Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions training camp preview: Aiming for goal no NFL team has hit in 3 decades

Published

1 year ago

July 21, 2024

Detroit Lions training camp preview: Aiming for goal no NFL team has hit in 3 decades

When Dan Campbell said after the Detroit Lions’ NFC championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers in January that it was “going to be twice as hard to get back to this point next year,” he was speaking from experience.

Campbell was assistant head coach with the New Orleans Saints in 2018 when that team lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game on a missed pass interference penalty.

The Saints went 13-3 the next season, but lost their playoff opener to the Minnesota Vikings in overtime and haven’t played for a conference title since.

The Saints aren’t alone. No NFC runner-up has gone on to win the Super Bowl the next season since the Green Bay Packers in 1995-96. The Packers lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the 1995 playoffs, then beat the New England Patriots —pre-Tom Brady — a year later in Super Bowl 31.

GET READY: Detroit Lions training camp FAQ: Everything you need to know for 2024

Before last year’s 49ers, no NFC team that lost in the previous year’s conference championship game had even advanced to the Super Bowl since the 49ers also did it (under then-head coach Jim Harbaugh) in 2011-12. Of the 10 NFC runners-up from 2012-2021, five failed to make the playoffs.

“I mentioned this last year and I’ll say it again: It’s going to take a lot more than it did last year to get to where we were,” Campbell said this spring. “That’s just the nature of how it goes. But we’re going to be more than capable of doing that. Things got to go your way, but it does start with you. It starts with those players, starts with the coaches. We’ve got to put the work in.”

The Lions, by all accounts, had a successful spring.

They re-signed cornerstone players Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell to long-term contracts. They overhauled their sieve of a secondary, signing Amik Robertson in free agency, trading for Carlton Davis and drafting Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw. And they retained all three of their coordinators, including offensive wizard Ben Johnson, giving them unmatched continuity.

The Lions will open training camp Wednesday as one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, though they will have to navigate a more treacherous schedule to get there. The NFC North is better, with improved rosters in Green Bay and Chicago and a still-young nucleus in Minnesota, and they play a first-place schedule featuring games against fellow Super Bowl hopefuls the 49ers, Cowboys, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills, among others.

Here are five storylines to kick off camp and that will in many ways define the season.

Great expectations

The Lions were most everyone’s pick to win the North last season, so they’re not in completely uncharted territory. But you have to go back to at least the 1990s to find a Lions team generating this much Super Bowl buzz.

That’s a good thing, without qualification. Most every other NFL team would love to be in the Lions’ shoes. But there unquestionably are pitfalls that come with being the hunted rather than the hunter.

The weight of heightened expectations can be sizable, both individually and as a team. Expectations will grow as the calendar turns, and the smallest of stumbles can take a team down the wrong path. The Lions seem built to handle whatever comes their way with Campbell as head coach, but most people thought the same about the Philadelphia Eagles last year, and they were left watching the playoffs after just one week.

Falling in line

The Lions have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. They return four of five starters, including arguably the NFL’s best lineman in Sewell, and added Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler to fill their only opening.

But three-fifths of the line — Zeitler, center Frank Ragnow and left tackle Taylor Decker — sat out spring practice because of injuries, and the line averages nearly 30 years old. It’s not a young group, and injuries to any of the starters could sink the ship.

Goff’s play is hugely dependent on the protection he gets up front, and the backbone of the Lions’ high-powered offense is the running game. Campbell won’t overtax his veterans in camp, but that doesn’t mean they’ll make it through the regular season in one piece.

Bates Motel

The Lions should have a real, bona fide kicking competition in camp for the first time in years.

Michael Badgley has made 26 of 30 field goals over parts of the past two seasons for the Lions, but his limited leg strength could be a liability in end-of-half and close-game situations. The Lions signed UFL star Jake Bates away from the Michigan Panthers in June. Bates has a hammer for a leg — he made three 60-plus-yard field goals for the Panthers — but is unproven after never kicking in college.

Bates will have to earn the Lions’ trust in camp to beat out Badgley for the job. One thing that might work in his favor: He was a kickoff specialist in college, and if he proves reliable in that area in camp, he could be a weapon under the NFL’s new kickoff rules.

Second in command

The Lions don’t have many holes on their roster, but they do have some question marks. Offensively, there’s not a lot of depth at receiver, and Jameson Williams, their No. 2 pass catcher, remains largely unproven.

Williams will play opposite Amon-Ra St. Brown and has the speed and explosive ability to challenge teams deep. He needs to be more consistent catching and tracking the ball and running routes, but coaches insist he made major strides in those areas this offseason.

At defensive end, the Lions have been searching for a complement to Aidan Hutchinson. They signed Marcus Davenport in free agency. They’ll get James Houston back from a lost season due to injury. And Mitchell Agude is coming off an eye-catching spring. If one of that trio — or anyone else — emerges as a reliable No. 2 pass rusher, the Lions defense will be better off.

Corner store

The Lions acquired enough depth in the secondary this offseason that Campbell said in June he had no idea who would start in his secondary this fall.

Davis and Arnold seem likely to open camp as the first-team cornerbacks, and Robertson could play the slot if the Lions are serious about giving Brian Branch the chance to win a starting safety job. Rakestraw probably opens as a backup slot defender. Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu give the Lions two more playmakers at safety. And at some point, Emmanuel Moseley may be ready to contribute in his return from a torn ACL, too.

There’s enough depth to survive the season, but the Arnold and Rakestraw face big learning curves as rookies playing one of the NFL’s most dangerous positions and Branch and Moseley sat out the spring in their rehab from injuries. Nothing’s a given in the NFL, no matter the size of the offseason investment.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

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Detroit, MI

Blazers Fall to Detroit Pistons in Beautiful, Ugly Bout

Published

8 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Blazers Fall to Detroit Pistons in Beautiful, Ugly Bout

Despite a spirited 21-point comeback, the Portland Trail Blazers fell to the Detroit Pistons 102-110 on Monday night.

The first half was sloppy, to put it kindly. The Blazers, faced with a packed paint and limited outside shooting available, were effectively stonewalled. Moreover, despite a +19 advantage from the line, the Blazers were only able to capitalize on 67.4% of their free throws (which is marginally better than their average over the last three games of 66.3%).

The Pistons’ defensive activity and unrelenting physicality made the Blazers uncomfortable. So uncomfortable, in fact, that they turned the ball over 19(!) times. The Pistons crowded the lane, demanding that the Blazers beat them from beyond the arc. The Blazers responded “no, we will not beat you from beyond the arc” and proceeded to shoot 7 of 32 from downtown.

The only thing that spared the Blazers from a devastating blowout was the Detroit Pistons’ similarly terrible shooting splits, as well as a large disparity in “got that dawg in him per 36,” courtesy of Sidy Cissoko.

The second half saw Sidy Cissoko and Shaedon Sharpe lead a fourth-quarter charge, spawning a 24-point run. With eight minutes left in the game, Cissoko successfully baited Cade Cunningham into fouling out. At this point, the momentum had shifted towards the Blazers entirely. Continual downhill pressure and stalwart defense had the Moda Center believing in the improbable. It was a potentially-perfect ending to a night meant to honor the Blazer greats of the 1999-2000 roster.

Unfortunately, free throws, poor shooting and a little good-ol’-fashioned ref’ ball prevented the Blazers from securing their fourth win in a row. That said, the Blazers once again showed fight. They dragged the top seed in the Eastern Conference down into the mud and walloped them, but – again – weren’t able to clean things up during crunch time.

Shaedon Sharpe…? Shaedon Sharpe put in a polarizing performance. On one hand, Sharpe dropped 25 points and a career high five steals on 51.2% shooting. Yay! On the other hand, he had eight turnovers and shot 1 of 6 from three=point land. Boo! That said, Sharpe felt like the Blazers’ steadiest shot creator tonight, and, given his recent shooting splits, his poor performance from beyond the arc looks like an aberration.

Liability Throws. Until the Blazers shoot over 70% from the free throw line in a game, we cannot refer to them as “free.” Their lack of ability to convert free throws in the clutch was the nail in the coffin for the Blazers. For the game, Portland shot 67% from the line. A few nights ago, poor free throw shooting was the catalyst for an almost-super-embarrassing Sacramento Kings comeback. We all know what the Schonz would say.

Downhill Deni. The Blazers were able to hang in this contest through relentless downhill pressure. Oftentimes, this pressure was met with all five members of the Detroit Pistons sitting in the paint. Other times, though, it resulted in free throws or open looks from three. Unfortunately, as mentioned previously, the Blazers propensity to miss those very kinds of shots meant that they trailed for the vast majority of the game. There is still the possibility that, as players return from injury, they will improve in those departments.

Point Guards, We Miss You. The Blazers have officially claimed the title of “Most Turnovers Per Game” in the NBA. It does not come with a trophy. It does, however, demand the return of any one of the Blazers’ injured point guards. The Blazers’ lack of reliable ball handlers has placed undue strain on both Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe. The offensive burden shouldered by both players is unsustainable, made evident by a gradual increase in the Blazers’ turnovers per game.

Scoot Henderson’s hamstring; Jrue Holiday’s calf; Blake Wesley’s fifth metatarsal—If any of you are listening: please, figure it out.

Never Say Die! Moral victories generally start to feel a little less satisfying when they’re the majority of your victories. That said, the Blazers walked away with another moral victory tonight. Despite horrendous shooting, ball security, and rebounding, the Blazers went toe-to-toe with the top team in the Eastern Conference. Shaedon Sharpe, Sidy Cissoko and Donovan Clingan put in spirited, entertaining performances to ignite a scintillating 21-point comeback. In the end, the Blazers faltered, but fans can still walk away without hanging their heads.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown dealing with knee injury

Published

20 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown dealing with knee injury

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is dealing with a knee injury, though Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated he does not believe it’s serious.

St. Brown was listed as a non-participant on the Lions’ estimated practice report Monday, Dec. 22.

The Lions held a walk-through Monday in advance of this week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday (4:30 p.m., Netflix). Campbell said St. Brown showed up to the practice facility after the team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and reported the injury.

“We’ll know more a little bit later but this is just something that just popped up when he came in today,” Campbell said. “So hopeful this is something [that’s] just some type of irritation from the game. That’s what I’m hoping.”

St. Brown leads the Lions with 98 catches, 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns and needs two catches over the Lions’ final two games for his fourth straight 100-catch season.

Taylor Decker (shoulder) and Avonte Maddox (back) also were listed as non-participants on Monday’s practice report, and the Lions listed nine others as limited participants including starters Marcus Davenport (shoulder), Graham Glasgow (knee), Christian Mahogany (fibula), Alim McNeill (abdomen) and Amik Robertson (hand).

The Lions (8-7) must win their final two games and have the Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) lose their final two games to make the playoffs.

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

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Detroit, MI

Everything Dan Campbell Said After Detroit Lions Loss to Steelers

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Everything Dan Campbell Said After Detroit Lions Loss to Steelers

Here is everything head coach Dan Campbell said postgame, following the Detroit Lions 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Opening Statement: “Credit to those guys, (Steelers Head Coach Mike) Coach Tomlin, you know, they won that game, so. You know, look, it’s frustrating. I was proud of the way the guys fought, we fought our way back in that. We had an opportunity to win the game, which is ultimately what you want. But we weren’t able to close it out. At the end of the day, that’s on us. We did that. We’re the ones who put ourselves in that position where we had to try to score on the last play. But some of the efforts were outstanding, and it was just too little too late. A lot of – we just didn’t make enough plays.”

On the offensive pass interference penalty on the final play: “I mean, I don’t even want to get into it. Because it’s not going to change anything, we still lost. It’s – I mean look, you think you score, you don’t score, and then you think you’re going to have another play. Replay it or back it up, one more shot. And it doesn’t. And that’s just, I guess that’s the way it’s written in the rulebook. So that’s frustrating. But there again, it should never come to that. We had our opportunities. We weren’t able to put it in before that play.”

On why it was difficult to get the run game going: “Yeah, just couldn’t quite get it going, man. You know, made some hay in the pass game, (Lions QB Jared) Goff was in a good place, our receivers were making plays, that’s kind of where our explosives were showing up, and so, you know, went that route. And then we come out, and really in the third quarter we only had those three plays. And that was it for the third, and then we were down two scores. So, now you’re definitely throwing it. So, just didn’t make enough – certainly, I wish we could have run it more, I would love to run the ball a little bit more than that. A lot more than that. It just wasn’t one of those days.”

On the Steelers playing better today: “I can’t argue with that. Look, the ground game says it. I mean, they’re rushing. They rushed it, they had a lot more carries. And some of that was, you know, our defense was on the field for a while. And when you’re able to convert and stay on the field a while then you can kind of bounce from run to run to run, to play-pass, to – it just opens your offense up. And that’s what they’re able to do. And they can. You run a play, you get the look. You run the opposite of that and see how they respond, and then you get a look. And we just weren’t able to do it and they were. I can’t, they got after us. I mean, they rushed for over 200 yards. And only 15 for us.”

On if he agreed with the penalty on Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown on the final play: “I didn’t see it. I couldn’t even see. Man, I was looking at the protection, and (Lions QB Jared) Goff, and then I saw the catch.”

On St. Brown deciding to pitch the ball to Lions QB Jared Goff on the final play: “Yeah, it was a headsy play, man. He wasn’t down, and just to stay alive for the last play, man. That’s what (Lions WR Amon-Ra) Saint (Brown) is, he’s a freaking smart, instinctive player. Gave us one more shot, we thought, but it didn’t work out.”

On the explanation for the offensive pass interference call on Lions WR Isaac TeSlaa: “Just that. They said he, it was, you know, that it was OPI. He ran into the defensive back, or whoever it was. Which, I mean, there’s nothing you can do. They see what they see. And I didn’t see that one either, so I have no idea.”

On if he regrets not kicking a field goal early: “No.”

On how the substitutions on both sides of the ball have taken a toll on the team: “Well, I don’t – you know what, here’s the – you love having guys that are there every week, of course. Because you get used to it, and you build a rapport, and you’re all on the same page. But that’s – man, we’ve lived this for three years. We should be better than that, you know. We’ve got to get our guys ready. We can do better. Every team’s got injuries in this league. Most of them have some type of injuries. You’ve got an injury bug somewhere. And as coaches we’re charged with having those guys ready, make sure we’re on point. The substitutions, the whole thing, that’s what we’ve got to do. And I know this guy, (Steelers QB Aaron) Rodgers, is really good about messing with you on third downs and stuff. You know, they roll out, and see if you’re substituting, then he gets back on the ball. And we talked about it, we worked it this week, and they got us a couple times. But, you know, you’ve just got to have those guys ready, that are going to play for you, and then you try to help them with the call. As much as you can reduce the burden on them, and make calls that help them too, that’s what you’re trying to do.”

On where the team stands right now: “I mean, look. It’s frustrating. We just lost two in a row, you know. That’s the worst – I don’t know. I don’t know what all of this is or isn’t. I know we’ve got two left. And I just want to see us finish. I just want to finish, our style of football, with two to go, man. You know, and try to play four straight quarters of good football. Clean football. Efficient football. That’s what I want to do. And we’ve got a short week now. We’ve got Minnesota, we’re back in tomorrow. I’ve got to have a game plan ready for these guys and we’ve got to be ready to go out to Minneapolis and put it all together and execute.”

On how the diminishing playoff hopes will affect his message to the team: “Yeah, I mean kind of what I just said is what I told them. We’ve got two to go. I just, I want to see us play with our identity. With what we are and what we’re about. We’re big boys in this league, man. You pull your pants up and you go to work. And you can’t feel sorry for yourself. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting, it doesn’t feel bad. But we have nobody to blame but ourselves. It’s on us, and it’s also on us to finish. We’ve got two to go.”

On the lack of consistency in being able to string together four good quarters: “There’s a lot of errors, man, that have popped up. We’ve got some mental errors here or there, or a lack of self-discipline. And look, ultimately, I put that stuff on me, man. That’s on me. There’s no other way to cut it, other than it’s the head coach. So, you know. It’s on me, man.”