(Video) ‘Emotional’ Dan Campbell almost tears up after Lions’ embarrassing playoff loss: “It’s my fault”
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was extremely emotional after losing to the Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional round game.
Follow Us
Dan Campbell (Image via IMAGO)
If anyone knew facing the Washington Commanders would be no walk in the park, then it was Dan Campbell. Despite leading the Detroit Lions to a 15-2 regular season finish (first time in franchise history), the NFC North side crashed out on their first hurdle in the playoffs.
Detroit bagged the top seed in the NFC, and with it, a bye week while the Commanders had to get past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card. Jayden Daniels threw for 265+ yards and 2 touchdowns and continued the same form against the Lions on Saturday. The second overall pick in the 2024 draft completed 299 yards and 2 touchdowns besides 16 defense-splitting carries.
Moreover, Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff, who had been blemish-free for the majority of the season, turned the ball over three times—twice to cornerback Mike Sainristill and a third to Jeremy Chinn.
Dan Campbell was visibly emotional during his postgame press conference after the Lions' loss to the Commanders. pic.twitter.com/NIREn7qgRv
— ESPN (@espn) January 19, 2025
Jameson Williams, in an attempt to pull off a trick play, further conceded a pick-six to safety Quan Martin. At one point, Campbell took Goff out of the field and replaced him with Teddy Bridgewater, who contributed a touchdown, but it mattered little.
Dan Campbell became emotional during the post-game press conference
Campbell is among the few who keep his heart on his sleeve. Under his tutelage, the Lions turned their fortune around because he experienced the bottom of the barrel in his playing days when the Detroit franchise finished 0-16. Lions’ fans dared to dream big as he led the team to consecutive NFC North titles.
The loss to the Commanders brought them back down to the ground. In the post-game press conference, the 48-year-old became very emotional and took the blame for the defeat onto himself.
Dan Campbell said
I didn’t have them ready. A lot of people don’t know what they go through. They have to get up, bodies beat to s***, mentally stay locked in, and do those things. It just hurts to lose, man… I don’t care if you’re the 7-seed, 6-seed, 5-seed, or 1-seed, because I’ve lost all of them. The loss is my fault; They earned that win, and we didn’t.
— Ari M (@AriMeirov) January 19, 2025
Goff wasn’t happy with his performance either. He was very economical in throwing picks throughout the year until conceding two against the Minnesota Vikings on the final week of the regular season. The trajectory continued against the Commanders.
I wish I could have played a little bit better. Wish I could have taken care of the ball a little better. The pick six is really the one I’d like back. That was just a poor decision by me. It’s on me. I have to take care of it better.
Jared Goff said via the Detroit Lions official transcript
Jared Goff speaks to the media after the Lions’ loss to the Commanders.
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 19, 2025
(via @Lions) pic.twitter.com/u3okz2sRbP
Goff finished the year with 390 completions for 4629 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 12 INTs. He signed a $50 million-a-year deal before the campaign began, so Campbell has his quarterback for the next few seasons to get back to the NFC Championship game once more.
Related: Former Eagles RB highlights Saquon Barkley’s surprising weakness
Stay Updated!
Ishan Misra
(3049 Articles Published)