It was just a few weeks ago that the Detroit Lions and head coach Dan Campbell were the darlings of the NFL, the rare Super Bowl favorite that doubled as a Cinderella story.
But following a slew of devastating injuries to their defense and a 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills that snapped an 11-game winning streak, the Lions seemingly find themselves with their backs against the ropes heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.
Don’t, however, tell that to Dan Campbell, who still has unwavering belief in his team. That much was evident during his weekly appearance on 97.1 The Ticket’s Costa and Jansen With Heather on Tuesday morning.
“You know what happens is you win 11 in a row and you lose and then the sky falls,” Campbell said. “I hate to say it, but we’re not going to be able to win 11 in a row again for the rest of this season. We’re just not going to be able to do it.
“What happens is you get used to eating filet — and I’m talking all of us — and everything’s good. Life’s good. But you forgot what it’s like when you had nothing and you ate your f***ing molded bread. And it was just fine. And it gave you everything you needed. And sometimes you’ve got to get punched in the mouth and remember what it used to be like to really appreciate where you are. And we’ll do that.
“And so we’ve got a bad taste in our mouth. We got kicked around the other day, we lost a few guys. And you know what? It’s exactly what we needed. This is exactly what we needed.”
It’s unclear whether that bad taste is connected to the molded bread. In any event, Dan Campbell wasn’t done there.
“So we’re going to bounce back, we’re going to respond. We’ve got guys that are about to have an unbelievable opportunity here. And we will play the game any way needed to win. We still got a good offense. We’ve got plenty of defensive players. I could go rattle them off right now. We’re going to put the best 11 out on the field. We’re going to freakin’ cut it loose. We’re going to play with our special teams.
“And I don’t give a crap whether we gotta win by one point for the rest of the year, that’s what we’re going to do. And I’m gonna be happy about it. We come out of the game with 50 yards of total offense and we win by one? You’re going to see smiles on my face. I promise you. If it’s the other way, defensively we give up 700 yards and we win by one point, you’re going to see a f***ing smile from my ear to ear, alright? I can promise you. So we’re going to find a way and we’re going to get it done.”
#Lions HC Dan Campbell was FIRED up this morning on @costaandjansen, addressing their injuries, how they’ll overcome them, and even dropping two F-bombs while at it.
This is a must-watch. 🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/Qv6mMfJTvD
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 17, 2024
While the show’s producers likely didn’t appreciate Dan Campbell’s colorful language, it’s hard to imagine 97.1 The Ticket isn’t getting its money’s worth with the head coach’s weekly hit. All things considered, it’s hard to find a head coach who fits his fanbase better than Detroit’s does — even if they had to eat a lot of molded bread before finding him.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.