“Make him go backwards,” Lions HC Dan Campbell gives WITTY reply to question on tackling Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in 2023 season opener

Campbell and the Lions will take on the Chiefs on September 7.

“Make him go backwards,” Lions HC Dan Campbell gives WITTY reply to question on tackling Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in 2023 season opener

(L) Dan Campbell; (R) Patrick Mahomes (Via Imago)

The Detroit Lions have a weird optimism about themselves heading into the 2023 season. They are expected to be the surprise team of the year. Last season, the Lions had a great offense under OC Ben Johnson and are expected to build on it this season. Head coach Dan Campbell has created a culture in Detroit that is based on defense and always fighting till the end.

While talking to the media, Campbell was asked about their opening week fixture against the Kansas City Chiefs and their strategy to tackle QB Patrick Mahomes. Campbell gave a very witty reply to the question. He was asked if the Lions’ strategy to slow down Mahomes would be to force him to go left, to which Campbell replied saying,“Make him go backwards.”

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He later on praised Mahomes and said, “This guy is…he’s tough, you know. That’s the easy answer to all of this. He is a highly competitive, highly instinctive, aware player. He is the engine in this offense, everything runs through him. He makes it go.” Campbell also commended the chemistry of Mahomes and his All-Pro TE Travis Kelce and shed some light on how they will stop the Chiefs’ offense. “There is a way to, I think, limit what they do a little bit and it’s going to take everyone of us over there defensively.”

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The Lions will visit Kansas City to play the first game of the 2023 NFL season on September 7. The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions and will be looking to repeat the feat. The Lions, on the other hand, finished with a winning record of 9-8 last season but missed the playoffs. They will hope to get into the playoffs this season. Campbell is an early fan favorite to win the Coach of the Year award this year.

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Can the Lions make the playoffs this season?

Detroit Lions players
Detroit Lions players (via Sports Illustrated)

The Detroit Lions had a poor start to the 2022 season. After losing 6 of their first 7 games, they had a mini renaissance mid-season and finished with a record of 9-8. They narrowly missed the playoffs because of Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. They eventually gave the Seahawks the playoff spot.

The Lions have created an identity for themselves based on defense and HC Dan Campbell has done a terrific job at the helm. They traded for QB Jared Goff at the beginning of 2021 in a swap that sent former QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams. Ben Johnson was promoted to OC for last season and the Lions had one of the best offenses in the league.

The pieces are there to make a playoff run. The Lions will hope it all comes together this season for them. They will need to start well this season though, and it won’t be easy with their first game being against the defending Super Bowl champions in Arrowhead Stadium.

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