Lions’ Dan Campbell says getting ‘face kicked in’ against Panthers is the best thing for team

When Dan Campbell was named head coach of the Detroit Lions prior to the start of the 2021 NFL season, he set a unique tone, talking about how his Lions were going to “bite kneecaps” in an effort to fight until the very end for victories. However, his team was on the receiving end of a bully ball performance from the Carolina Panthers in Week 16, who ran for a franchise-record 320 rushing yards in their 37-23 home win. The loss halted the Lions’ climb up the NFC wild card standings as they had won six of their previous seven games entering the Week 16 debacle.

“Look, I’m just going to say this again, it stings,” Campbell said on Monday. “It’s awful. But man, it’s the best thing that could happen to us because I think no matter who you are, in whatever you do, some of your best work is when you get your face kicked in.”  

The face-kicking defeat dropped the Lions’ record to 7-8 and into a three-way tie with the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, all of whom sit half of a game behind the 7-7-1 Washington Commanders for the NFC’s seventh seed and final wild card spot with two games to play. Detroit’s final regular season matchups are against two NFC North rivals: home against the Chicago Bears in Week 17 and then at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18. According to Campbell, the Lions losing their margin for error may help them in the long run.

“I do know, man, when your back is against the wall and you get trodded on and everything is at its worst, either you stay down there, or you get up, and you come back motivated and upset with calculated energy and aggression, and man, you go,” Campbell said. “And there is a purpose. So I think this is the best thing for us.”