Dan Campbell’s role in Lions’ success has talking about dark days in Detroit - "Huge culture change from the Matt Patricia days”

By Henrique Bulio

Modified Sep 09, 2023 02:23 GMT

Dan Campbell has done an excellent job in Detroit

Dan Campbell was a much-maligned head coach hiring by the Detroit Lions in 2021, especially due to his first words after getting the job. However, the rebuild job he has orchestrated alongside Lions GM Brad Holmes has been impressive, and the win against the Kansas City Chiefs on the season's kickoff was the icing on the cake.

While the upset shocked the NFL world in the first game of the 2023 season, Dan Campbell wasn't impressed, at all. The Lions head coach wanted the world to know that this wasn't a surprise: he knew this was coming, and the result was just a verification of the excellent work put in the offseason by his players.

NFL fans were impressed by Campbell's demeanor and the way he treated such a statement win, even if the reigning champions were missing a few important players:

Dan Campbell's Lions upset Chiefs in season opener

Dan Campbell showed confidence and courage to take risks in one of the most hostile environments in the league. At the beginning of the game, still in the defense field, Detroit called a fake punt, which, once converted, turned into an eight-minute drive and the first touchdown of the season.

In the game's final five minutes, he went for it in a fourth down that would've iced the game. It didn't happen, but the essence is there. Campbell was playing to win, with confidence, knowing that on the other side was Patrick Mahomes, whom you don't want to give chances.

It would be very wrong to say that the Lions won because of the Chiefs' absurd drops. If Kansas City made a mistake and Detroit took advantage, what's the injustice? Sports are about that: not making mistakes and taking advantage of the opponent's failure.

That's exactly what the Detroit Lions did, including turning one of Kadarius Toney's drops into a touchdown, an interception taken to the end zone by rookie safety Brian Branch.

Dan Campbell has created an impressive team out of a mess, and the Lions have a great opportunity to win their division for the first time in 30 years.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

Know More