Dan Campbell typically doesn’t look too far ahead or reflect too much on the past, but for a moment Monday, the Detroit Lions’ ultra-confident head coach allowed himself a moment of perspective.
Gearing up for his second postseason with the Lions, Campbell referenced the whirlwind nature of his four-year tenure in Detroit.
“We’ve had attention for four years here,” Campbell, 48, said. “There’s been more stuff that’s been made out, that’s been built one way. We’ve been so good. We’ve been so bad. We’re a laughing stock. Now we’re great. And it’s just been this roller coaster of ups and downs. This is the next week of it. This is nothing new that we’re in.”
It may be nothing new for this Detroit regime, but for the generations of Lions fans who predate Campell’s arrival, these waters are as uncharted as they get.
Long the lovable losers of the NFL, the Lions are one of only four teams to never make it to a Super Bowl, let alone win one.
The Lions failed to even win a playoff game between 1957 and 1992, and then again from 1992 to 2024. The great Barry Sanders finished his Hall of Fame career with only one playoff victory.
Detroit endured 16 seasons with double-digit losses in a 26-year span from 1996 to 2021 — a stretch that included the first 0-16 season in NFL history in 2008.
But those are the old Lions.
Detroit enters Saturday night’s divisional-round playoff game against the Washington Commanders as Vegas’ Super Bowl favorites.
They tied for the NFL’s best record at 15-2, earning them the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. The .882 win percentage was the best in the history of the Lions, who debuted in 1930.
Their high-powered offense led the NFL at 33.2 points per game and produced three players who scored double-digit touchdowns in running backs Jahmyr Gibbs (20) and David Montgomery (12) and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (12).
And they pulverized the 14-win Minnesota Vikings, 31-9, in Week 18 to clinch the NFC North.
“We came into this year ready for games like this, ready for games like last week, ready for these big-time games, and wanted to have everything run through Detroit,” quarterback Jared Goff said Tuesday. “Now we’ve got our opportunity to do that. It’s right here in front of us. We’ve got to go take advantage of it.”
It all started with Campbell, a former journeyman tight end with a hulking physique and larger-than-life presence. He raised eyebrows during his introductory Lions press conference in January 2021 when he described instilling a hard-nosed culture in which his players would, metaphorically, bite off their opponents’ kneecaps.
Less than two weeks later, the Lions traded franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for a package that included Goff and two first-round picks.
The Lions were fresh off of their third consecutive season with at least 10 losses. They would lose another 13 games in Campbell’s first season, but his impact started translating into wins shortly thereafter.
Detroit went 9-8 in 2022 and narrowly missed the playoffs.
Then last season, the Lions went 12-5 and snapped their playoff drought, picking up two postseason wins to advance to the NFC Championship Game.
Detroit led the San Francisco 49ers, 24-7, at halftime of that NFC Championship Game, but the Niners came roaring back to beat the Lions, 34-31. Controversially, Campbell attempted — and failed — to convert a pair of fourth downs in the second half rather than settle for field goals, contributing to the loss.
But aggressiveness remains a calling card of Campbell. This season, the Lions were successful on 22 fourth downs, two shy of the NFL lead. That was out of 33 attempts, giving them a 66.7% conversion rate that ranked seventh in the league.
And his players love him.
Left tackle Taylor Decker told The Athletic that Campbell was the “best leader” he’s ever met. Goff said Campbell was among the smartest coaches, too.
“I mean, not that long ago, people were wearing paper bags over their heads to games here,” wide receiver Jameson Williams told The Athletic. “Now we got the loudest stadium in the league.”
The Lions hope to give their fans more reasons to cheer Saturday — and beyond.
“It’s an exciting time in Detroit,” St. Brown said Tuesday. “It has been for the past few years. We’ve got something special going. We’ve got to keep going, obviously, but I feel like we have a lot of things to root for on this team. A lot of players, coaches, whatever it may be. And the fans know they deserve it.”