‘Maybe we needed this,’ Something happens to the Lions after they get kicked in the teeth

It’s almost like they want to get beat sometimes

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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It doesn’t happen very often anymore. Even Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell mentioned it in his post-game presser on Sunday Night. It’s been a while since the Lions were flat-out beaten. Sure, they’ve lost some games recently, but according to Campbell, this was a beating.

“I’m disappointed. It’s been a long time since you’re watching somebody nail it three times in front of you, and it’s not even close. You know, you’re down two scores. I mean, we got, we got worked pretty good.”

Every time something like this happens, the messaging is the same from Campbell. It’s the idea that the Lions needed it to happen to them. Maybe they felt too good about themselves, maybe they’re a team that feeds off being the underdogs, or maybe they just needed to get beaten to show that they’re human. Whatever it may be, something happens to this Lions team after they get smacked around. It’s like they become some sort of super team.

The Lions typically follow up big losses with big wins

Just going back to 2022, you can see there’s a real pattern with the Lions after some of their biggest losses during the regular season.

What happens to the Detroit Lions the week after big losses?

  • 2022: 37-23 loss to the Panthers and then a 41-10 win over the Bears
  • 2023: 38-6 loss to the Ravens and then a 26-14 win over the Raiders
  • 2023: 28-14 loss to the Bears and then a 42-16 win over the Broncos
  • 2025: 27-13 loss to the Packers and then a 52-21 win over the Bears

That’s pretty notable for a couple of reasons. The first is that the Lions just don’t get beaten badly a lot anymore and haven’t for a few years. The other is obvious. This team absorbs losses and then drops 40 burgers on their next opponents pretty regularly.

That is not at all to say that the Lions are guaranteed to do that against the Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, but it’s just an example of how hard this team wants to get that bad taste out of their mouths when they lose. They feel like they have to win so badly that maybe they take it out on their next opponent a little more than is necessary.

There is no doubt that this is going to be a fun game. These two teams were kind of made for this moment when it comes to injuries. The Bucs offense is depleted by injuries, and the Lions defense is depleted by injuries. Should be a fun one.

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