It’s been a while since the Detroit Lions lost a game, but Dan Campbell did what he typically does after a defeat: blame himself.
Even with all of the defensive injuries, fielding a makeshift unit, the ground game struggling, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen playing like an MVP, Campbell still put this loss on himself.
“Ultimately, it’s like I told the team, I didn’t have those guys ready to go, not like that,” Campbell said.
“Not when you’re playing a team like that. That’s with me. We had a number of guys that have played a lot better than that, just overall, and so that tells me that’s me. I didn’t have these guys completely ready to roll.
“I thought the effort was good. Guys fought. It’s just, there were little things in there that bit us, things that we knew we could not give these guys anything –it’s too good of a team — and we gave them some stuff there. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but at least we know now where we stack up against one of the AFC’s best teams, and it’s not good enough — not today, it’s not.”
Detroit fell into an early hole. Its offense eventually got things clicking at high levels, but it was too late, with the makeshift defense unable to stop Allen and the Bills. The Bills quarterback threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns, along with 68 yards and two scores on the ground.
Jared Goff and the offense crawled back within striking distance a couple of times with a second-half scoring surge. But the two-score deficit in the first quarter kept them at arm’s length and right where they knew they had to avoid.
The Lions head coach said they just didn’t match Buffalo’s sense of urgency, and that’s why he’s pointing the finger at himself and not anyone else. Heck, when asked about the defensive injuries, Campbell shut that thinking down.
“No, I’m not buying it. I’m not. I don’t buy it,” Campbell said.
“We can be better. We should’ve been better. We know how good they are, but that team was more urgent than us today, overall.”
What does the week ahead look like moving forward?
The defense will be without cornerbacks Carlton Davis III and Khalil Dorsey, and defensive lineman Alim McNeill on top of everything else. And the injuries moved over the offensive side, too, with running back David Montgomery out indefinitely with an MCL injury.
Tight end Sam LaPorta said Campbell told them they would be practicing outside this week. The Lions are back on the road for the next two weeks, with a late December trip to Chicago to face the Bears up first. They have been practicing indoors much more often than not over the last month-plus.
It’s the first outdoor game for the Lions since beating the Green Bay Packers more than a month ago.
“I think coach Campbell will get us ready for the week,” LaPorta said.
“He already addressed and told us that we’re practicing outside this week, which is great. Can’t wait for that. We’ll be ready for this weekend.”
