‘I’ve got controlled fury’: Campbell says Lions won’t wallow in Cowboys loss, controversial Ending.
Dan Campbell is moving on, despite the fact that a large number of Lions supporters are still fuming at the conclusion of the team’s 20-19 loss to the Cowboys in Dallas on Saturday and the potential role that referee Brad Allen played in determining the team’s fate.
After Allen claimed that Dan Skipper, the incorrect player, had been listed as an eligible receiver previous to the play, a late two-point conversion pass to Taylor Decker on a tackle-eligible play was ruled void by penalty. On camera, Decker was speaking with Allen, who then addressed the Dallas defense.
Had it stood, the Lions would have gone up 21-20 with 23 seconds left. Instead and two more two-point conversion attempts later (a third chance coming after a Cowboys penalty), it ended as a loss and potentially harming a chance for a first-round playoff bye afforded the top two conference seeds.
Campbell, although still irritated by it, said nobody is feeling for themselves.
“I’m good, I woke up yesterday, I’m ready man. I’ve got controlled fury. I’m ready to go. I don’t go the other way. The team won’t either,” he said. “We’re on a mission and we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves and wallow in everything. We had plays to make and we didn’t make them.”
The game on Saturday played up to the hype of being a close contest between NFC heavyweights, with the Lions making their final drive down the field for a touchdown before the devastating finish. Their coach thinks that in the long run, the heartbreaking loss might even be advantageous.
“You need to make that one extra play that we missed in a close game against a strong opponent in a playoff-like atmosphere.” I have pure octane right now, and we’ll use that as fuel,” he remarked. “I woke up, I’m ready.”
The season finale takes place on Sunday at Ford Field between the Lions (11-5) and Vikings (7-9). They have already won the NFC North and have a good chance of earning a No. 3 postseason spot, which would secure a home first-round playoff match.
Most fanbases are incensed with NFL officials when it comes to grievances, but the Lions’ traumatic past makes them stand out. Whether it was the 2010 “Calvin Johnson rule” or the pass interference call that was incorrectly called in the fourth quarter of a 2015 playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Campbell urged fans to not get hung up by it.
“Don’t do that. Don’t buy into that. Don’t live in that world man, it will just pull you down,” he said.
He also quipped about being on the New Orleans Saints staff for one of the most infamous no-call pass interference plays ever in a 2019 playoff loss to the Rams.
“The NFL is against every team, if that helps ease your pain. Since, you know, I was in New Orleans and I understand how it feels,” he remarked. “But the truth is that we had opportunities to win the game before all of that occurred. But that one was it, the end of it. We got up, packed our stuff, and headed out. On the other hand, we still have a chance even though we only had a taste of it. The tournament hasn’t even begun yet.
“I would advise supporters not to even accept that. We’ve only just begun.”
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