The Detroit Lions have hit a little bump in the road this season. While they are still 9-4, Dan Campbell hasn’t been happy with his team’s recent performance. It doesn’t get easier as the Lions have a date with the Denver Broncos on Saturday night. Campbell admitted some uneasiness in facing his former mentor Sean Payton.
Detroit Lions Dan Campbell Talks Facing Sean Payton
After Campbell was done with his playing career, he got into coaching. After being an intern for a while with the Dolphins, Payton hired him to be the tight ends coach in New Orleans. This was where Campbell learned the skills to be the head coach he is today. He admitted some uneasiness facing Payton as he knows how competitive the former Saints coach can be.
“It means we better be on our stuff because he’s going to come here and try to embarrass us. That’s what it means. So that’s our motivation—that’s my motivation. And it’s about winning, man. All we’ve got to do is find a way to win. We’re going to have to be at our best, and we will be at our best.”
Campbell knows that Payton is all about winning and doesn’t care who is on the other side of the field. Campbell saw a lot of winning at New Orleans and knows that Payton has his squad playing well.
Outlook For Both Teams
The Lions are likely in the playoffs barring an epic collapse. However, they need to fix their defense fast. The unit has been hemorrhaging points in the past four weeks and needs to make it harder for opposing offenses to move the ball. For Denver, they are a part of the log jam in the AFC for the final playoff spots. Every win is valuable and could be the difference between the sixth seed and missing the playoffs as the 11th seed. This is a huge game for both teams and should be a fun game in prime time.
Campbell versus Payton should be a fun coaching matchup as well. The NFL season is almost over but we still have some great football left.
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