Only 23 months ago, the Lions built — and blew — a 17-point lead in the second half of the NFC Championship at San Francisco. After the game, coach Dan Campbell provided a blunt assessment of the situation.
“I told those guys, this may have been our only shot,” Campbell said at the time. “Do I think that? No. Do I believe that? No. However, I know how hard it is to get here. I’m well aware. And it’s gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year. That’s the reality.”
Since then, the reality is that a magical 15-2 season ended in an upset loss to the Commanders in the divisional round. This year, the losses have quadrupled, leaving the Lions at 8-8 with one game to play, next weekend against the Bears at Soldier Field.
Can the Lions come back? Absolutely. But next year’s team will be three years removed from the one that was on the brink of the franchise’s first Super Bowl. Windows can open quickly, and they can close even faster.
Even now, 47 of the players from 2023 are gone. The coaching staff has undergone an overhaul, with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and multiple other assistants moving on. By next year, who knows how different the Lions will look?
So, yes, it was their only shot. While plenty of players from 2023 will be back for 2026, the team will be dramatically different. Something will need to be different — and significantly better — to get the Lions back to where they were in January 2024.
