LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
September 18, 2025
Opening Statement: “OK, got a really good opponent this week, (Ravens Head Coach) Coach (John) Harbaugh’s done a great job, his staff, got a lot of respect for him and what he’s done throughout the years. I mean, these guys are always competitive. Rugged team, tough, disciplined, really good players. (Ravens DL Nnamdi) Madubuike on defense, (Ravens S Kyle) Hamilton. They’ve got some good corners. (Ravens LB) Roquan (Smith), I mean we can keep going. D-line’s good. (Ravens S Malaki) Starks, good promising young rookie safety we liked a lot coming out. And then offensively, rugged offensive line. Those guys are tough, they can do it all. Starts with (Ravens QB) Lamar (Jackson), (Ravens RB Derrick) Henry, (Ravens WR) Zay Flowers, (Ravens WR Rashod) Bateman. They’ve got a couple tight ends, and then (Ravens WR DeAndre) Hopkins can hurt you on some of these deep ball one-on-ones. It’ll be a good challenge, but I’ll tell you, we’re excited for this challenge. We recognize this opponent, we respect what they’re about, and we’re looking forward to this, going out there at their place on Monday night. So this is going to be fun, man. This is one of those, this is why you do it.”
On what he is wanting to learn from the team playing Baltimore: “I want to see us improve on the road against a really good opponent. There’s a lot of things I feel like are similar between us. It’s not a mirror image necessarily, but yet, the principals I feel like are very much alike. And so, you want to see us go in there and really improve under that environment against that team. I think that’s the biggest thing.”
On if he is confident that the team can win this week and if he believes the game will be a shootout: “Yeah, that’s the whole point of going out there. You’ve got to find a way to win. That doesn’t mean it’ll be a shootout. If it is, then we’ve got to be prepared. It could be a low scoring game. Our defense has got to shut them down if it is. So, you take it as it comes. We can’t give anything away on defense, man we have to be very disciplined. Gang tackling, they do a lot of different things scheme wise. (Ravens QB) Lamar (Jackson)’s playing at a very high level. I mean, they’ve got the screens, they’ve got the boots, the read-run, the wide zone, the toss plays. And so, they do everything out of it. They keep you on your heels. You misfit a gap one time and you’re in trouble. So, there’s a lot of three-yard gain, three-yard gain, three-yard gain, 40, 50. So, those are the things, man. You can play great for 59 minutes and that one minute can cost you. So, be very disciplined. But offensively, look, we’ve got to be very efficient. We’ve got to get first downs. First downs, first downs, first downs. And then that’ll lead to the next thing, explosives. Explosives leads to touchdowns. But we have to be very disciplined on offense, too.”
On the difficulty of playing Baltimore and preparing for the different schemes that may come their way: “That’s part of the issue that you’re going to deal with, because you can. OK, you sell out there, then the guy can still make these throws. There’s a lot of space behind there. If you’re going to sell out for the run, there’s a ton of space for these receivers. Then your cornerbacks get hung out to dry, but yet that’s part of the deal, too. They know that if you’re going to do that, they’ve got to lock them down and try to make it a difficult throw, play sticky coverage. So, there’s just so many different things. And obviously (Ravens QB) Lamar (Jackson) is the catalyst, he’s the guy that makes it go, he can do so many things. But listen man, it’s one play at a time. It really is do your job. And we have to have population of the football, whether it’s run or pass. Population, population. And that’s where it starts, and look, we need help from special teams, too. Baltimore got help on special teams, their unit. So, we’re going to need that, too. We’re going to need all three units to play at a very high level.”
On what the team learned from the last time they played Baltimore: “We had a lot of guys that went out there. You don’t forget those because it was – we didn’t give ourselves a chance. By the end of the first quarter, it was – we were in a bad way. So, I think the environment, the opponent. Most of our guys have seen them up close, real time. If you didn’t have an idea, you’ve got a really good idea now, what you’re going into. Which is always good, the experience is good of that. We know it’s going to be a challenge, but I’m telling you, we’re looking forward to it. I mean, these are fun, man. These are as good as it gets.”
On if this week’s game is a ‘revenge game’: “Well, I think it’s what I started with, man, I want to go in this place and know that we can continue to get better against a really good team, at their place, knowing what kind of team they are and what their identity is. Because I know our identity. That’s going to – let’s give ourselves a chance at the end of the day to win this one. That’s the whole point, man. And it’s going to take all three units being on top.”
On if he considers the offense their best defense for this upcoming game: “I go back to this, you’re going to need all of them. You’re going to need all of them. And you don’t know what kind of game it really is until you get in the middle of it, you really don’t. I can’t tell you the number of games I thought was going to be a shootout or it was going to be a defensive battle or a low scoring affair, and it went the other way. I’m talking about my whole career that’s happened, more than you would think it would. We’ve got to be willing to adjust, and whoever’s got the big hat in that moment during that game, whatever that stretch is, they’ve got to continue to take on the big hat. Whether it’s defense, it’s offense, or special teams.”
On how big possession will be this week: “Yeah, we’d love to possess the ball. Absolutely. I want to possess the ball, and they do too. They do too, right? I mean, that goes without saying. The longer you have it offensively and you turn that into seven, then your odds go up that you’re going to win the game.”
On the team’s approach to handling a mobile quarterback and how he has liked it so far: “Did a good job last week. That was one of the things we really talked about. I thought – we talked about improving, we improved even from Week 1. (Packers QB Jordan) Love got out of there a couple of times. And I thought, with the exception of really probably one play, I thought we did a pretty good job on (Bears QB) Caleb (Williams), maybe two. But it was a point of focus, man, we worked on it. Our guys really worked with each other, running the stunts and the games. And I thought we were very disciplined in that regard, and it helped us. It helped us. So, we’re going to have to be on point again. But I go back to this, too. You can’t paralyze your guys, either. You can’t pull back so far on them that they lose what makes them great players. Or like a guy like (Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch, you’ve just got to be careful. So, yes we have to be disciplined. Somebody’s going to have to cover for you if you’ve got a two-way go. And then, don’t leave your feet. Don’t leave your feet. You just keep moving with a base until you get reinforcements, and let’s just close it in on them. That’ll certainly be a point of emphasis.”
On what Lions WR Malik Cunningham brings this week to help the team’s preparation: “It does help to have faced those two guys that we’ve faced, because they are more of the mobile guys. So, that definitely helps. First of all, we like Malik as an athlete. I mean really he’s in our receiver room, and he’s kind of got a lot about him. Certainly, college quarterback. But yeah, we want to use him just to get some looks, but we’re also going to use him on offense as a receiver. So, we like the versatility. And yes, he gives us something that’s different for our defense to see that’ll help us.”
On if there is a common theme to the defenses that have had success against Baltimore: “Population to the football. Gang tacking. Trying to make this guy stop his feet, which is not an easy task. I’m talking about (Ravens RB Derrick) Henry. And then they find a way to get takeaways. Those are the common themes. Look, it’s easy to say, it’s not always easy to do. We know the test that’s in front of us, the task that we’re given, and we accept it.”
On Baltimore’s defense without Ravens LB Kyle Van Noy: “I mean look, he’s a good player. He is a good player, but they still have so many guys over there that are big, they’re long. I mentioned they’re rugged. They do have explosiveness, so yeah, it’ll always take away a little bit when you lose a good player. But man, they have so many. They have a good, sound scheme. I don’t think it’ll affect them like maybe you want me to say it’s not.”
On injury updates for Lions OL Christian Mahogany and Lions EDGE Marcus Davenport: “Mahogany’s good, Davenport we won’t know until the end of the week. We’re still getting tests and doctors looking at stuff.”
LIONS QB JARED GOFF QUOTE SHEET
September 18, 2025
On the importance of being able to identify what Ravens S Kyle Hamilton is doing before the snap and how much that reveals what Baltimore is trying to do defensively: “Yeah, sure. He’s a big part of what they do on defense. He’s a great player, obviously, has been for a long time. Plays deep, plays short, plays man, plays zone, tackles well, can get his hands on the ball if you let him, he does kind of a little bit of everything right and is a big part of what they do.”
On how much spending training camp practicing against Lions DB Brian Branch helps prepare for Ravens S Kyle Hamilton: “Yeah, very similar players in the fact that will cover wide receivers in man coverage and not very many safeties will do that willingly and as a part of their defense. So, similar in that aspect, they’re both really good man cover players, they both hit hard, they both can make plays on the ball, like I said, they both tackle well, they’re both really good players. And, yeah, we’re lucky to have BB and then got to play against Kyle this week.”
On if Ravens Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr is a continuation of what Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald did when he was with the Ravens: “Yes and no. There’s a lot that’s different, there’s a lot that’s the same. It’s hard to get into the nitty gritty of that, but there is some carryover and then there’s some stuff that’s different.”
On what he remembers about the 2023 game against the Ravens: “Yeah, they kicked our butt. They got after us early and often. Yeah, we certainly remember that.”
On how he feels the passing game is performing and how important it will be for the Ravens game: “Yeah, it felt good to get on a good page there, certainly in that game, and felt like we were completing a lot of balls and getting down the field and lot of explosives and the whole thing. And it really starts up front – I know we said that already, but those guys pass pro like that and it’s going to be tough to stop us. And they did a hell of a job, they really did, and I found open guys and it worked. And yeah, this Monday night, we would like to throw it again like that if we can.”
On what he can draw from the 2023 game against the Ravens and if he finds value in going back to watch the tape from that game: “Yeah, maybe some motivation value that we just kind of went in there and they took it to us. I think we’ve got a lot of respect for their team and their coaches and the way they’ve gone about their business for a long time, and I’d like to feel they feel the same way about us. But we’ve got to go in there and prove it and show them that we obviously can hang with them and we’re a great team. And in that instance we didn’t, so certainly have a little bit to prove this week.”
On how he feels the team has changed since the 2023 Ravens game: “Yeah, we’ve grown up a little bit. Absolutely, we’ve matured, we’ve gotten another 36, 40 games or so under our belt since then. And they’re a different team, we’re a different team. I don’t know if that game speaks much to this game, other than maybe it provides a little bit of extra juice for us. But, yeah, I don’t think there’s much other than that to carry over.”
On if there is more urgency to make sure that the offense does not fall behind quickly this time playing the Ravens: “That game was two years ago. That’s question number five. Yes, but you’re right. And I’ve played these guys a couple times now, few times. I played them in L.A. and I think it was a very similar type of game where they were up on us early and they can do that. With (Ravens QB) Lamar (Jackson) and the offense they got, they can start out fast and get hot. So our defense, we’re relying on them to play well and then we’ve got to play well on our part too offensively.”
On an example of the details that he and Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown are continuing to work on at this stage in their relationship: “We work on certain minute throws every day. It’d be hard for me to tell you which ones, but every day we’re talking – I mean it could be something as simple as an Omaha route, a five-yard out, how I see him coming off the ball, how he wants me to throw it, how I see myself throwing it on certain plays. It could be as simple as a seam route. Like, versus a certain defense, how do I see it coming into him. He also just has a very easy knack for things and makes the ball show up where he wants to is kind of a good way to put it. If I throw it a little bit behind him, he’ll slow his body down and it’ll look like I threw it right there. And it’s a quarterback’s best friend and it makes me want to keep throwing it to him when he does that. But, he’s as good as they get in our game – I’ve said that a million times – and I’m lucky to play with him.”
On what made his one throw to Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown during the Bears game ‘un-guardable’: “When he runs a route like that and I throw it where I threw it, it’s not – you can’t cover it and it starts with him running the route like that and then having the presence of mind and knowing that it’s probably going to be a back shoulder throw in that instance. And if I put it where I want to, you can’t cover it.”
On how unique it is to have an offense that can start a game off with so many drives using play-action that can be built off of: “Yeah, well certainly the run game, that’s a big part of it. And being able to run the ball well and then pass protect. If we can run the ball and then pass pro off of that and play-action and our guys are getting open, I should be able to find them and give them a foot or however much space. I should be able to find it.”
On how much it fires the team up to see receivers blocking downfield for the offense: “Yeah. That’s cool. I mean that’s the DNA of our team and the DNA of the guys that they continue to bring in here, are guys that do that. When you see guys like (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint and (Lions RB) Jahmyr (Gibbs) and (Lions RB) David (Montgomery) and (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo do it over and over and over again, it’s like everyone has to do it, they don’t have a choice. It’s cool. It’s part of our culture and those guys continue to do it and it helps, it really does. It springs some of those runs and some of those long downfield plays and gets them in the end zone.”
On how important it was to have Lions T Taylor Decker on the field during the Bears game to resolve the communication issues from Week 1: “Yeah, he’s very important to our team. He’s an incredible left tackle in our League and good leader on our team and valuable piece of that front line, obviously. Having him out there as kind of like a calming veteran presence is always massive and he just continues to get better.”
On looking like he was thinking of blocking on a play in the Bears game: “Sometimes that happens where I’m not going to like lay anyone out obviously, but if I can get in their way every once in a while, that’ll spring the guy. Yeah, so that one, I was ready for it. The corner started laughing at me, I was like, ‘Yeah, I was there.’”
On if playing on Monday Night Football still has a special feel for him: “Of course, yeah, always will. We’ll be the only thing on TV and on the road in a ruckus environment, against a team that’s got the history they got and it’ll be fun.”
On if hanging in the pocket and taking a hit when delivering the ball is a part of a quarterback’s duty: “Sure. Yeah, I think so. I think if I can hang in there and if it means me taking one to give it that extra split second to let that guy come open and get him the ball, absolutely it’s part of my job. And those guys protect so well that every once in a while, I can take one when I need to.”
On if there is anything about the Ravens’ stadium and environment that is particularly tough to play in: “Yeah, sure. I mean, it’s going to be loud. They’ve got the reputation for being loud, it’s Monday night, they’re a good team, it’s early on in the season. I don’t know if they’ve – have they played at home yet? I think the first one last week was at home against Cleveland. So yeah, not their home opener, but early in the year and it’ll be loud. It’ll be loud and it’ll be fun.”
On how much he puts it on himself to maintain possession: “Yeah, I don’t think we’re concerned about – we’re not concerned on offense about their offense. Our defense is going to have to play well for us and I expect them to. But, yeah, certainly we want to stay on the field and get first downs. That’s a part of what we do and when we do that, it leads to good things and typically wins. But, we’re just playing our game and however their game is called from (Lions Offensive Coordinator John Morton) Johnny, it’ll dictate that.”
On how he has seen Ravens QB Lamar Jackson grow: “Yeah, he’s incredible. He really is. I mean I think his legs get a lot of attention, but I don’t know if his passing ability gets the attention it deserves. And he’s as good of a passer as there is in this League. If you look at the numbers, he’s as good as anyone throwing the ball over the last – I mean over his career, but specifically the last like three or four years, he’s been pretty on fire. And yeah, our defense has their hands full with him, but I expect them to play well.”
