Lions stars explain what went wrong in disappointing season after big Super Bowl expectations

The new-look Detroit Lions person been a unit to beryllium reckoned with, but this season, they are successful what has precocious go unfamiliar territory.

After making the playoffs successful each of the erstwhile 2 seasons, the Lions missed retired connected the playoffs aft being 1 of the favorites to triumph it each successful the preseason.

In 2023, they were this adjacent to making the Super Bowl for the archetypal time. Last season, they mislaid successful their archetypal playoff crippled arsenic the No. 1 seed.

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Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions and moving backmost Jahmyr Gibbs look connected anterior to an NFL shot crippled against the Green Bay Packers astatine Lambeau Field connected Sept. 7, 2025, successful Green Bay, Wisconsin.  (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

"I truly deliberation we person each the pieces, and that's wherefore this twelvemonth wounded the mode that it did, due to the fact that you cognize we person this precocious elite level of talent," prima borderline rusher Aidan Hutchinson told Fox News Digital connected Radio Row. "I truly conscionable deliberation it was a shot thing, and it was a deficiency of complimentary shot successful captious moments. I deliberation antithetic phases were letting the squad down. That's defence included, too. It sucks that you person to beryllium determination and accidental it, but I deliberation that's benignant of what happened. Because we person the pieces."

"I deliberation we conscionable slipped up present and there. Details benignant of slipped up, we had a batch of radical injured, but I wouldn't marque that arsenic an excuse due to the fact that we did the aforesaid happening past year. Just request to cleanable up immoderate stuff," moving backmost Jahmyr Gibbs added. "Everybody's successful the league for a reason. Every team's good. Every team's got players getting paid. So, I mean, anybody tin bushed anybody immoderate fixed Sunday, Thursday, Monday, immoderate it is. We conscionable happened to get bushed much than we're utilized to. So it is what it is."

Part of the crushed the Lions did not spell to that Super Bowl 2 years ago, galore would argue, is Dan Campbell's aggressiveness connected 4th down. But don't expect anyone connected the Lions to ever disagree with their coach's mentality.

"We emotion it," Amon-Ra St. Brown said. "We're rocking with it, we consciousness similar we person a bully offense, players everyplace that tin spell marque plays connected 4th down. We consciousness similar we tin get it connected each 4th down. Dan's instilled that successful america since we've been there... and we consciousness similar we tin get it each time."

Head manager Dan Campbell looks connected anterior to the crippled against the Cleveland Browns astatine Ford Field connected Sept. 28, 2025 successful Detroit, Michigan.  (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Gibbs' reply was overmuch simpler.

"We privation much points," helium said.

One happening that the Lions undoubtedly do, though, is thin connected 1 another. Hutchinson and Gibbs partnered with Rocket Mortgage connected Radio Row to dispersed the connection connected being a bully neighbor, and likened location surviving to the locker room.

"Be dependable. Always beryllium connected that 1 idiosyncratic that's gonna be, past nary substance what, to assistance you. Like, you request your packages picked up. They gonna assistance you," Gibbs said.

Detroit Lions moving backmost Jahmyr Gibbs (0) celebrates his touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2nd fractional of an NFL shot game, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, successful Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

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"It's truly what Rocket is each about," added Hutchinson. "And their culture, they preach being a bully neighbour and being benignant and spreading kindness. The biggest happening is dependability erstwhile I deliberation of teammates and neighbors. "I deliberation the severity of the concern changes in-game, a small spot higher pressure, but it's a akin flair of dependability."

When asked if thing is missing to get implicit the hump, Penei Sewell echoed Hutchinson's teammates astir having the close pieces.

"Nothing comes to mind," Sewell admitted.

"But I'll archer you what," Hutchinson added, "once we each travel backmost for OTAs, we each cognize what's astatine stake. We each cognize however overmuch has been enactment into this squad and the endowment that we have. So it's going to beryllium continuing to sharpen iron, vie successful practice, vie successful games, and truly go the champion mentation of ourselves."

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