Dan Campbell Takes Blame for Lions' Stunning Playoff Loss to Commanders: 'My Fault'

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is taking responsibility after the No. 1 seed Lions suffered a 45-31 divisional round playoff loss to the Washington Commanders on Saturday.

"It's my fault. It's my fault," Campbell told reporters after the loss.

Campbell and the Lions faced a dominant Jayden Daniels who posted 299 yards, completing 22-of-31 passes for two touchdowns while taking zero sacks and not throwing an interception.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw for 313 yards, completing 23-of-40 passes for one touchdown, three interceptions and one fumble for a loss. Wide receiver Jameson Williams also tossed an interception.

Despite Goff's struggles with turnovers and the defense's inability to find a way to stop the Commanders' offense, Campbell was visibly emotional at the podium postgame as he took full responsibility for the loss.

"It hurts," Campbell continued. "At the end of the day, I didn't have them ready."

The Lions gave up three first downs to the Commanders due to penalties, committed five turnovers in total and converted only three of their six red-zone opportunities.

Prior to their loss, the Lions were 15-2, showcasing a dominant regular season before falling to the 12-5 Commanders at home.

"It's not the time to talk about what a great year (it was)... because at this moment, I don't think any of us feel that way," Campbell said.

Campbell had previously made headlines in May, telling reporters that the Lions were aiming for the Super Bowl and nothing less ahead of the season.

"I don't see bust, I see Super Bowl. I don't know what bust is," Campbell told reporters in May. "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."

With the Lions heading into an earlier offseason than anticipated, they will need to evaluate what went wrong in their final outing of the 2024-25 season.