Tag: Taylor Decker

Lions, Dan Campbell reflect on loss and what they can see for next season

ALLEN PARK —  And then it was Monday. 

The Detroit Lions cleaned out their lockers, said their goodbyes and, along with coach Dan Campbell, reflected on the 34-31 loss to the 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Championship game.

“Our guys eyes are open. This should be the ultimate motivation to push forward and it will be for us, it will be,’’ Campbell said. “We’ll learn and move on.’’

Of course they are not happy with the defeat, after watching a 17-point lead evaporate in the second half.

“This is what you hear about all the time in catastrophes — it doesn’t take one or two, it takes 12 things to go wrong and we did all 12 of those wrong in all three phases,’’ Campbell said on Monday. “And ultimately, where we’ve been so good when one area is struggling a little bit and the other two pick them up. That was the game in the second half where in all three phases we were not good and we continued to make mistake after mistake after mistake in all three phases.’’

Campbell wasn’t as emotional as immediately after the game — and maybe it was because he was exhausted — but he did seem drained on Monday. The players were still digesting the horrific loss but were also happy to look ahead.

The future could be bright. One betting service has the Lions’ odds to win the Super Bowl in 2025 at 7/1 – the only two better teams are Kansas City 12/1 and San Francisco 49ers at 6/1. So there’s that.

All season long, Campbell said the team was built for whatever challenge they faced. “We’re built for this,’’ the coach repeated over and over. He was right until the second half on Sunday when they surrendered a 17-point lead.

‘I think the whole point was to create a core that had certain standards. Obviously they’ve got to be good players and we have that. But they’ve got to be a certain way, there’s got to be a certain mindset, a certain identity and we have that in our core,’’ Campbell said.

Between free agency and the draft, the roster will be tweaked for next season. 

“And we’ve got to add pieces that are like-minded — we have to add more talent, more competition that thinks the same way that group of guys in the locker does,’’ Campbell said. “And it’s non-negotiable if it’s not. There’s no level of talent that’s worth bringing something that doesn’t fit what we’re about. That’s very important.’’

The players are all good with that – they saw the results in going 12-5, winning the NFC North title and a pair of playoff wins.

“They want guys that represent what this city is about. The cliche thing — blue collar, hard-working, resilient. That’s not lip service, that’s what we are,’’ left tackle Taylor Decker said. “There’s something to be said for those intangibles … Hopefully this is the tip of the iceberg for us and we’ll have some high standards going forward in the next few years.’’

Campbell, a master communicator, should guide them in the right direction just like he has for three seasons. He knows he has a foundation set.

“There’s things we won’t have to start all the way from scratch, but there’s got to be that hunger, there’s got to be that work, there’s got to be that attention to detail, there’s got to be that urgency,’’ Campbell said. “And in that regard, you’re starting all over again and if you don’t and you think you’re just going to walk out there because you went to the NFC Championship game you’ve got another thing coming. That’s how you become average in a hurry. They’ll know that, they understand that, as we get to next year that will be the message.’’

Detroit Lions headed to NFC Championship after 31-23 win over Tampa Bay Bucs

DETROIT — It is not a dream.

The Detroit Lions, who have dwelled in the NFL basement for far too long, came through with a 31-23 win over the Tampa Bay Bucs in an NFL divisional round game on Sunday to advance to the NFC Championship game next Sunday at San Francisco.

The Lions, your Lions, are one win away from playing in the Super Bowl.

“Here we are, sitting one of the last four teams. That was – that’s the type of game that I envisioned against Tampa,” coach Dan Campbell said. “I mean, that’s an outstanding team. That’s a hot team. We knew it was going to come down to the end.”

It had not completely sunk in with the players after the last bit of confetti had fallen from the Ford Field rafters.

“Frank (Ragnow) said it to me when we got in the locker room, ‘We’re playing in the NFC Championship.’ Of course we always work for this and towards this, but it’s here and it’s real. It’s kind of surreal in a sense,’’ said left tackle Taylor Decker, who was drafted by the Lions in 2016 and has experienced plenty of heartache.

Coach Dan Campbell has believed in this bunch all along. He repeatedly has said throughout the season that they “were built for this.”

“Dan talks about it all the time. This team was built a certain way for a reason,’’ Decker said. “And everybody in this locker room was hand-selected to be here. It’s a special group.”

They are not done. It’s back to work on Monday to prepare for the 49ers who defeated the Packers in a divisional game on Saturday night.

Five reasons the Lions won:

1.Let’s start with the very end. Linebacker Derrick Barnes intercepted Baker Mayfield on a second-and-5 from Tampa’s 15-yard line with 1:33 remaining and the Bucs down by 8 points. It sealed the win, allowing Jared Goff to go on the field for the victory formation – just like last week against the Rams. Aidan Hutchinson said it wasn’t the call played. Barnes said he wanted to see if Mayfield was going to throw the dagger behind him.  “I turned around and I see the ball coming and I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m going to drop this.’’ He was so emotional he doesn’t even remember getting to the sideline. He said when the ball hit his hands and he dropped to the turf, his first thoughts were: “What the hell just happened? First career interception, my son’s first game, a lot of emotions out there.”

2. Lions quarterback Jared Goff stayed patient. The Lions managed just 10 points in the first half, but came away with three second-half touchdowns. “It was huge, especially because we know that defense is very stingy. They have a great group especially against the run. We knew we might have to soften a little with the pass to open up the run game,’’ Decker said. “It’s one of those things, you keep chopping, keep hammering.  Those 2-, 3-yard gains in the run game are going to go to 10-yard gains.’’ And that’s exactly what happened. Goff completed 30 of 43 passes for 287 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “Goff made – I mean, fourth quarter, he really showed up there and made some big throws. And we knew we needed to throw the ball to move it today,” Campbell said. “That was – we went out there to Tampa and I’ve said this before, it was like swinging a sledgehammer against a steel door. I mean, we were just over and over and over. And so, we knew we needed to loosen them up before we started to run it and we did that.”

3. When it mattered the most, the defense came up big. Mayfield was sacked four times — Aidan Hutchingon (1), Brian Branch (1), Ifeatu Melifonwu (1.5) and Jalen Reeves-Maybin (.5). While Tampa won the battle in total yards – 408 to 391, the Bucs were just 4-12 on third downs and were held to just 89 rushing yards. They also had eight quarterback hits and two interceptions (Barnes and C.J. Gardner-Johnson).

4. In big games it’s key for the best players to be at their best. It happened for the Lions with wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown (8 receptions, 77 yards, 1 touchdown), tight end Sam LaPorta (9 catches, 65 yards) and running back Jahmyr Gibbs (9 carries, 74 yards, 1 touchdown and four catches for 40 yards). They had help which is what makes this Lions team special. WR Josh Reynolds and running back Craig Reynolds each scored a touchdown..

5. The game was not too big for the Lions, a young NFL team. Give Dan Campbell credit for his belief in this team. Look at the rookies – Gibbs, LaPorta and Brian Branch – they play like veterans. They got their first taste of the postseason a week ago in another close game, they digested it all, and came out firing on all cylinders on Sunday with a performance that will be remembered for a long time. 

UP NEXT: NFC Championship Game with Lions at 49ers, Sunday, Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m.

Controversial ending key to Lions 20-19 loss at the Cowboys

Two-point conversion to Decker negated over official’s questionable call

After a crazy finish, the Detroit Lions came up short, losing to the Cowboys, 20-19, at Dallas on Saturday night.

Down by 7 with 1:41 left, the Lions went 75 yards downfield with no timeouts and scored when Jared Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown. 

Instead of kicking the extra point for the tie, the aggressive Dan Campbell went for 2 points. In the first attempt, left tackle Taylor Decker caught the ball in the endzone, but was penalized for not reporting. Campbell was furious and was yelling at the officials. It was not a reviewable play.

Video shows Decker talking to the official before the play.

“It sucks, I don’t know if I had this feeling before when you feel like you won and you didn’t. With that being said, the next two plays we had a chance at it …” quarterback Jared Goff said. 

“What I do know – and I don’t know if I’ll get fined for this – I do know that Decker reported. I do know that (Dan) Skipper did not and I know they say Skipper did. It’s unfortunate,’’ Goff added.

Decker said the same thing.

“I did exactly what the coach told me to do. I went to the ref and said ‘report.’ It was my understanding too that Dan brings up the possibility of those sorts of plays pre-game (to the officials),’’ Decker said.

Campbell, who doesn’t usually show his emotions after a loss, was visibly upset in the post-game press conference.

“I told the offense with 1:41 left we were going to go down and score and then we’re going to go for 2 and finish this game out. I told them that, that’s what we were doing,’’ Campbell said. “We were going for the win.’’

After the Decker play was negated, on the next try the Cowboys were penalized and then Goff could not connect with tight end James Mitchell.

So the Lions, the NFC North champs, fall to 11-5 and the Cowboys keep their home record perfect at 8-0. 

“In the end we knew it was going to come down to the wire. I thought our defense played really well today minus one play that was in our hands, we were there to make a play and we didn’t. Other than that I thought we did some really really good things …’’ Campbell said.

Five reasons the Lions lost (other than the official’s apparent bad call):

1. Overall the defense played well but midway through the first, Derrick Barnes had quarterback Dak Prescott within reach for a safety, instead Prescott slipped through and connected with CeeDee Lamb for a 92-yard touchdown play. That put the Cowboys up 7-3. The defense had no answer for Lamb who had 227 receiving yards (including that 92-yarder) but they were tough against the run, holding the Cowboys to 61 rushing yards. 

2. Quarterback Jared Goff didn’t have his best night in part because the offensive line also didn’t play at its best. He was pressured often, sacked once and threw two interceptions. He was at his best in the less-than-two minute drive that ended the game. He finished 19 of 34 for 271 yards and a touchdown pass. “We had plenty of opportunities, it never comes down to one play of course. We didn’t play our best on offense throughout most of the game and did towards the end,’’ Goff said. “The second half I thought we played a lot better. We had plenty of chances to score …’’

3. The run game amassed 125 yards, but again didn’t get consistent help from the offensive line. Jahmyr Gibbs had 43 yards on 15 carries while David Montgomer carried 14 times for 656 yards and a touchdown. That double threat will be integral to the Lions in the playoffs. 

F4. Campbell is known for his aggressiveness and that did not change. In the second quarter on fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line, he went for the touchdown instead of the safe 3 points. The pass to Sam LaPorta for the TD was incomplete. In that same drive, Campbell called a fake punt that had Jalen Reeves-Maybin pass to Khalil Dorsey for 31 yards and  the first down. The Lions were 2 of 3 on fourth downs.

5. In the big picture, the defense looked playoff worthy, but the offense (while it was able to come back at the very end and almost win it) has some work to do. 

UP NEXT: Minnesota Vikings at Lions on either Saturday, Jan. 6 or Sunday, Jan. 7 at Ford Field. The schedule will be announced on Sunday.