DETROIT – A historic season ended with familiar pain for the Detroit Lions.
Playing as the NFC’s top seed for the first time since seeding began in 1975, the Lions lost to the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders 45-31 in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.
Head coach Dan Campbell kept his postgame statement brutally honest with players following last year’s NFC Championship, telling the team “this may have been our only shot.” Speaking to the media following Saturday night’s upset, Campbell was blunt and emotional again.
Here are the four biggest takeaways from Campbell’s postgame press conference:
No moral victories
The Lions achieved a 15-win season for the first time in franchise history, but no amount of firsts or an appreciation of civic pride reduces the sting of coming up short.
“It’s not the time to talk about what a great year or how many wins, because at this moment I don’t think any of us feel that way. The whole point of doing what you do is to get to the show, man. It’s why you play this game. And we fell short.”
Turning attention to turnovers
With 11 drives each, the Lions and Commanders finished with similar yardage (481 vs. 521), but turnover woes plagued Detroit. Jared Goff was picked off three times and lost a fumble, while Jameson Williams was also intercepted, creating a 5-0 turnover margin. 21 of Washington’s points came off turnovers, including a pick six by Quan Martin in the second quarter to take a 24-14 deficit.
“You need a stop, we don’t get a stop. When we do get a stop, we turn the ball over. We just didn’t complement each other. As everybody knows, you turn the ball over five times—and the last one’s whatever, so call it four, that’s fine—that’s too much. It’s too hard against a team like that to come back. We tried. We just couldn’t get over the hump.”
Jayden Daniels is a star
Washington’s rookie quarterback excelled again, leading the franchise to its first conference championship appearance since 1991 against Detroit. The second overall pick finished 22 of 31 with 299 yards passing and two touchdowns to go with another 51 yards rushing, joining Joe Flacco as the second rookie QB to knock off a top-seeded team in NFL history (Baltimore over Tennessee, 2009).
Reporter: “Did you think Daniels might play like a ten-year veteran today?”
Campbell: “Yes. The tape says so. We knew we were going to have our hands full. He’s a good player.”
‘It’s my fault’
Choking back tears, Campbell expressed appreciation for the sacrifices his players put in throughout the season. Ultimately, he said he alone should shoulder blame for having 12 men on the field on fourth-and-2 from the 5-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter.
“It’s hard when you lose these games. I just like the players. A lot of people don’t know what they go through. You have to get up. Your body is beat to s***. Mentally stay locked in and do those things. Long season…it’s my fault.”