Dan Campbell stood at the podium after Detroit lost a 17-point lead to San Francisco in last season’s NFC title game and spoke about how that might have been the Lions’ only chance to reach the Super Bowl.
The coach understood how hard it would be to keep playing at that level through injuries, player losses, and the pressure of being a top contender in the NFC.
Eleven months later, as Campbell and the Lions prepare to return to Levi’s Stadium for the first time since that loss, his words have proven to be true — but for San Francisco, not Detroit.
The Lions (13-2) head into the rematch on Monday night with a strong chance at securing the top seed in the NFC playoffs, while the 49ers (6-9) have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
For Detroit, the need for revenge after last season’s 34-31 loss is not as important as what’s at stake in the final two weeks of the season. The Lions can secure the top NFC seed by winning their last two games or by beating the Niners if Minnesota loses to Green Bay on Sunday.
“Anytime we lose, the thought of losing is going to motivate you to not want to lose again, particularly with where you were at,” Campbell said.
“So, that’s always going to bring its own level of motivation to it. But this is where we’re at in the season, we know that we need another win, we understand where we’re at in the division and the NFC, so I think it’s all-encompassing.”
While the Lions don’t need extra motivation, the same cannot be said for the 49ers, who are finishing a disappointing season after making it to back-to-back NFC title games in 2021-22 and the Super Bowl last season.
A series of injuries to key players like Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, and Brandon Aiyuk, combined with inconsistent play all season, have left the 49ers with nothing to play for in the final two games.
“It’s obviously not where you want to be this time of year,” Bosa said. “It’s different, especially watching where we’re at last year against this team. Just that feeling of December, January football is a feeling that I’ve gotten used to being really competitive and being in the mix. I think we’re doing a good job of staying engaged and obviously this is our job, so we’re going to finish it strong.”
