Dan Campbell makes honest admission about Lions playoff loss to 49ers

The Detroit Lions will travel to Levi's Stadium to square off against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football in Week 17. The Lions will look to improve their record to 14-2 and potentially clinch the NFC North and the No.1 seed in the conference if the Minnesota Vikings lose to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

The main headline in Detroit's return to Santa Clara will be the rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game. Dan Campbell's squad had one of the best years in franchise history in 2023, posting a 12-5 record, taking home the NFC North crown, and winning two playoff games before falling to San Francisco in the conference championship game.

The Lions held a 24-7 halftime lead in the 2023 NFC Championship Game versus the 49ers but blew the game in the second half and lost by a score of 34-31. Detroit seemed destined to advance to their first Super Bowl in franchise history, but instead, a fantastic season ended in heartbreak.

On Saturday, Dan Campbell spoke to the media about losing the conference championship game last season and compared it to his experience losing Super Bowl XXXV to the Baltimore Ravens when he was a player for the New York Giants in 2000.

"We just didn't do enough," Campbell said. "You learn from every experience. Unfortunately, that's the best way to learn -- from the losses."

#Lions HC Dan Campbell says last year's 49ers loss still hurts. He likened it to his Super Bowl experience as a player with the NY Giants. "We just didn't do enough. You learn from every experience. Unfortunately, that's the best way to learn -- from the losses," he said.

It's clear that Campbell and the Lions learned a lot from that demoralizing loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game in January 2024, and let's hope that doesn't happen again this season. Though Detroit has been ravaged by injuries in 2024, the team is still one of the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Caesars Superdome in February 2025.

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