The NFC North ended in a close affair last season, with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings finishing with an identical 9-8 record. However, since Minnesota swept Detroit in their regular-season games, HC Dan Campbell’s team ended up at #4 despite a winning record. Yet, he isn’t pointing any fingers to the team but himself.
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“It’s a gut punch,” Campbell said on the Brad Galli Show. “But you also know it’s your own fault, you know, ultimately, we’re responsible. There’s a number of things that played into that, and certainly I’ve got a hand in that. That’s the bottom line. I’m the head coach, and yeah, nine and eight, it’s not good enough. Not for where we want to go and the expectations and the players we have on this team…
“It’s not fair to Jared Goff and [Penei] Sewell and St. [Brown] and [Aidan] Hutchinson and all these guys that are putting in the work trying to do it right. I owe them that to make sure that I get this thing straight in all areas and hold them accountable, and they’ll hold everybody else accountable. So, it did not take long to get back up off the mat, and it doesn’t take much to get me motivated.”
For the first time since 2022, the Lions missed the playoffs. Surely, there were certain reasons behind a poor 2025 campaign for Dan Campbell’s team.
First off, following a 15–2 run in 2024, the Lions’ coaching staff was dismantled. They lost OC Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears (HC), DC Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets (HC), and six other assistants.
“Well, you learn. But I don’t think anybody necessarily tells you, ‘Hey, be ready to lose [eight] coaches in one year.’ Of course, that’s the plan. You’re going to lose some guys, you do it right and then the next guy, you can promote or you can go find guys. But when you’re talking about [eight coaches], that’s a tall task,” Campbell said.
The defense, newly overhauled, ranked 22nd, allowing 413 points (24.3 PPG). The offense, however, thrived.
With quarterback Jared Goff leading the charge, the offense scored 481 total points (28.3 PPG) and was ranked 4th in the NFL. Goff, in particular, threw for 4,564 yards while posting 34 touchdowns. Yet, it wasn’t enough for Dan Campbell and the Lions to get into the postseason.
But heading into the 2026 season, Campbell looks motivated to turn things around for the Lions. The Lions open 2026 at home against New Orleans on September 13, when we will see how the head coach and the team have changed things heading into a new season.