Following a heart-breaking 31–24 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Packers, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell held nothing back. He acknowledged the frustration, the criticism — and reaffirmed his belief in the team’s identity, insisting that many of the controversial calls still made sense in concept.
One of the most criticized aspects? Detroit’s aggressive fourth-down strategy. The Lions failed on both attempts against Green Bay — and for the first time in a while, those fourth-down gambles did not pay off. Campbell admitted the call on one of them was “poor,” but maintained the overall approach reflected his trust in the players and what he believed was their best shot at winning.
Campbell didn’t shy away from the emotions either. “We’ve dug ourselves a little bit of a hole,” he said. But he didn’t throw in the towel — instead, he told his locker-room and the fans that Detroit must “clean up the tape,” learn from the mistakes, and refocus for the games ahead.
He also explained the rationale behind the Lions’ time-consuming final possession — trailing by 10, Detroit tried to bleed the clock and get one last shot, confident that their offense could deliver. The attempt didn’t succeed, but Campbell said the clock-control plan was logically sound and should be understood within the context of how he sees the game.
In short: yes — the critics are loud. Yes — some calls backfired. But Campbell isn’t shying away. He’s owning it, defending his philosophy, and promising that Detroit will respond. For Lions fans, it’s a reminder that even in disappointment, the fight isn’t over — and the next chance to prove it is already on the calendar.
Campbell Addresses Game-Management Criticism After Packers Loss
