Neither Goff nor Campbell shied away from taking the blame for the loss.
The quarterback was unsurprised by his coach shouldering the responsibility; after all, it’s Campbell’s character and personality that’s largely galvanized the Lions’ ascension.
“He’s our rock, man. He is,” Goff said. “No, he shouldn’t do that, but that’s who he is. And we feed off his emotion, his energy. He believes in us, and he loves us and he cares for us. He puts everything he has in it for us, as well. We’re extremely disappointed in ourselves, as well. That’s a good team, that is a good team, but had we played our best, maybe it’s a different outcome. I don’t know, but you like to think so.”
The emotions were on high after the shocker.
Much can be attributed not just to the early exit, but the nature in which it came to fruition.
The Lions had overcome a laundry list of injuries this year, too many to keep up with on the defense. But this wasn’t a day in which the injury-strapped Aaron Glenn defense could overcome the obstacles, surrendering 481 yards and four offensive touchdowns.
Goff had played MVP-caliber ball this season, but he had a terrible showing at the wrong time.
Both Goff and Campbell made sure to credit the Commanders, but at the same time the what-ifs were clearly prevailing thoughts.
“Had I played better, do we win? Possibly,” Goff said. “And that’s the part that will eat me alive for the whole offseason.”
Even including the turnovers, the Lions’ biggest gaffe was likely a flag for too many men on the field with 14:15 to play. It was a mind-spinning mistake on fourth-and-2 from the Lions’ 5-yard line with Detroit trailing, 31-28. Blessed by a new set of downs, the Commanders scored two players later on a Brian Robinson 1-yard run.
“It’s my fault,” Campbell said. “It’s my fault.”
There was plenty that went awry for the Lions on their final night of the season.
Perhaps Campbell and Goff’s character in the darkness of disappointment will bode well for the 2025 season.
Campbell, though, knows nothing is guaranteed, a notion he prophesized after last season’s stunning loss of another ilk was drunk in.
“I told those guys this may have been our only shot,” Campbell said after the Lions had squandered a 17-point halftime lead in an NFC Championship Game loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “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’ll be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year. That’s the reality.”
The harsh reality is that Detroit wasn’t able to replicate its success of a season prior, even with the status of the conference’s top seed.
“It’s not the time to talk about what a great year,” Campbell said of the 15-2 regular season left behind. “Because, at this moment, I don’t think any of us feel that way, you know? The whole point of doing what you do is to get to the show, man. It’s why you play this game and … we fell short.”
