Dan Campbell Reveals What Disappointed Him in Blowout Loss to Seahawks
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has plenty of reasons to be disappointed, especially after witnessing his team get pushed around and man-handled on the road against the Seattle Seahawks.
“We couldn’t stop the run. Couldn’t stop the run, and they weren’t even running very well, you know? So, that was kind of the essence of this game," Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters, following his team's 51-29 loss. "Until I really look at it. I know this, we were getting cut off backside. We weren’t where we were supposed to be on a few things, whether it be, who knows? I’ve got to look at the tape. But, I know this, we weren’t stopping them."
Detroit's defense struggled all afternoon to stop the run, as running back Rashaad Penny ran for 170 yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns.
His 144 yards on the ground in the first half were the most first-half yards for a Seahawks running back in 28 years.
“Again, I’m thankful. I’m just blessed. I’m thankful to be standing up here again,” Penny said. “I am really trying to focus only a little on injuries. That’s something you really don’t want to focus on. As a human, playing a sport, putting on a show for people, it can ruin the thought process of athletes."
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Campbell acknowledged the failed fourth-and-inches took a little wind out of the sails of his team.
"Look, Penny’s a hell of a player. He is. But, when you let him get going, you’re making that quarterback (Russell Wilson) 10 times better than he already is. And that’s tough. Then offensively, you’ve got to match them," he said. "I felt it knocked the wind out of us when we didn’t get the fourth-and-inches, or half a yard, whatever you want to call it. Because we got the three-and-out, and we drove the ball and didn’t respond after that."
When the coaching staff reviews the film, issues with tackling and missed assignments on defense will take the luster away from the strides made in the past month.
Despite being outmanned, Detroit fought back to make it a two-possession game with under 5:00 remaining in the third quarter.
Trailing 38-22, Detroit's defense allowed Wilson and Co. to go on a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that extended the lead to 45-22 early in the fourth quarter.
"Probably the most frustrating thing to me -- I mean, look, it’s all frustrating, but when we pulled it back within two scores, I really thought, 'Alright, this is a chance to get this thing back in our favor. We’ll get a stop here, a turnover and now, we’ll make this a one-possession game.’ And we just couldn’t do it," Campbell said. "That really disappointed me, even more than the other stuff, to be honest with you.”
