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49ers loss will forever haunt Dan Campbell but Detroit Lions lessons learned crucial
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- 49ers loss will forever haunt Dan Campbell but Detroit Lions lessons learned crucial
Some losses take longer to get over than others. Some losses are impossible to forget altogether.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell has been a part of a few of those.
In 2000, Campbell was a tight end on the New York Giants team that went to the Super Bowl and lost, 34-7, to the Baltimore Ravens . The Giants turned the ball over five times and scored their only touchdown of the game on a third-quarter kick return.
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Nearly two decades later, Campbell was an assistant coach on a New Orleans Saints team that won 13 games in the regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Saints had a chance to run the clock down late in regulation and kick the winning field goal against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game, but officials missed an obvious pass interference penalty and New Orleans lost in overtime.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff talks to center Frank Ragnow before a snap against 49ers during the first half of the NFC championship game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
And last year, Campbell suffered the most crushing defeat of his head-coaching career when the Lions lost the NFC championship game to the San Francisco 49ers . They built a 17-point halftime lead, then squandered it in a tornado of self-inflicted second-half mistakes .
"Those stick with you and we just didn't do enough," Campbell said Saturday at Lions facility in Allen Park. "You learn from every experience and unfortunately, that's the best way to learn, is from the losses. It really is."
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The Lions travel to San Francisco on Monday night for a rematch against the 49ers team that brought their 2023 season to a crashing halt in January.
Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said the game played out "like a horror movie." Cornerback Kindle Vildor said he has extra motivation Monday because of what happened last year. And Campbell said the hurt from that game still lingers but he has learned to compartmentalize it to focus on the here and now.
"You don't want to go through that feeling again," Campbell said. "That means you got to prepare a certain way, you got to play a certain way, everything that you talk about, for that opponent, for that week, and it's as simple as that, man. This is the next opponent in front of us and just keep your cool, keep your composure, stay disciplined, do the little things that it takes to win a game, and it really is that simple."
The Lions and 49ers have traveled different paths since that game 11 months ago.
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The Lions are 13-2 and favored to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in February. They set a franchise record for victories with last week's 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears .
DAVE BIRKETT: Lions vs. 49ers scouting report and prediction
While the Lions have exceeded expectations in some ways this season — they have the NFL's No. 1-ranked scoring offense and No. 7-ranked scoring defense and have mostly rolled through a schedule that ranks among the league's 10 toughest this season despite losing seven starters to injured reserve — the 49ers have spiraled the other way.
Ravaged by injuries and lacking the depth to overcome some of their losses, the 49ers have lost five of their past six games to be eliminated from playoff contention and face questions about whether their window to win a Super Bowl has expired.
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At 6-9, they're in last place in the NFC West with two games to play. They've topped 17 points once in the past six weeks. And they'll take the field Monday without offensive stars Christian McCaffrey , Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams , all of whom are on injured reserve.
Records aside, Lions players said this week there is no taking the 49ers lightly. The team for all its struggles this year still has star players on both sides of the ball in George Kittle , Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa .
49ers tight end George Kittle recovers the Lions' onside kick during the second half of the Lions' 34-31 loss in the NFC championship game in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
"Those guys still play hard," cornerback Amik Robertson said. "They still play hard and we can't and we won't look over that. We're going to go out there and play our style of football. We ain't about to make this a trap game or whatever."
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The Lions have breezed past most of the inferior teams on their schedule this season, winning the seven games they've played against teams currently with losing records by a combined score of 252-85.
They're 7-0 on the road, and regardless of their opponent Monday and the pain that opponent inflicted on them last year, Campbell said his team would be driven this week by its place in the standings and what it still needs to do to accomplish something special this season.
"You kind of learn something about winning and losing, and when you take an L like we did last year, you learn from that," Campbell said. "There was a number of things we did wrong and a number of things they did right, and I think you understand how the game can go and where it can swing and just about keeping your composure and making the most of any rep that comes because the one that happened in the second quarter could change the game.
"So I think we're much more prepared than we were (last year). You feel like you are, but until you get into that with a heavyweight, real champion who'd been there numerous times, you don't always know. And so, I think that experience, as difficult as it was, served us well moving forward into this year, and it's like anything else, you just — you don't like to lose, so you've got an opportunity with a team that got the best of you, and so you just want to go out and find a way to get a win."
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Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 49ers loss will haunt Dan Campbell but Lions lessons learned crucial
