DETROIT, MI — The Detroit Lions suffered a frustrating 31-24 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Green Bay Packers, and Head Coach Dan Campbell didn’t shy away from taking responsibility. After the game, Campbell stood at the podium clearly irritated, acknowledging that Detroit’s self-inflicted mistakes and failed high-risk decisions cost them a crucial divisional matchup.
Lions Go 0-for-5 on Fourth Down in Costly Collapse
The biggest storyline? Detroit went 0-for-5 on fourth-down attempts, repeatedly giving the Packers short fields and momentum. Green Bay, meanwhile, converted two of their crucial fourth-down tries for touchdowns—creating a massive swing in the game.
Campbell owned the disastrous numbers.
“I’m going to own it… We were zero-for-five on fourth down. I put our offense in tough spots,” Campbell said. “That’s on me.”
The failed fourth-and-three run in the third quarter—stuffed for a loss—was the turning point, immediately leading to a Packers scoring drive that widened the gap.
Campbell Defends Aggressive Identity Despite Failure
Campbell’s “go-for-it” mentality, a core part of the Lions’ culture and his MCDC (Motor City Dan Campbell) persona, backfired on Thursday. But he made it clear the Lions won’t abandon their identity.
“The easy thing is to panic or second-guess who we are. We’re not doing that,” Campbell insisted.
“We’re an aggressive football team. But we have to get our fundamentals back.”
Execution Issues Haunt Lions Offense
Beyond fourth downs, Detroit struggled across the board:
Critical issues included:
3-for-13 on third-down conversions
Dropped passes in key moments
Inconsistent run game against Green Bay’s defense
Mistakes at the worst possible times
Campbell emphasized that the Lions’ poor execution—combined with aggressive play-calling failures—created a game script they couldn’t overcome.
“We made critical errors at the worst times possible,” he said. “Take those out and it looks different.”
Lions Look to Bounce Back With Focus and Fundamentals
Campbell ended his press conference with a challenge to his players: learn from the loss, fix the mistakes, and fight harder.
“We’re going to clean some things up. The fight is on now,” Campbell said. “We’re going to have to scratch and claw for everything.”
Bottom Line
The Lions’ Thanksgiving loss came down to self-inflicted damage and aggressive decisions that didn’t pay off. Campbell took responsibility, but also reminded everyone that Detroit’s identity won’t change—they’ll stay aggressive, but must execute better.
