Everything Dan Campbell Said After Lions Loss to Eagles

On the pressure that Lions QB Jared Goff faced:

Yeah, well, once we got down there, a couple of scores, that makes it a little more difficult, but certainly try to max-protect a little bit more, that can help. Now you don’t get as many guys out, but that’s one way to do it. We just, there again, we just couldn’t get going.

On the late pass interference call on Lions CB Rock Ya-Sin:

Yeah, well, I thought he played defense like he did the whole game, man. I thought he challenged and played it like he did the very first rep that we played man-to-man. So I wouldn’t tell him to do anything different, man, get up there and challenge. Play your style and that’s it.

On how to keep the team’s confidence high going forward and not allow this game to be too much:

Yeah, well look, we know the type of team we just faced. A good team and we had our chances. We didn’t get it done. They made the most of the opportunity. We didn’t. But we’re right there and we understand what it is and we understand we make one or two more plays in certain areas, then you have the legit shot to win that game at the end. So as bad as it stings, as bad as it is, we’re so freaking close. And I mentioned this before, you just kind of hit some of these patches here. We’re middle way through the season, we’re in November and I believe this is the best thing for us. You don’t want to say that and it doesn’t feel good, but yet, we’re going to learn from this. We’re going to get better. We’re going to adjust. And we will be hitting our stride when other teams start to hit their adversity towards the back end of the season. I really believe that. So, we’re going to learn from this game and we’re going to get better.

On what made him want to try the fake punt tonight:

Yeah, I just believed that we were going to – I thought we could get those guys off balance and obviously that didn’t happen. I felt like the look was there to move them and they did a good job. They were ready. They were ready.

On whether the elements were a factor tonight:

I didn’t feel like – we had a little bit of wind, but I really didn’t feel like that it was something abnormal that we were in frigid temperatures or so I really didn’t believe that that was it. I don’t feel that way.

On whether it impacted his play-calling:

No. I mean there were a couple of things early in the game that I wanted to be smart with because look, there was a little bit of wind. But once we got going I wasn’t even thinking about the wind. I felt like that wasn’t going to be an issue.

On whether he can chalk up some of what happened tonight to the Eagles having a great defense but also be concerned about his offensive line and his offense being overwhelmed:

Well look, that is a good defense. We know that. But there’s things that just like every game, that is a very good defense, but yet, man, we can play better. We can play better. I can call a better game. And there again, in this type of game, knowing what it is, man, we’re talking about one, two, maybe three plays is the difference. And we’re sitting up here and we just won the game and it’s like, ‘Whoa, man, that was a hell of a win. You guys stuck it out.’ We just didn’t make those plays and so I really believe that’s not going to be the norm, what happened today, I don’t believe that’s the norm. We could not quite convert. We were a little bit off and I don’t believe that that’s going to be here to stay. We’re going to clean up a few things. We’re going to find our rhythm and we’re all going to be better for it.

On what he told Lions WR Jameson Williams about the penalty:

Yeah, I told him it was a hell of a play. Don’t do that again.

On if he chose to use his timeouts right before halftime when the Eagles offense had the ball within the five-yard line:

Yeah. I thought about it, I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll just go ahead and bang that right now.’ But I knew we were getting it after halftime and really what I did, I just kind of waited. I was going to wait until we hit about under a minute and then at that point I just kind of let it go like, ‘Alright, we’ll get it back.’ So absolutely, I talked about it, thought about it, and I just chose not to there. I said, ‘We will take it in the third quarter when we come out at halftime.’ So yeah, I did think about it.

On how he views the final portion of the season especially with the division being so close between the teams:

Yeah, you take it one game at a time. You really do. We got the Giants this week, so we got to rebound, clean a couple of things up, go back to work, and get a [win]. I’ve mentioned this before, but everybody’s playing everybody now. This is what’s going to happen over the next couple of months here is all these teams we’re bunched in with begin to play each other. Division games, NFC Conference games, and so that’ll all handle itself. You just worry about your own business. We’re going to worry about us one game at a time.

On the team’s strategy to be successful against the tush push:

Yeah, we got guys that play with leverage. They’re strong, they’re stout (DJ) Reader and (Roy) Lopez and Alim McNeill, we’ve got some tree trunks in there. They know how to grow roots and anchor in there and that’s where it always is going to start. So I thought the guys handled it well, did a great job, and it really, it paid dividends today. It gave us a chance.

On how concerned he is with Lions TE Sam LaPorta going on injured reserve:

Well, obviously enough to where we are talking about four weeks here. So, obviously we’re going to hope that this thing calms down and after those four games we can get him back. But we’re really just taking this day-by-day, week-by-week. I’m hopeful, but I really don’t know.

On if he wanted some decisions back with the game being so close:

No, and I told the team that. There’s some things I wish I would’ve done differently. Look, the bottom line is you obviously, if you go totally conservative in the way this game played out and the way it was, you got a better chance of winning that game than some of those decisions I made. I understand that, but also that’s who we are. It’s who I am and it bit us today.