Dan Campbell had an extraordinary season in his second year as head coach of the Detroit Lions. There were many questions around him after a 3-13-1 record in 2021. However, he managed to turn things around. A big surprise in the NFL.
The 2022 season was a totally different story for the Lions. Though they started 1-6, Detroit won eight of their last ten games to climb back in the playoff hunt. They eliminated the Packers in the last game of the year at Lambeau Field, but a Seahawks’ victory against the Rams prior to the kickoff left them out.
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That prime-time win against Aaron Rodgers showed the NFL that the Lions are for real and now they got their reward. After the 2023 schedule release, Detroit will visit Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the season’s opener. Dan Campbell talked about being in the spotlight for the first time in years.
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If the Detroit Lions are ready to fight for the playoffs, there’s no better way to test themselves than at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. Head coach Dan Campbell acknowledged that during an interview at Good Morning Football.
“Certainly we’re beginning to get noticed. That’s what it means. And not only that, but we get Kansas City, the heavyweight champ. So we’re excited. I think everybody wants an opportunity to play the champ and see where you stack up. I know what Andy Reid’s about. We know what that team’s about. Highly competitive, they’re a champ. We are looking forward to it. It’s gonna be great.”
Furthermore, Dan Campbell admitted a good performance against the Chiefs could impact in a positive way their Week 2 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at home. He even talked about it with his offensive and defensive coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn.
“I was like, man, the day before it came out, if we could pull off somehow the Thursday Night game, the opener, that would be unbelievable. Just because you get good work in, you play that game, you get ten days to recover, game plan, get ready for the next opponent (Seattle), and I’ll be danged if we didn’t draw it.”
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However, Campbell knows this comes with a great responsibility on national television against the defending champions. According to the head coach, the fact of being considered means the NFL believes they’re ready to avoid a blowout in the big stage. “You’re going to be expected to lose another game if you can beat the Chiefs.”
