Lions Seeking to Avoid Being Embarrassed by Sean Payton
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has added motivation this week to ensure his team is playing disciplined football and executing much better than in the past several weeks.
Facing Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos, which have found a way to turn their season around, provides Campbell and the coaching staff their opportunity to right the ship in front of a passionate home crowd at Ford Field.
After being defeated by the Chicago Bears on the road, Detroit is entering a stretch against teams with winning records that still have plently to play for.
As of late, Detroit has not been able to put together a complete, 60-minute game. And, issues in the third quarter have remained unsolved.
With Payton being fully aware of Campbell's coaching style and tendencies, playing less than clean football could result in the Broncos winning by a significant margin, something Detroit's third-year coach is seeking to avoid.
"It means we better be on our stuff, because he's gonna come here to try to embarrass us, that's what it means," Campbell told reporters, when asked what it means to face off against his coaching mentor. "So, that's our motivation, that's my motivation and it's about winning, man. All we've got to do is find a way to win, and we're gonna have to be at our best. And, we will be at our best."
Payton returned to the sidelines to coach the Broncos, after spending one season working with FOX Sports.
After a slow start this season, the Super Bowl-winning coach used Detroit's 2022 team as an example of how organizations can show grit and overcome adversity, even after starting a season with a losing record.
"There's a fine line between a groove and a rut. I'll give you an example, Detroit, a year ago. I watched it as a media member, covering, they had a handful of tough losses, they were 1-6. I know Dan well. You keep fighting," Payton said earlier this season. "There's a grit element involved, some mental toughness that's involved and then pretty soon here, they are at the end of the season. They win, they were eliminated before that game played, but they were in that contention. And then, here they are, now as one of those teams. And so, we're kind of in that position where, we're going up and we have to."
