Of all 72 Detroit Lions games coached by Dan Campbell, what has been the best one?
It’s still weird to think that we’re living in a golden age of Detroit Lions fandom. Honestly, maybe the true golden age is ahead of us. But for most of us who have spent decades lamenting one of the worst franchises in football, we’re still a little in disbelief about how lucky we are to be witnessing a Detroit Lions era in which records are being broken on a near-weekly basis.
The duo of head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes has proved to be a fruitful one. Campbell has led the charge as one of the best leaders of men in the business and an underappreciated football mind, while Holmes may have the best resume of any general manager ever based solely on his first three draft classes.
As a result, we’ve experienced some pretty amazing Sundays, Mondays, and occasional Thursdays along the way. So today’s Question of the Day is:
What is the best Lions game of the Campbell/Holmes era?
My answer: If we’re going off of just vibes, it’s hard to top the Lions’ Wild Card victory over the Los Angeles Rams . Not only was it the ending of one of the longest playoff victory droughts in professional sports, but it was one hell of a game. The Lions ultimately secured the defensive stop they needed late, then Jared Goff put away his former team with a game-clinching conversion to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Adding even more to the drama was the Goff/Matthew Stafford facing their former teams storyline. Without a doubt, that will be a game that most fans will remember forever.
But there was also one very memorable game the year before that.
January 8, 2023, will go down as one of the most up-and-down days in Detroit Lions history. The Lions we’re riding an incredible streak—winning seven of their previous nine games. Somehow, after starting the season 1-6, they were in the playoff hunt, and it appeared Campbell had finally rallied the troops enough to lift the burden of this Lions franchise out from the slums. With a little help from the late afternoon games, Detroit’s regular-season finale—Sunday night against the Packers —would be a win-and-you’re-in situation for both teams. A poetic finish to bury a division rival while entering the postseason as one of the hottest teams in football.
Unfortunately, that early help never came. Baker Mayfield—then the Los Angeles Rams quarterback—threw a critical interception in overtime that led to a Seahawks win, mathematically ending Detroit’s bid for a playoff spot.
In years past, that would be the end of the Lions’ story. Close but no cigar, and they’d probably fall back to reality in 2023. The Packers had everything to play for; the Lions had nothing to play for. Time to start talking draft.
But as long as there’s football to be played, Dan Campbell will have them ready. And what followed was a gritty, message-sending upset of the Packers that sent Aaron Rodgers into oblivion and Green Bay fans home early. You could call that win meaningless for the Lions, but it was clearly a sign to the rest of the division that they’re coming.
The rest is history. Two straight NFC North titles, a couple of playoff wins, and a historic 15-2 season. It all started that night in Lambeau.
What has been your favorite game of the Campbell/Holmes era? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.