Detroit Lions Head coach Dan Campbell got emotional after his team was stunned at home by the Washington Commanders.
Campbell took responsibility for the surprise defeat of the Lions 45-31 during the divisional round of the playoffs.
“We just didn’t get it done,” Campbell said after the game. “It’s going to be something that I’m going to be, you know, I’m going to have a lot of time here to really look at it and think about it and understand it. How can we improve? What do we need to fix? The what, the why, the how, all of that.
Campbell became emotional moments later.
“It’s hard. You know, when you lose. When you lose these games, man. It’s like the players,” Campbell said, stopping to compose himself and fighting back tears. “What they put into it. Many people don’t know what they are going through. You have to get up, the bodies are beating (expletive). You know, stay mentally locked in and do these things. Long season.
The Lions entered the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time in team history after posting a franchise-record 15 wins. Detroit earned a first-round bye and entered Saturday as a heavy favorite against the Commanders.
But Jayden Daniels and the Commanders took control, outscoring Detroit 28-14 in the second quarter to take a 31-21 halftime advantage. Daniels and the Commanders were able to carry their momentum into the second half to upset the top-seeded Lions in Detroit.
The Lions gave up 481 total yards to Washington and committed five turnovers, including four by quarterback Jared Goff (three interceptions, one lost fumble).
“Unfortunate, obviously. It sucks,” Goff said. “The worst part of this job. You hate it when you feel like you’re letting guys down. You want to win these kinds of games at home.
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This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Dan Campbell’s post-match press conference: show of emotion for the Lions coach
