” Campbell said as quoted by Lions OnSI. “And surely if you lose more than two games, people are going to ask, ‘What’s going on?’ I told our guys to be ready for that.”
Campbell’s words hit with the blunt honesty Lions fans have come to expect. He even acknowledged that Detroit could lose more games this year, and still be the better team by the end of the season.
“Hell, there’s a chance we may lose more than two games this year, guys. And that doesn’t mean anything,” Campbell continued. “We could be a better team. By the end of the year, you’re a better team than you were with 15-2. And I don’t know what that record is, but that’s a real thing. I think that’s going to happen.”
From the Hunted to the Hunter
After becoming the No. 1 seed in the NFC last year, the Lions were suddenly everyone’s measuring stick, the team to beat. Now, after a few tough breaks and a mounting injury list, Campbell doesn’t mind that some are starting to doubt Detroit again. In fact, he seems to welcome it.
“I know, I kind of like it though,” Campbell said with a grin. “It’s good to be a little bit of an afterthought again. It’s nice. It’s like, ‘Hey man, all good.’ There are some teams playing some good football, and we’re whatever — and that’s all good, man. This is good. We’ll just go about our business over in the corner and get our stuff right and come out humming. So, it’s good.”
The Bottom Line
Campbell’s message is clear, the Lions don’t need validation from anyone outside their locker room. Detroit’s 2025 season hasn’t been perfect, but Campbell believes in the process, in the grit, and in the players who got them to this point.
Whether the Lions finish 13-4, 11-6, or even worse, Campbell doesn’t seem worried about the number in the loss column, he’s focused on how his team looks in January.
And knowing Dan Campbell, that “humming” he’s talking about might be the sound of a team that finds its rhythm just in time for another playoff run.