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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Dan Campbell admits Lions needed butt kicking to bring them back to Earth

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 10/23/23

Heading into their Week 7 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, the Detroit Lions had won four straight and were anointed by some as the best team in the NFC.

That is why head coach Dan Campbell said Sunday’s embarrassing 38-6 shellacking was exactly what the Lions needed to keep themselves grounded and not let their early-season success go to their heads.

"You don't want these to happen, but when it does, it re-centers you, it refocuses you,” Campbell told reporters. “I don't want it to happen, nobody wants it to happen, nobody likes to look over there and watch them having a great time because they kicked our a--. Nobody thinks that's fun, but I know that motivates me for next week, it motivates our team. You'll do any and everything you can not to have that feeling again.”

The Lions had not only beaten their last four opponents prior to Baltimore — they won each game by 14 or more points. The team was ranked in the top five in offense, the top 10 in defense and averaging 28 points per game.

But on Sunday, Detroit couldn’t seem to do anything right.

The Baltimore Ravens offense averaged 9.1 yards per play against the Lions

Only Miami have recorded more in a single game this season (10.1 vs. Denver) pic.twitter.com/yJsRwYJuWU
— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) October 23, 2023

Jared Goff was sacked a season-high five times and held without a touchdown for the first time this year. Detroit mustered 40 fewer rushing yards than its season average, and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson lit up the Lions secondary to the tune of 357 yards and three touchdowns.

He’s only the second quarterback to throw for more than 250 yards and three or more touchdowns in a game against Detroit this season.

"Lamar beat us; he hammered us with his arm,” Campbell added. “He threw the ball extremely well, he ran when he needed to, and we did not handle it well. … Our energy was good, but our detail and discipline, which has been so good over the last four or five weeks, was not good enough, so self-induced.”

Tabbed by some as the preseason favorite to win the NFC North, the buzz surrounding Detroit only heightened after a 21-20 season-opening win over the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Wins in four of their next five prompted some media pundits to advocate for the Lions as the top team in the NFC, ahead of the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles — the teams who played for the conference championship in January.

With a humbling loss out of the way, and the Lions presumably pumping the breaks on potential Super Bowl chatter, Campbell has a few extra days to get them prepared for their Week 8 clash with the Las Vegas Raiders on “Monday Night Football.”

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