The Detroit Lions overcame the Los Angeles Rams in their 2024 season opener with a 26-20 victory, despite not playing their best football.
Head coach Dan Campbell emphasized the importance of minimizing mistakes in early-season games, noting that teams that make fewer errors usually come out on top.
“I give them a lot of credit; they fought hard,” Campbell said after the win. “We’re hard to break, so we did what we had to do. Our defense held when it mattered. Before that, (Jack) Fox had a great punt, our defense made a stop, we got the ball back, and went into overtime. We won the toss and didn’t look back. We found a rhythm and did what we needed to. I said earlier in the week, ‘The team that makes the most mistakes usually loses these early games.’ We made one less mistake, and now we just need to improve from here.”
Campbell pointed out that during his coaching tenure, many of the team’s key starters have not played a significant amount of snaps in preseason. This strategy likely aims to avoid injuries and give coaches a better look at players who are competing for roster spots.
“There’s always going to be mistakes, every season,” Campbell continued. “I reviewed the first two games of the season, Baltimore vs. Kansas City and Green Bay vs. Philadelphia, just to see how these games played out. And, sure enough, mistakes happen. You can see them, and they can cost teams victories. It’s inevitable, it’s like that every year.”
He added that teams that execute “basic” football fundamentals effectively—like blocking, tackling, and maintaining good communication—have a clear advantage early in the season.
“In the first game, the team that plays the basics best—the blocking, the tackling, the communication, protecting the football—usually wins,” Campbell explained. “There are things that will develop as the season goes on, but for many players, it’s the first time in a while they’ve played with such intensity for so many snaps.
“This was our first real taste of that,” he added. “We’ll improve and find a better flow on both sides of the ball. But at the end of the day, our defense held their offense to fewer points than our offense scored. So, we found a way to win.”
Campbell emphasized that although the Lions were not perfect, they showed resilience and determination, which made the difference in the end. The team’s ability to grind out a win, even when they weren’t playing their best, is a positive sign for the season ahead. As they move forward, Campbell expects them to build on this experience, refine their execution, and continue to focus on the basics to achieve success.
The Lions’ approach to preseason, focusing on giving fringe players a chance to prove themselves while keeping key starters safe, has its risks. However, it appears to have paid off in this opener, as the team managed to win by making fewer mistakes than their opponent. Moving forward, Campbell remains optimistic that the Lions will continue to grow and improve as they settle into the season.
