The Detroit Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26-20 in overtime on Sunday night.
After squandering a 17-3 lead, the Lions managed to force overtime with a field goal in the final 17 seconds of regulation. In overtime, they won the coin toss and quickly drove down the field to score the game-winning touchdown on their first and only possession.
Following the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell delivered one of his trademark locker room speeches that left players and viewers alike ready to run through a wall. Campbell’s message was straightforward: winning in the NFL is always good, but the focus must remain on constant improvement. He also highlighted a few key performances, including that of quarterback Jared Goff.
Goff’s performance wasn’t spectacular in terms of statistics, but he did win the coin toss to begin overtime—a point that Campbell specifically praised.
“Defense, we held. Fox, what a phenomenal punt to help our defense. And offense, we did what we needed to do to get to overtime. Then we win the toss. Goff, nice job. We drive all the way down. That’s a damn good win.”
The humor in Campbell’s praise for Goff was because Goff didn’t actually win the toss. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford lost the toss by calling heads, while the coin landed on tails.
Yet, Goff was able to revel in the win after confidently telling the referee that the Lions would receive the ball.
This is what makes Campbell special. He never misses a chance to build up his players or keep the mood light. As long as you do your job, that’s all that matters to him—even if your job sometimes just involves accepting the ball after a 50/50 guess goes in your favor.
