HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL

Press Conference
Sunday, October 9, 2022

DC: So he can come home. So that's good news. You know, certainly we didn't play good football there. It was not good. It was the worst of the season overall as a team. And, you know, that falls on me. You can't play that way and – unless your head coach doesn't have them ready. So that's 100 percent on me. Questions?

Q: Your offense, pretty much all year. What was it today? I know you have to see the film. What did you see or not see from them that was struggling?

DC: Yeah, nothing really. I mean, we felt like – I mean, they did a couple things. But nothing that we haven't – weren't prepared for or hadn't seen. We could just really never get Goff in rhythm. So we were doing things that we wanted to do in the run game. It was going very much like we kind of thought it would and hoped it would. We just – when it came time to throw it, we just – we could never get him quite comfortable. And then we end up getting behind and the numbers things there. But, so, yeah, for different reasons, you know, it was never always one person or one thing. It's protection. Well, you know, it's just the little stuff. And the little stuff has continued to get us, which is on me.

Q: You mentioned Saivion Smith, have you talked to him at all?

DC: I have not talked to him yet. I have not.

Q: You had a chance to go for a 50-yard field goal, did you not have faith in Michael Badgley from that distance?

DC: Yeah, I had a yard marker. I knew that we needed to get inside of to feel good about it, you know, to swing away. Otherwise, take your chances with the offense.

Q: (On what happened on Craig Reynold's run for -7 yards on third down)

DC: We had an ME. Yeah, we had – somebody was supposed to be blocked on the edge. So we had a mental error there. So that's why we lost the yardage. Yeah, the play was a good call. It was a real good call. We had exactly what we wanted.

Q: (On the fourth downs in general)

DC: Yeah, I mean, it hurts. Because that's, really, a part of third down, right? Yeah, if you don't convert on third down, then you better do it on fourth. And so, we weren't good enough. That scenario, we've been pretty good. And – I mean, our – that whole – you know, when you're not able to convert those, you know, you're going to struggle offensively, you know? So too many of them. We weren't efficient enough on first down. Now, I did think we got some manageable downs. We just couldn't convert them. You know, it was one of those days. Our offense has been pretty steady, you know, played pretty well. And this was a day we didn't do well. And, you know, we really never got into true rhythm and we couldn't convert. So we couldn't stay on the field.

Q: You've always been a motivator at keeping the guys engaged, how do you do that at this point?

DC: Yeah, I mean, look, you just be honest with them. You tell them exactly what it is. Like, you know, to me, it's about as bad as it gets. I mean, this is worse. You know, this is where we're at. And sometimes it's going to get bad before it gets better. And, you know, I believe we hit rock bottom. So now the only place to go is back up.

And, you know, look, we're going to get some guys back. I got to look at everything top to bottom, which I have time to do for the bye. And look, I've seen it too many times. I've been in this league too long as a player and a coach and I've seen teams that have started out rocky and it's doom and gloom, and all of a sudden they win one and then they win the next one and then they win the next one. And that's what I told them, you just got to win the first one. We just – when we come back, everybody's got to look in the mirror over the break. How do you get better individually? Just like I'm going to do. And we find a way to win the next one. Just win the next one out of the bye and then take the next one as it comes. That's all you can, that's all you can do.

Q: How shocked are you talking about rock bottom here?

DC: Yeah, you don't anticipate that. You don't see that. But I also know – I mean, as bad as it looks, I also know what we're capable of. And, look, we – it's hard to say that when you look at the score today, but we got better defensively. I mean, we were – we played better today than we've played. Now, is it good enough? No. But we did play better. And offensively, we're better than what we just put out there on tape. So, yeah, it's bad.

But as a total team here, it's just 29-nothing. So to this point in the season, it's as bad as it's gotten.

But I also know, man, as long as you hold on to hope and you believe in things that we're doing – and I'm going to – man, I'm going to change some things up. I mean, I'm going to look at everything; at the way we practice, the way we go about it. You know, do we need to practice longer? Do we need to practice less? Do we put on pads? Do we not put – you know, and those are all things that I'll be looking at over the next week.

Q: You talked about benching Amani Oruwariye. And also you said you changed some things up on defense but were you happy with how you changed it up?

DC: Yeah, well, there again, I need to look their – look at the tape. But, look, we wanted to give Will [Harris] a try out there. And the only reason Amani was down, he doesn't do a lot on special teams. Otherwise, he would have been here and probably would have played some. But that's where you, you know, you get in a pickle with special teams. But yeah, look, we – you just try and build a little bit of trust in that back-end. And we get A.J. [Parker] back up. And that's one thing we know about A.J., at a minimum, he's an excellent communicator, he's smart, and he's got football intelligence. And I know that there's a lot of trust back there with him at nickel, you know? And then we wanted to give Saivion [Smith] a shot, our third safety. So we were just mixing some things up to see if we could breathe some life back into our defense. And now, Will ended up getting hurt, but I thought he was playing pretty good up until that point. And look, I told Amani this last week. I said, "Man, this doesn't mean this is done. I mean, you could very much be back up." But it was – that's what we needed to do, you know?

Q: (inaudible)

DC: You know, listen, he – he's – I mean, we all know what he's about. I mean, he's – he's been wanting to play. And he gave us what he had. And I'll say this: He did some real good things but he was not 100 percent, you know? And we all appreciate the way he's made and what he's about. And, you know, he went in there and mixed it up.

Q: What did you identify on why he struggled so much?

DC: Oh, I don't know. And I'd rather not answer that. That's between he and I. We just needed to change some things up.

Q: Dan, you guys have a couple of good tackles, Matthew Judon was able to make a pretty good impact today. What did you see out of that matchup?

DC: Yeah, look, Judon's a good player. We knew that coming into there. We did a significant amount of chipping and nudging to his side. But I didn't necessarily feel like he wrecked the game. You know, there's –again, when things don't go well in your protections, there's a number of reasons. And it's all-encompassing between protection, it's between the backs and the quarterback. And so – but he's a good player.

You know, I don't feel like he had a – he wore our tackles out or anything like that. But he certainly was – you know, he's a good player. We knew it coming in.

Q: Coach, back to Saivion, can you tell us a little bit about who had joined him in the ambulance? And also can you tell us anything about the reaction from the team after you let them know that he has his motor skills and he gets to come back with you guys?

DC: Yeah, that was – it was his father. And I believe his uncle. And the team was – of course they were happy to hear that. You know, everybody was concerned about Saivion. So, yeah, I mean, there was a sigh of relief.

Q: Not to make any excuse, but that is a pretty tough thing to deal with, did it lead to the struggle?

DC: I don't think so. I don't believe that. Just because, I mean, they see it, too. Even though it's not their teammate, there's a stop in the game. They're all looking at it. I think it's – I don't think it affects either side, in my opinion. I mean, it's certainly not – it's nothing you want to see. I mean, you don't. That's the worst. But I don't think it affected us like that.

Q: (On going up against a third string quarterback)

DC: Listen, yeah, I get that. You know, I would say this: They had a good game plan for him, which we knew they would. They didn't do anything too exotic. And, you know, they were able to stay ahead of the sticks. You know, they were very efficient. They gave him some easy throws and some things where they could block it up and let him see it and run away from coverage. And you know what, he made those plays. He made those plays.

So I thought we would have been a little bit better in that regard. But the kid played good, too. He played good. I mean, that's a credit to him. That's a credit to them putting that game plan together. You know, they did well.

Q: (On the turnovers)

DC: Yeah, I mean, it's – I mean, there's no other way to say it. It's – you know, you just can't allow it. If you're going to run like that, then you better just tuck it. And, you know – or just have a little bit better feel of where it's coming from, you know? But yeah, I mean, it's – you know, it – I'll tell you what, I've never seen anything like that. It's like we turn the ball over, we give up seven when it happens. And so – but it certainly hurts us. So, you just got to protect it. You got to protect it.

QUARTERBACK JARED GOFF

Press Conference
Sunday, October 9, 2022

Q: On how critical the turnover that resulted in a touchdown was to the rest of the game.

JG: Yeah, I mean, always costly to turn the ball over any time. But whenever it results in a six, it's even more costly. But yeah, I mean, I wish I would have, you know, been a little more careful there. But trying to extend the play on fourth. And, yeah, unfortunate.

Q: On if the Patriots defense did anything specifically to make it tough for the Lions offense.

JG: Yeah, they did a bunch of stuff that made it hard. But ultimately it was us not executing and not playing nearly to our standard. And it starts with me and trickled all the way down. But I think everyone would say the same thing. We didn't do nearly enough or play in and play out to stay competitive in that game.

Q: On the confidence in the coaching staff and the team to bounce back from this game.

JG: Yeah, of course. Always, always. You know, days like this happen. And, you know, you don't want them to happen. But I've been a part of a couple of them in my career and hopefully they're wake-up calls if you handle them the right way. You know, that's a pretty good team over there and they did some good stuff to us defensively. I just wish we would have done a little more early on in the game to allow us to stay in it; potentially get a lead, kind of change the dynamic of the game. We played right into their hands. It was exactly how they wanted to do it, I'm sure. And yeah.

Q: Was there a common trend on fourth down?

JG: No. No, they played man coverage.

Q: What does seeing a teammate go down do to the mindset of the team?

JG: Yeah, I mean, it – it's hard to see your brother, teammate, that happen. But that doesn't change, I don't think, the way we played. But, I mean, I'm sure there were some guys rattled. You see your guy get stretchered off, that can kind of set you back for a second. But no, by no means is that a reason why.

Q: On being updated that Saivion Smith has feeling in his extremities and was possibly flying home with the team.

JG: Yes. Yeah, we just heard that, so good. Always scary. But good to know he's doing better.

Q. What do you guys need to do change this thing around?

JG: Yeah, that's a good question. What do we need to do? I mean, a lot of things. You know, I think the thing each person can do and each teammate and coach and everyone can do is look inward and be critical of yourself instead of critical of others. And not that we're doing that. That's just the first step, I think, is, you know, see: Where can I get better? Where can I improve? Where can I help our team? And what have I been doing personally that has held us back in any way or what can I do more of that I've been doing well that can push us forward? So find those answers and come back ready to go.

Q: On how you balance taking the bye week and not obsessing over where they are now.

JG: Yeah, it would be hard. Hard after a game like this. You would like to go into the bye with a win and let your brain turn off a little bit. But I don't know, that'll be hard.

Q: On how he explains throwing three interceptions in the last three weeks and having a fumble tonight.

JG: I don't know. Yeah, unfortunate, but I can't do it. Obviously, at the quarterback position, turnovers are a part of your business. And, you know, you want to limit them. It's an occupational hazard. But, yeah, for a few of them to go back for touchdowns, it's not good. And I don't know if – there's no rhyme or reason why they do or don't. I just got to be better.

Q: Dan called this rock bottom. Do you feel like you have hit this level?

JG: Maybe so. Yeah, typically that's kind of – before we you can get better, things have to get worse sometimes. And today it certainly did. And, you know, our – I think our defense actually played, you know, better and gave – was giving us a chance for some plays there on offense. And we didn't finish drives. We didn't convert on third/fourth down. We didn't finish with the ball in the end zone. You know, we didn't score any points. So it's as bad as it can get offensively for sure. And, you know, I think our defense may have improved a little bit, though.

Q: On the interception in the redzone.

JG: Yeah, the corner made a good play, man. It was probably a bad decision. But he kind of – he was with T.J. up the seam. And I thought I had T.J. down the sideline. And he fell off at the seam and made the play. And if I had to do it again, I'd check it down and move on to the next play. But I got a little greedy there. And he made a play.

Q: You guys came into the game with such a high-powered offense and number one in the league in so many categories and then you get shut out. Does this shake your confidence at all with what you're doing?

JG: No, no. I think it's a really good defense. And they had a really good plan for us. I mean, we moved the ball. I mean, we weren't just, like, you know, sputtering out of drives. We moved the ball, we just didn't finish any drives. You know, we didn't convert on our fourth downs and that's kind of the difference today. And if we convert on all the fourth downs, you know, maybe we're able to score some points. I would think so. But, you know, we ran the ball okay. You know, not up to our standards but ran the ball okay. And the pass game was not good until maybe midway through the third quarter when we were able to get some chunks. But it's too late by then. But no. To answer your question, not at all.

Q: On if teams having more film on them made an impact.

JG: No. I don't – no, it wasn't – it was man coverage and they just played it really well and rushed it really well and I made some dumb decisions. And kind of a combination of all that. But it wasn't anything revolutionary over there. They just did a good job planning and it's always hard with those guys.

Q. On the Rams game against the Lions in 2018…

JG: Scored 31.

Q. But, yeah, I think that's who the Patriots later said that that was sort of the blueprint that they used, is to hold that offense in check a little bit later on in the season. Could this be – I don't know, did they do anything different –

JG: No. Yeah, no. I don't – no. They played what they usually played. I don't even have to watch it. But they played what they usually play. And I think what they do so well is – they're just so sound. They're so sound and they have a really good idea of how you're trying to attack them offensively. And their players are really smart. And they're good players, too. In order to beat teams like that, defenses like that, you can't make dumb mistakes like I did. And, you know, we just got to do better.

ADDITIONAL LIONS PLAYERS

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR

(On why he decided to play today and not rest before the bye week)

"I felt pretty good coming into the game and I knew with the bye week I would get some rest after this game. Just wanted to do what I could do to help the team."

(On how disappointing this game was after the offense had been so good the first four games of the season)

"It was tough. I think we moved the ball pretty well for most of the game. I feel the turnovers hurt us and the type of game we were in, we wanted to score and we didn't want to settle for field goals. Those fourth downs when we went for it, we could have taken field goals but just the type of game we were in and the situation, we felt we needed to score. We came up short, but the Patriots had a good plan."

(On how prevent this game from bleeding into the remainder of the season)

"I don't think the bye week could have come at a better time for us as a team. If you look at the injuries we have, it's going to give us time to heal up, rest up and rethink everything. I think this is going to be perfect for us having lost two or three straight now, to reset our minds and once we get back from the bye, its full go."

(On his perspective on the fourth down plays)

"I haven't watched the film yet, all I know is what I saw out there. They had a pretty good plan for us. Hats off to them, they played good defense, but, as an offense we hold ourselves to higher standards and we have to come out two weeks from now and be better."

T.J. Hockenson, TE

(On being 1-4)

"We're going to have to dig ourselves out of it. That's something we talk about every week, it's just looking at it and looking at yourself in the mirror. We all have to do it this next week."

(On being disappointed as an offense and today's game)

"It's real tough and that's a credit to them. You can't say that they didn't have some things for us. They are a very moving front and they do a lot of things up front. For me even to get out on a route was tough, because their ends were just not too worried about the rush and they were hammering me and it was just one of those things. We were ready, but it was definitely different for sure."

(On the offense being bogged down)

"I mean that's something we always talk about is our first, first down, and then being able to get it from there. Usually once we get a first down, it's like we are good, and we are in a rhythm and can get rolling. We got stalled out and there were a couple of plays that everybody wants back. You know there were a few turnovers as an offense and those are things we don't want to happen and can't let happen."

Alex Anzalone, LB

(On making progress as a defense in the loss)

"I feel like we definitely did, without watching the film or anything like that like you mentioned early in the game and in the run game, Obviously, I don't what the red zone percentage was but that was a huge improvement from what we have been doing, so when you go through things like things you have to take the positives and correct the negatives and keep chugging along."

(On the difficulties of the injuries)

"It's hard, but that is what the NFL is. You know that if you are a DB, you have to know all of the different positions. We had some guys step up and I'm sure you'll see that on film. You know it is tough and it is tough not to have your guys out there. It kind of is what it is."

(On pulling it all together as a team)

"We have to play complementary football at the end of the day, in all three phases. I feel like there are times where we have, like in the Washington game and a few other instances throughout the season, but that is what is really hurting us. When the offense is clicking the defense hasn't been clicking and vice versa. It's complementary football – that's how you win games in the NFL."

Alim McNeill, DL

(On the game)

"It was a tough game, it was a real downhill game from them. The run game was really heavy with them, having a new quarterback in their system. I feel like there were some things we could have done better, a lot better. As far as the running game goes, we stopped a lot of it. They're going to get some plays, it's the NFL, that's how it works, but a lot of the stuff out there we could have stopped a lot more."

(On if the Patriots did anything to surprise them)

"Nothing surprised us really, we knew they were going to run the ball heavy. So we knew what the game plan was, we knew we were going to get doubles the whole time inside. We knew we were going to get downhill runs. That what they do, that's how the Patriots do. They like to run the ball a lot."

(On getting behind and not being able to bounce back)

"It was tough, really tough. But the mentality of it, it's the next play mentality. You can't dwell on the play before, you have to keep carrying it over. When you're on the field, you have to have the next play mentality. It's very tough but you have to have that mentality."

(On going into the bye week)

"We keep working. It's a bye week, we obviously a week without a game, but we're still working. Some guys might take some time to get their bodies right or get into the playbook. There are a lot of things that we need to get done. But this is a week of work, it's not an off week."

DeShon Elliott, S

(On the loss)

"We just keep working, that's all we can do, is go back to work. We've got to find a way to win. It's really frustrating to go out there at practice, knowing we are doing what we do at practice and not come up with a win. It's really irritating."

(On the defense playing well)

"They still had 29 points. Regardless, they still had 29 points. I don't care if we held anybody out. If we're going to lose make it 3-0 or 6-0, but we can't be giving up 29 points. We still have made no strides, we have to be better than this. We will be, we just need to keep working."

(On the bye week)

"I guess this is a time for everyone to refresh their brains, get their bodies right. One and four coming out of the bye week that's horrible, it's disgusting. We want to be a great team because we want to be able to bounce back. So coming out of this bye week we just need to do what we need to do."

(On being a leader)

"I'm going to keep being me, keep being myself, keep trying to be a great teammate. Whatever happens after that is just what's going to happen. At this moment, we're just trying to be better as a whole."