The Detroit Lions earned a hard-fought 40-34 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, but not without some concerns on the defensive side of the ball. Despite the win, the Lions defense allowed 475 yards to the potent 49ers offense, raising questions about their readiness for the upcoming playoffs. Head coach Dan Campbell addressed the defensive performance following the game, sharing his thoughts on the team's preparation for postseason play.
Improvement Needed, but Confidence Remains
When asked about the defense's performance and whether they were playoff-ready, Campbell didn’t shy away from the truth. “For me, it’s, ‘Do you want to play a little bit better?’ Yeah, you do in areas,” Campbell admitted. The Lions' defense struggled at times against the 49ers, but Campbell expressed confidence in their ability to improve. “We calmed some things down in the second half, (defensive coordinator) A.G. and those guys did a good job, and we talked about, man, disruption and takeaways and we got those.”
Complementing Each Other Across Units
Campbell emphasized that despite the defensive struggles, the key to the Lions' success lies in how well all three units—offense, defense, and special teams—complement each other. “I feel good, because I know that the most important thing is that we do complement each other,” Campbell said. “When we need it, offense has got to show up, and defense, if we’re not able to score, then they’ve got to show up and we did that.”
A Well-Rounded Team
Looking ahead to the playoffs, Campbell pointed out the importance of the special teams, a unit that hasn’t yet received enough attention. “We’ve still got special teams, that we haven’t even talked about yet,” he said. With all three phases of the game working together, Campbell believes the team will be ready for whatever challenges lie ahead. “We’ll be fine, we’ll be fine,” Campbell assured.
While there are areas for improvement, especially on defense, the Lions' ability to make adjustments, disrupt the opponent, and complement each other across the board will be key as they enter the playoffs.
