Dan Campbell makes heartbreaking admission about Lions' loss

After three decades of struggles and terrible seasons, the Detroit Lions were finally able to win their first NFC North Division banner and make it to the NFC Championship Game. Unfortunately, they’re still one of the few teams that have never been to a Super Bowl.

Dan Campbell’s side had everything going for them to put an end to that drought. They were up 17 points early against the San Francisco 49ers, but they couldn’t hold onto that advantage.

Their uber-aggressive decision-making wound up hurting them when it mattered the most, going 1-for-3 on third down and failing to take some points that would’ve been crucial late in the game.

With that in mind, the coach shared a harsh and emotional message after the loss, letting all of his players know that this might have been it for them and they may never get another chance to play on the biggest stage.

Dan Campbell Knows This May Have Been Their Only Chance

Of course, Campbell did say that he fully believes in this team’s ability to get back to this point. Nonetheless, he knows it’s not going to be easy, so he didn’t want them to take this opportunity for granted:

Dan Campbell

“I told those guys, this may have been our only shot,” Campbell told the media after the game. “Do I think that? 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.”

Campbell Won’t Think About The Future Now

Campbell knows the team is still in a position to stay competitive for years to come, especially if they keep adding more talent to their roster. However, he also knows the rest of the league will also get better and more prepared to face them:

“I don’t care how much better we get or what we add or what we draft,” Campbell said. “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. So it’s hard. You wanna make the most of every opportunity. And we had an opportunity and we couldn’t close it out.”

This was a heartbreaking way to end an inspiring season, especially because they were so close to finally getting over the hump. Then again, this team is young and should have plenty left in the tank to get to this stage.

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2024 playoffs: 49ers" win against the Lions could end a longtime NFL curse

Coach Campbell has made them believe. Despite the final score, this team has finally built and developed a winning culture, and that was the toughest part. The wins will come as a result.