If you’ve watched the Detroit Lions long enough, you know one thing is always true: Dan Campbell is going to tell you exactly how he feels, good, bad, or somewhere in between. And on Monday, during his appearance on 97.1 the Ticket, the Lions’ head coach was as honest as ever when asked about the late-half timeout sequence during Detroit’s win over the Giants.
With the Lions trailing 20–14 late in the second quarter, Jared Goff ripped a 30-yard strike to Kalif Raymond. Instead of calling a timeout immediately, Campbell let the offense rush to the line and spike it, burning precious seconds and leaving Detroit with only one shot before kicking a field goal.
Fans questioned it. Analysts questioned it. And Campbell?
Yeah… he questioned it too.
Campbell: “Yeah, I should have used it there.”
Campbell didn’t dodge the discussion for a second. When asked why he didn’t stop the clock after Raymond’s big gain, he admitted the obvious.
“Yeah, I should have used it there. But it was like, look, we got one more,” Campbell said as quoted by Lions OnSI.
From there he explained the logic behind the decision, even if he thinks he could’ve executed it better.
“So, you can still take a shot at inbounds. Use the timeout. And then if you like where you’re at, throw it in the end zone or kick the field goal. But otherwise, yeah you can. And then if you don’t, you use the timeout and then you still got a clock situation and then you’re still in the same boat to where you’re going to have one play to decide what you’re going to do. But, if you just want to take three shots to the end zone, I’m with you.”
In classic Campbell fashion, he didn’t hide behind excuses.
“Is that something where I probably should have done it? Probably could have done it, but it’s in the moment, I was like, ‘Hey man, let’s just go ahead and clock it. We still got one time out. You don’t want to play for disaster either. But, if something happens, at least you still got it in your pocket, right?’”
Make no mistake, this is a coach who hears the criticism but doesn’t shy away from owning the moment.
Balancing Play-Calling and Game Management
One of the big talking points this season: Campbell adding offensive play-calling to his plate. With Ben Johnson gone, Campbell is once again calling plays for the first time in years, and that means juggling even more decisions in real time.
He knows he’s still getting back into rhythm.
“Well yeah. I think some of it is, the more I’m back in it and doing both, the better I’ll get. And look, I’m always going to want to do things better than I did the week before,” Campbell said.
Then he dropped a very Campbell-like analogy that every podcast host, teacher, or football coach can relate to:
“I think we’re all that way, right? I think you want your show to be better next week than it is this week, right?”
This is peak Dan. Honest. Self-aware. And completely uninterested in pretending everything went perfectly.
Dan Campbell on getting better at juggling play calling and managing game situations pic.twitter.com/eL1lj4lliS
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) November 25, 2025
The Bottom Line
Dan Campbell heard the criticism. He agrees with some of it. And he’s already moving on.
The Lions still got the win, still sit at 7–4, and still control a path toward a third straight NFC North title. And with Green Bay coming to town on Thanksgiving, Campbell knows every detail — including timeouts — matters.
But here’s the key: Detroit has a coach who’s not afraid to self-evaluate, adapt, and improve. And for a team with big goals, that kind of humility is a strength, not a flaw.
Dan Campbell is learning. The Lions are winning. And the season is just heating up.
Let’s eat.
