Lions’ Dan Campbell confident team’s Super Bowl window is open after disastrous loss to Commanders

Dan Campbell is one of those head coaches who will believe in his team no matter what, but after a crushing loss in the Divisional Round to Commanders from Washington at home as the No. 1 seed, even the most optimistic can feel deflated.

But not Campbell, who reiterated his belief that it was his Detroit LionsThe championship window remains wide open.

“Yeah, I do,” Campbell said when asked about the championship, via ESPN . “We’re talking about that core. That core is still intact, and we’ve signed some back, some are on contracts and that will continue. But, yes, we absolutely are.”

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“I think the most important thing is that you want to know that you have your culture, you have your identity and you have players that fit into that, and we have that.”

A perfect example is Amon-Ra St. Brown, who signed a long-term deal with the Lions last offseason, texted Campbell at 4 a.m. after Saturday night’s 45-31 loss to the Commanders.

The loss ate away at him, but it showed Campbell that he had hungry players in the building, especially leaders like St. Brown.

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“I know the right guys. They’re our guys for a reason, and that’s what’s always going to give me hope and let me know that we’re only going to get better.

“We’ll come back stronger, we’ll learn from this, and it’s just fuel to the fire, that’s what it is.”

Campbell said all this before reports surfaced that his offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, had been selected by an NFC North rival to become their next head coach. The Chicago Bears they’re bringing in Johnson to help turn things around, and he obviously knows everything about the organization after spending the past three seasons in his role in Detroit.

But it shouldn’t come as a shock to Campbell, who should also prepare for the loss of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Glenn heads to his second interview with the New York Jets on Tuesday to potentially fill the head coaching vacancy.

Campbell told ESPN that he has to have a next-man-up mentality if he wants to lose his coordinators, but winning is not changing now.

“We’re not going to let that happen,” Campbell said of the potential change in mindset. “Does it hurt to lose those guys? Absolutely. They’re part of why we’ve been here. They’ve been here for four years and they’re one of the main reasons we’ve been able to get where we’ve been.”

Simply put, the Lions didn’t need to think about the future, having already lost their innovative offensive coordinator and preparing for the offseason. With their ability to put points on the scoreboard, they seemed destined to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX.

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While the Lions have to go back to the drawing board, their head coach still believes they have a team that will reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

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