Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions appeared to do his best to deflect the idea that his team must win the Super Bowl for the 2024-25 season to be successful.
But in the end, while talking to reporters at Lions OTAs on May 23, Campbell made it clear that his goal and his team’s objective is the league’s ultimate prize.
“I don’t see bust, I see Super Bowl. I don’t know what bust is,” said Campbell.
“Every team ought to have that. Every team ought to be like ‘Man, what are you playing for? You’re playing for a Super Bowl.’ We’re no different than that.”
For decades, though, the Lions were very different from that. From 1994-2022, the Lions didn’t win a division title or playoff game let alone challenge for a Super Bowl. The last time the franchise won an NFL championship was 1957.
But after winning the NFC North and two postseason contests during the 2023-24 campaign, things have officially changed in Detroit.
Lions’ Dan Campbell Declines to Define ‘Bust’
After Campbell declared that he didn’t understand what “bust” meant, a reporter tried to clarify its meaning as “nothing.” In other words, does every other accomplishment the Lions achieve in 2024-25 mean nothing if they don’t also win the Super Bowl?
Campbell provided a complicated answer. But he suggested that each team in the league faces “Super Bowl or nothing” every year.
The Lions head coach then said his team has smaller goals to help them reach the Super Bowl.
“We work backwards from there. You’ve got to set yourself up no different from last year,” Campbell told reporters. “Certain things you’ve got to do to really make that valid, make that a reality.”
Campbell specifically said winning the NFC North and earning a high playoff seed are important. Essentially, his team will strive to do anything that puts them in the best position to win the Super Bowl.
“You have to give yourself the best odds that you can. You need to win the division, you need the best seed you can possible do,” Campbell said. “Well, how do you do that? Well, you got to start with where we’re at now.
“You got to go back to work. You got to do all the little things, which, to this point, our guys have done. They’ve been here for offseason [workouts]. They’re grinding, they’re working, we’re in good shape. We’re strong, we’re physical, we’re explosive, and we’re just in the beginning of this.”
Lions No Longer the Underdogs?
Campbell warned his team immediately after the NFC championship game loss that the Lions won’t be sneaking up on anybody next season. After winning the division and 14 games including the playoffs, the Lions demand respect.
In quarterback Jared Goff’s mind, that’s long overdue. While appearing on Willbo’s “Trading Cards” podcast on April 7, Goff sounded tired of being considered an underdog.
“Hey guys, we have a good team. We’ve had success,” Goff said to co-hosts Robbie and Will McInerny. “We can be happy about that, we can celebrate that and not have to write about how we’re constantly the underdog. No, teams are gonna be gunning for us now. We won the division and all that.
Campbell and Goff seem ready for teams to come after them even if that means their achievements don’t mean as much unless they win the Super Bowl.
