LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
December 15, 2025
Opening Statement: “Really, I think the story yesterday was we had three series in the third quarter defensively and offensively. That’s really what bit us. We – basically three touchdowns in 12 plays on defense and then we have nine plays for six yards total in that kind of third quarter stretch. So, that was tough. There was a number of errors that we had. Some technique, fundamental things that we’ve got to get cleaned up that you can’t get away with – with a team like that – that really got us. You do anything on any one of those series, offense or defense, and it’d change the dynamic of that game. So, that was not good. That’s what bit us. And so, we clean it up, we move on. I know this, we’ve got the right guys, we’re a resilient team and we’ve got to win. We’ve got to win. We’ve got Pittsburgh at home. So, we’re going to get prepared for them. We know they’re a physical team, they’re well-coached, they’re in the hunt over there. And so, we’ve still got an opportunity, so we’ve got to make the most of it.”
On what jumped out to him as to why the team was not able to limit the Rams in both phases defensively: “Well, look, I think some of – we said going into that game, really on both sides of the ball, it was ground supremacy. We did not own the ground and that makes it extremely difficult defensively to defend those guys if you cannot even corral or limit their run game. So, it started there. They did a number of things in the runs – the turbo motions, the inserts for the tight ends, they force your corners to be support on the inside. Just a couple of tricky things and then that happens, now your outside backer has to be the one who sets that. Just all these little things that we’ve got to be much crisper on. We’re going to get it from Pittsburgh, that’s what they do. So, they got us a little bit and then just using our help in some areas on the backend. We know that (Rams WR) Puka (Nacua)’s a hell of a player, (Rams QB Matthew) Stafford played an outstanding game for them – was on really that whole game – and that 12 made a ton of plays. And we tried to limit some of his production, we just couldn’t quite get there. And some of it – look, we’ve got to use our help a little better in areas. So, I think that’s the big thing is know where your help is, make sure you use your help. Don’t go out on your own and try to make it mano-a-mano, use it. And so, that’s some of it and then like I said, offensively we’ve just got to get our run game going. We’ve got to find a run game here and reduce the stress on some of the pass game protection stuff.”
On what the message is to the team about getting consecutive wins these next few weeks to get into the playoffs: “It’ll be the same thing. Nothing – you can’t have a streak without winning the first one. So, all our focus has got to be on Pittsburgh and everything we’ve got and digesting this gameplan – understand this opponent you’re getting ready to face. You need to know exactly who probably most of your one-on-ones are going to be against, the way they play, the style of play. We’ve got to play freaking disciplined football. We did a good job protecting the football, we got a takeaway. Well, we’ve got to continue to protect it and we need more than one. We need more than one takeaway. I thought we had a number of guys go after the football. (Lions LB) Jack Campbell, he really got another two out, we just didn’t come up with them. But that’s got to stay that way. But listen, it’s frustrating but you can’t go down in the dumps and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. And I don’t think we will. I really don’t. We don’t have those type of guys. We can go back to work. And so, you want a streak, you win the first one and then you worry about the next one after that.”
On an injury update for Lions CB Amik Robertson: “Had a hand injury. We’ll see where it’s at. I’m hopeful that he’ll be able to go. I’m hopeful, but we’ll know more probably in the next couple of days.”
On if Lions CB Amik Robertson will have an MRI: “Yeah, he had an MRI. Yeah, hand injury, so it’s something that it could affect him a little bit. But I think we’d like to believe he’s going to have a chance to play here. But until we get through practice, we won’t entirely know.”
On if there is anything that can be done to make the job of the outside corners easier: “Yeah, there are some things we can do to help and we tried to get to some of that later in the game. And yeah, there’s some things we can do. And there’s some give and take with that. Wherever you try to reduce stress, now you’re putting it on somewhere else. And we tried to get to where some of it was stopping the run in a lighter box to try to help a little bit. So, absolutely. There are some things we can help with. We were just talking about it upstairs. (Lions Defensive Coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) Shepp made a couple of comments as we were watching it. And that’s really what you’re trying to do is how can you relieve a little bit of stress off one area, put it on another group and just spread the load. Really you want to do that on all sides if you can.”
On what he has made of Lions CB D.J. Reed’s play since he returned to the field from injury: “Well those guys, they’re put out on an island. And I know everybody knows that – they’re like quarterbacks. You get out there and there’s nowhere to run nor to hide. And so, you’re not going to win all those battles. And sometimes things don’t go your way, and you may have a little bit of a stretch. But I mean I know him well enough to know that whatever it is, he’s going to continue to work himself through it. He’s going to come out of this and he’s going to be just fine. So, I mean he went after it last week, he continued to work and he’s going to be alright. He’ll be alright.”
On his level of concern about getting mistakes cleaned up in enough time as the team tries to make a playoff push: “Yeah, well, you just go through the study – I know this, you say it a number of times, you’ve got to say it a different way, you’ve got to show it a different way. And so, you never know – the way that you say it may be the difference this time or how you get that point across. And so, you just keep changing it up. You keep trying to address things in a different way, and I do believe we’ll get it cleaned up. I do believe we’ll correct those errors. And then it’s on some of these other guys. Just because it didn’t happen to you, you’ve got to learn from that rep too. That’s across the board. We’ve got some guys that are in there that have been role players that have an opportunity that they’re getting significant reps right now, but they’ve got to grow from them, they’ve got to learn from them. So, the only way I know is to go back to work. You put together a good gameplan, you have good practices, you have good meetings and then you go execute. You turn it over and let those guys go cut it loose and we’ve got to do that this week.”
On if he has been in this position as a player where he has had his back against the wall and the message he can share with the team to get over this: “Yeah, go to work. Go back to work. Go back to work, that’s the message. And don’t worry about the what-ifs, this – yeah, we’ve got to win, so be it. (Expletive), we wanted to win Week 1, we wanted to win Week 2, we wanted to win Week 8, we want to win this one. So, keep putting the work in, the focus, the detail and trust the guy next to you is going to do his job. You do your job, do it the very best you can do it and let’s go find a way to win a game.”
On if there is anything that he would have done differently during the nine-play stretch to start the second half: “It’s so tough because I wanted to get the run game going. And you run, you get a solid run and then we run it again and then we get the holding penalty. And so, then you’re trying to overcome that. Try to run again, run it three plays in a row, probably should’ve thrown it. Then we come back, we go for a shot and we just barely miss on that with (Lions QB Jared Goff) JG and (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo. That was about to be huge. Had it in his hands and it hits the ground, just couldn’t quite come up with it. It was a – we were so close. That would’ve been a significant play, but now we’re second-and-10. And then we get a sack and now you’re third-and-22, so it just was tough. Come back in the third series, try to get the run game going, two yards. So, we just could not execute in that kind of nine-play stretch and it was really the – we were not able to overcome the negative plays really. The penalty and then we don’t make that play on the first down and now you’re kind of behind the sticks. But that’s what we’re charged with, we’ve got to be able to overcome it. So, it’s hard to say. Hindsight, it’s always like, ‘Well, you should’ve done this instead, it didn’t work.’ But I don’t necessarily regret it, I guess, because I did want to get the run game going.”
On if he got any clarification on Rams TE Colby Parkinson’s touchdown: “No. I mean we’re going to ask about it. But no. They were just – it was like I said last night, ‘The call stands.’ That was as good as I got.”
