Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell accepted blame for the disappointing 27-24 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, offering a candid evaluation of the team’s performance.
Amid trade deadline speculation surrounding Detroit, the Lions fell to the Vikings before any potential roster changes could happen. After the game, Campbell gave a brutally honest assessment, acknowledging that accountability starts with the head coach. He specifically highlighted mistakes like penalties, noting Detroit committed 10 for 76 yards.
“We did everything necessary to lose that game,” Campbell told ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. “We hit every critical mistake at the worst time—a perfect storm. When all three phases aren’t sharp, it falls on the head coach. That’s on me. I didn’t get them ready coming off the bye. We made too many errors, penalties hurt us, and some things felt out of sync. We never looked comfortable.”
Campbell on the Lions’ struggles
Offensively, Detroit’s dynamic running duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery totaled only 65 yards, a stat that will concern the team, alongside a passing game where Jared Goff still managed 284 yards and two touchdowns.
“We just didn’t make enough plays,” Campbell explained. “We had multiple chances to set ourselves up to win, and we didn’t capitalize. I’ll fix some things… and I will. A few guys played well, but overall, it was too much.”
“The penalties and turnovers at bad times really hurt us,” he added. “The defense faced tough situations. We expect stops and sudden changes, but we didn’t handle it well today.”
Detroit, now 5-3, aims to rebound against the Washington Commanders next Sunday.
