The Detroit Lions don’t have the same kind of schedule advantage they enjoyed during last year’s 15-2 regular season run. Instead of coasting through mostly indoor games and a weak AFC South, 2025 offers a true gauntlet: seven outdoor games and 11 matchups against playoff teams from a season ago. But Dan Campbell isn’t flinching — in fact, he loves it.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Campbell made it clear that this kind of challenge is exactly what he wants for his team. “There’s no room for complacency,” he said. “We’re not going to deal with entitlement.”
As for the brutal slate ahead? Campbell embraced it with one of his now-signature lines: “By the end of the year, we should be scarred up and ready to go, hardened for battle and ready for the playoffs. And there’ll be nothing easy about it. Just to get through our own division is going to be brutal — but it’s the right kind of brutal.”
That kind of mindset is exactly why Campbell’s become one of the most respected — and quotable — coaches in the league. He’s not looking for an easy ride. He’s looking to forge a contender through fire.
No Complacency Here: Campbell Says Lions Will Be ‘Hardened for the Playoffs’
