Dan Campbell Says He 'Won't Ever Forget' Lions' NFC Title Game Loss to 49ers
December 28, 2024
Even as his Detroit Lions thrive in 2024, head coach Dan Campbell is not forgetting how last season ended.
His 13-2 Lions are set to face the 6-9 San Francisco 49ers in the penultimate game of the regular season on Monday night, and while San Francisco is not playoff-bound this season, the 49ers were the team that eliminated the Lions in the 2023 NFC Championship Game.
Before the rematch, Campbell said that he will never forget that game and explained how tough losses like that "stick with you."
"Yeah, sure. Just like my second year in the league we go to the Super Bowl and get smashed by Baltimore. I won't ever forget that either. So those stick with you," Campbell said, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "We just didn't do enough. You learn from every experience. Unfortunately, that's the best way to learn, is from the losses. It really is."
Campbell also said he and the team are focused on game prep and going 1-0 each week.
"You don't want to go through that feeling again and that means you have to prepare a certain way, you have to play a certain way, everything that you talk about, per that opponent, for that week, and it's as simple as that," Campbell said, per Woodyard. "This is the next opponent in front of us and just keep your cool, keep your composure, stay disciplined, do the little things that it takes to win a game, and it really is that simple."
The Lions fell 34-31 to the 49ers in the NFC championship game before San Francisco lost 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. While the Lions didn't reach their first Super Bowl, the team made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and won a game for the first time since 1991.
With those milestones out of the way, Detroit is now focused on reaching the Super Bowl and taking home their first title. The Lions are currently battling for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and wins over the 49ers and Minnesota Vikings would secure that position.