Inside the Article:
Every inch, yard, and game in the NFL is a gift. You have to fight and claw and dig for every win, and after last week, Dan Campbell's message to the Detroit Lions is as foundational as sprints at practice. When asked if he would consider this year a success if the team does not make the playoffs, Campbell had the following to say:
To me success would be winning this game right now, you know, to bounce back after a tough loss and get back on track. And to me, this is our recalibrate week. We're gonna recalibrate, man.
Detroit Lions Head Coach, Dan Campbell – 12-28 Press Conference
In 2021, the Detroit Lions won 3 games. While many fans would like to say the team played better than their record suggests, at the end of the day, the only stat that matters is the final score. In 2022, the Detroit Lions have more than doubled their win total and have strung together a series of wins that have had national media saying the Detroit Lions are one of the most potent offenses in the NFL and that teams were SCARED to play them come Sunday.
“When the Lions offense is clicking, it’s one of the most exciting units in the NFL and it was clicking on Sunday. …The Lions are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the NFL and if they keep winning, they might soon enter the NFC wild card conversation.”
CBS Sports’ John Breech
In an article for NFL.com, columnist Adam Schein outlined nine predictions that he believes will not change. One of these predictions is that the Detroit Lions will be strong contenders in the latter part of the season.
“The 10-2 Vikings and 7-5 Jets are up next, and both should be on alert. Then Detroit finishes off the season against Carolina (current record: 4-8), Chicago (3-10) and Green Bay (5-8). Could Detroit finish this season with seven or eight wins? Absolutely,” he writes.
Adam Schein NFL.com Contributing Columnist
Apparently, in Carolina, they didn't get that cable channel, missed that memo, and played like a team with everything to lose.
The Detroit Lions let the game get ahead of them
While the 6-game-winning streak ended, the Lions are sitting at 7-8 and fighting for a wildcard spot. This, by any measure, is beyond what many analysts consider a success after last year, as many analysts (including this one) had the Lions winning maybe 5-6 games this year.
The Detroit Lions let the talk go to their head and stopped looking at the next yard, next inch. Instead, they were planning a Wild Card game that has yet to be determined. They got punched in the mouth while they were looking the other way, and hopefully, it will serve as a reminder. This is Detroit. No one gives us anything.
Dan Campbell's Message
Dan Campbell is looking to bring his team back to the fundamentals and realizes that the messaging needs to be clear.
We were doing some good things. We found a pretty good spot in what we were doing and how we needed to do it. And, we got a little outta line and so let's just do a little realignment, recalibration, and then go back to work cuz we're not far off as bad as some of it was, it's, honestly, not as bad as it appears to be.
Detroit Lions Head Coach, Dan Campbell – 12-28 Press Conference
So, you know, it's like I told those guys this morning, I'm like, forget this. Forget anything else. But man, the work is on us in Chicago. It's gotta be; it's gotta be. And then you do that. Guess what? You give yourself one more week to see where you're at.
