Dan Campbell had his Detroit Lions two quarters away from a trip to the Super Bowl. The opportunity slipped through their fingers this time, but for a team on the upward trajectory, there's always next season, right? Not so fast, according to Campbell.
“I told those guys, this may have been our only shot,” Campbell admitted to reporters speaking after his team's 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game on Sunday, courtesy of ESPN's Instagram account.
While Campbell made it clear he hasn't lost faith in his team, he also didn't sugarcoat how difficult making another trip to a conference title game will be in 2024.
“Do I think that (it was our last shot)? No. Do I believe that? No. However, I know how hard it is to get here. I’m well aware. And it’s gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year. That’s the reality.
“And if we don’t have the same hunger and the same work — which is a whole ‘nother thing once we get to the offseason — then we got no shot of getting back here.
Lions will need improvement, luck in 2024
Even accounting for improvements made via free agency and the draft, Campbell knows that his Lions aren't going to sneak up on anyone next season. In fact, teams will be eager to knock his resurgent team back down a few pegs.
“I don’t care how much better we get or what we add or what we draft. It’s irrelevant. It’s gonna be tough. Everybody in our division’s gonna be loaded back up.
“And, you know, you’re not hiding from anybody anymore. Everybody’s gonna want a piece of you. Which is fine, you know. Which is fine.”
One thing you have to acknowledge about Campbell — he is honest to himself and his team, and he is accountable for everything that happens to the Lions organization.
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