Dan Campbell’s Full Comments After Lions’ Loss to Bills
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke after his team’s tough 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, addressing his team’s performance, the injuries, and his role in the defeat.
On the Bills’ Readiness and the Lions’ Effort:
“First off, credit to the Bills. They came out ready to play, and we expected that, especially after their tough loss on the West Coast. We knew they’d come with a sense of urgency. Unfortunately, we couldn’t match that intensity.
They were the better team today. I told the guys that I didn’t have them fully prepared for this game, especially against a team like Buffalo. That’s on me. Some of our players didn’t play to their usual level, and that’s a reflection of me not getting them ready.
The effort was there, the guys fought hard, but we made too many small mistakes that ended up costing us. We knew better than to give them any opportunities, but we did, and they capitalized on it.
It’s a tough loss, but at least we now know where we stand against one of the AFC’s top teams. We weren’t good enough today. But, as I told the team, whether we won or lost, nothing changes.
We still have to focus on winning next week, and that’s the bottom line. We need to regroup and get ready for the next challenge.”
On Self-Inflicted Mistakes:
“Yeah, it’s frustrating because I really thought we could have played better.
It wasn’t just about the plays they made; I can accept that. What hurts is when we make mistakes that hand them opportunities.
It’s tough knowing we gave them something, and I felt like we helped them more than we should have. That’s the part that really frustrates me.”
On Injuries Impacting the Defense:
“I’m not buying the injury excuse. We can be better, and we should’ve been better.
I understand they’re a talented team, but they had more urgency than we did today. That’s on us. We’ve got to be better, regardless of who’s out there.”
On Josh Allen’s Mobility and the Lions’ Defensive Struggles:
“Josh Allen is a tough quarterback, and we knew he would be a challenge, especially when he’s out of the pocket. He made a few plays scrambling, and we couldn’t contain him as well as we needed to.
We tried to keep him in the pocket with certain coverages, but we didn’t execute well enough. It’s hard to stop a guy like that, but we had to do a better job of containing him.
There were also moments on third down where we had opportunities to pressure him, but we couldn’t capitalize.
Another issue was that while our defense struggled to stop them, our offense also couldn’t answer when we needed to.
We didn’t complement each other well today. When the offense was moving, we couldn’t stop them, and vice versa.”
On the Lions’ Deficiencies vs. the Bills’ Performance:
“I think the bottom line is that we just didn’t match the level of intensity and execution that the Bills brought.
I felt like I didn’t have them prepared like we’ve been in previous weeks. When you face a team like Buffalo or Kansas City, you can’t afford to be off your game. You have to be at your best, and we weren’t. That’s on me.”
On the Decision to Try the Onside Kick:
“I decided to go for the onside kick because I thought we could recover it and gain possession.
It was a great kick by Jake Bates, probably one of his best. Unfortunately, Mack Hollins made a great play on it, and they ended up recovering.
Looking back, especially after they took it down to the three-yard line, I wish I hadn’t gone for it, but that’s hindsight. At the time, I thought it was the right decision.”
On Running Back David Montgomery’s Injury:
“David Montgomery got banged up during the game. But honestly, the bigger issue was that we never got our run game going. We only had 15 rushing attempts, and we just couldn’t find any rhythm.
This is the second week in a row we’ve struggled to run the ball, and it’s frustrating. It’s not a matter of the defense being too good; it’s on us. We’re better than this, and we need to get our running game back on track.”
On Quarterback Jared Goff’s Performance:
“Jared Goff played outstanding today. He had 59 attempts, and that’s a lot to ask of any quarterback. But he rose to the occasion and played at a very high level.
Without his performance, we wouldn’t have had much of a chance to stay in this game.
It was top-notch play from him, and he kept us competitive despite the struggles around him.”
On the Injuries to Khalil Dorsey, Alim McNeill, and Carlton Davis III:
“Khalil Dorsey’s injury looks like it will keep him out for the rest of the season.
It’s a tough break, and it’s a similar injury to what Aidan Hutchinson is dealing with. As for Alim McNeill and Carlton Davis III, I don’t have any definitive updates right now.
I don’t feel good about either one of those guys, but we’ll know more tomorrow. Typically, when I say I don’t feel good about it, that usually means they won’t be back this season.”
“I don’t really think about playoff readiness at this point.
We weren’t ready to play today, and that’s the focus for me. We couldn’t execute the way we needed to win this game, and we fell short.
Against an opponent like the Bills, you have to be locked in from the start, and we weren’t. It’s frustrating, and it’s something I have to take responsibility for.
I have to do a better job of getting the team prepared and urgent for games like this. We can’t afford to come out flat.
It’s a hard loss to swallow, but it’s part of the game. We can’t dwell on it. We’ll move on, refocus, and prepare for Chicago.”
“Today, we weren’t good enough. We made too many mistakes, we didn’t execute at the level we needed to, and we didn’t complement each other.
That’s a tough pill to swallow. But this game shows us where we need to improve. The players are frustrated, and I’m frustrated too. But there’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves.
We’ve got a tough opponent next week, and we have to bounce back. It starts with me. I need to do a better job preparing this team for the challenges ahead.”