Saturday night, Detroit showed up for a party. They got a nightmare.
Following a Jayden Daniels-induced Divisional Round loss to the Washington Commanders, the Lions and their fans limped around like zombies. After a 15-win season and the team's first-ever No. 1 seed, a five-turnover disaster on offense and a toothless defensive effort relegated Dan Campbell's club to one-and-done status.
"We got to where we wanted to get to, and then we did not perform," Campbell said on Monday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "And, man, credit Washington, they did what they needed to do, and they played a good game. But a little bit for us, when you feel like, 'Hey, you got to bring your A-game.' I think if we bring our B-game, we've got a chance to win that game and we didn't bring that.
"So, that's just a little bit of the -- that's the frustration. I know everybody's frustrated, I know the fans are, certainly our team, coaches, everybody in the organization."
A D- effort gets you beat every time.
Part of the Lions' issue on Saturday was that belief that they only needed a B- game to beat the Commanders. Even if true, no NFL team should prance into the Divisional Round expecting to walk over an opponent. Despite being the No. 6 seed, there was a reason Washington was in that spot. Take a team with a sensational quarterback an ounce too lightly, and they'll make you pay.
It's a brutal lesson for Campbell's team to learn. If you don't bring your A-game in the postseason, you'll be watching from the couch in a blink.
If last year's NFC Championship game collapse was a gut punch, Saturday's loss was a swift fist to the jaw. Detroit never hit back.
After a few days after Saturday's uppercut, Campbell said he's off the mat.
"I'm back on my feet, ready to roll, and I've acknowledged, I can look in the mirror and say, 'You know what, you failed, man. What are you going to do about it?' So, that's where we're at and move forward, man," Campbell said.
Winning in the NFL isn't easy. Windows close as rapidly as they open.
Now Campbell faces losing both his coordinators -- OC Ben Johnson is already off to the Bears -- and potentially other assistants on his staff. However, the man credited with much of Detroit's recent success believes the foundation remains.
"That core group is still intact and some of these guys are now -- we've signed some back, some are up on contracts and that'll be ongoing," Campbell said. "But yeah, we absolutely do (have a window to contend still). And I think the most important thing is ... you've got your culture, you've got your identity and you've got players that fit into that, and we've got that. We've got players in every pivotal position you can ask for to have success. And those guys are made the right way, so absolutely, our window is open."
Campbell helped turn a moribund franchise into a contender. He's earned the benefit of the doubt that he can take the most recent speed bump head-on and overcome. Will back-to-back playoff disappointments wind up as part of a long redemption story or a brief high before crashing? It's a question Campbell and his club will wrestle with for the next seven months.
