Lions-Bills: What Dan Campbell, players said after deflating Buffalo loss

FOX 2 - The Lions ran into a buzz saw in Buffalo on Thursday Night Football – and the emotions afterward were high from the defense.

The backstory:

Buffalo rolled up 449 total yards and quarterback Josh Allen accounting for five touchdowns in the first regular season game ever at Highmark Stadium.

At one point in the first quarter, the Bills led 14-0 while the Lions offense had only run three plays. 

In the second half the Lions - which trailed 27-10 at the half, twice pulled within 10 points, but the Bills always had an answer. 

Jack Campbell: ‘It starts with me’

Lions linebacker and team co-captain Jack Campbell appeared crushed and took accountability afterward.

"I'm going to be honest with you, hat's off top them, we played terrible and it starts with me," he said. "And I feel like, it's on me. I've got to be better. I've got no better thing to do than look in the mirror."

Aidan Hutchinson: ‘Not Good Enough’

"They got after us for sure," he said. "Not good enough. Things will definitely be changed. I don't know what that is necessarily, but I know there will be changes. We're not going to keep banging our head against the wall. 

We're going to have a sense of urgency, too. We've been 1-1 before. We've been in this hole, and I think players, coaches, are willing to do whatever to dig ourselves out of it."

Lions on offense

The Lions offense had fewer issues, with Jared Goff passing for 327 yards and four touchdowns, including two going to Amon-Ra St. Brown (9 catches, 142 yards). 

But the offensive line, down three starters, had issues with the Bills giving up three sacks, while running back Jahymr Gibbs was held to 62 yards on 15 carries, although he added another 61 yards receiving with a touchdown.

Goff: Podium Q & A

Goff: "I think we knew what type of game it was gonna be and we dug ourselves in that hole and against a team like that with the offense they have, it's really hard to get back in it. We got close, we were down 10 there with some opportunities to get back in but we dug ourself in too big a hole.

Q: What could you guys have done better?

Goff: "I think like urgency early on, you know," he said. "I think for the last two games really like we've had good moments But I think we need to really understand. We need to start good. You just start on that momentum and ignite some of those plays in the first drive in the second drive and not allow ourselves to get in these holes."

Q: What was different in the second half when you moved the ball better?

Goff: "I don't know what was different or not different. I think we just kind of got in a rhythm. Probably that third drive there, I believe we scored. And from then on out, I think, we probably scored on most of the drives and we punted twice after that. I can't quite remember, but yeah, again, I think those first two drives put us in a big hole and we can't do that."

Q: What did you think of the crowd noise?

Goff: "I think we had a false start, at least one, a couple of false starts. Yeah, it was loud, it's good. We got to handle it better, and some of those penalties killed us, man, it really did. We were third and short, and it backed us up, and I believe a fourth down one as well, but we got to be better."

Q: How difficult is it with the offensive line changes due to injury?

Goff: "It shouldn't be difficult. We've had a lot of practice with these guys. And I thought there was really good moments. I think there's moments where they would look critically at themselves for sure. But it has gelled, I think, in the last two weeks leading up to that New Orleans game. Juice (Scruggs) has done a good job throughout practice. I can't speak on the night. I haven't seen it. But I think he's done a great job. And I think everyone around him is starting to settle in. Again, I know there's plays I'm sure they want back. But it's getting there."

Q: What are you looking forward to after a long weekend lets you look at things before the Jets game?

Goff: "Gosh, consistency and again like the finding a way to be very intentional about starting fast. I think both games, like I said, we had good moments. We really had good second halves in both games but you know, being intentional about 'Hey this game starts in the first quarter and let's go and get going.'"

Q: Does this game show where you guys are, early in the season?

Goff: "Yeah, I think any time you play a good team like that team has been to playoffs as much as many times as they have who has had the success like you get to see where you stack up and we're not there yet. 

"They played really well tonight, but game they wanted to play and we got what we deserve to some extent. They played well, you get what you deserve on both sides of the coin in the NFL and they beat us. "

Q: How do you affect the team to get started faster on offense going forward?"

Goff: "Again, I think just being intentional about understanding that that's where our deficiency has been in these last two weeks and making sure guys realize the urgency to it and there's certainly no time to wait. We're in the middle of this thing now, but we got to get going earlier offensively and I think, just speaking and making guys understand that it's urgent and it's intentional."

Q: How do you guys stay up and not look at the scoreboard?

Goff: "Yeah, we've been in these games before where we've, we've scratched our way back and got right back into it and won these games. And so I don't think there was ever a moment of, of panic or anything. It was, you know, status quo and we really wanted to cut that game to one score and we got closer. 

"We got to 10 and one more possession maybe would have done it for us, but, um, weren't able to get it to one score and, um it sucked. But yeah, we, we scratch and claw, we got a lot of pride, um certainly on this team. And, um we'll, we'll never say die. You know, it goes all the way to the end. Thank you."

Coach Dan Campbell: Podium Q & A

Dan Campbell:  "We (played well) in spurts, but it was just too little too late. I mean, I thought we had some really good drives, some outstanding drives. I mean things that really give you a lot of hope, make you feel pretty good. I do think we got places to go here on offense. We got a lot room to grow, and that's encouraging, I do. 

"We just got to clean up a lot, we got to clear up a lot of things on defense right now, particularly in the back end. And then offensively, you play opponent as potent as this. We don't have the luxury of spitting and sputtering early. That's the thing, you don't that luxury. And we knew that coming into this game."

Q: What gives you the confidence that the defense can put the pieces together?

Dan Campbell: "Because that's what we're tasked with man and I think this front is is we got some juice up front man I think we've got a mix of guys that can apply pressure that can stop the run and that relieves a lot of stress on your back end and The more those guys play together the better they'll get. The more we really digest what we are trying to do to opponents or what we feel like we need to do any given week I think will help those guys, and their confidence will grow and we'll get better.

"So listen, it stings, nobody likes it. Certainly I don't. I don't like losing, I don't like losing like that. But I also know this is, we just finished week two, we're 1-1, you know? And we've got a ton of room to grow. So that's encouraging. And we've got a minute to look at it. That helps too. You know you get a couple of days here now to really look at it."

Q: The offense struggled in the first half, why?

Dan Campbell: "We just had some run through, you know, bottom line is, we didn't handle this well enough. I'm talking about us as coaches, alright? We have a hand in this. But this was really, we had basically one game on what they're doing over there. And that was last week's game. Preseason is not really, that doesn't tell you too much. And so then you're going by families, trees, right? The old family tree, well, is he Fangio or is he Rex Ryan? And so you know you're trying to have an answer for everything and then you come in, and they did a couple of things different, you know?

"But nothing that we couldn't handle. But we had some run through, and they ran us down on the backside. They had some safety pressures, which look we know they have safety pressure they just they did quite a bit more of them and You know, we've got somebody for them. We just didn't get them blocked. So it's little stuff like that and at some point you know you don't get it going. 

"And then the score is getting away from me a little bit. And then you got Sam over there and Jaymo and LaPorta and it's time we might need to put it in the air a little and then that's a different can of worms, right? Now you're dealing with a rush and all those things. But anyway it was just too little too late."

Q: How tough was the crowd noise?

Dan Campbell: "I didn't feel like it was anything like abnormal. It was a good environment, it was really good, you know. It was loud, man, it's one of those that, you could really feel it. I mean, it, it it was a, it a good experience, a good vibe. But I didn't feel like we played in a lot of loud stadiums, you know, and I felt like this is certainly up there with them. But nothing that was something we couldn't handle, if you will."

Q: (Cornerback) Avonte Maddox left on crutches, how difficult is that?

Dan Campbell: "I don't know. Maddox is pretty tough. And so, you know, when he didn't come back, that makes me nervous. But I won't know until tomorrow, for sure. You know?"

Q: What is your biggest concern with the secondary right now? 

Dan Campbell: "Yeah, I think it's those guys playing together and being on the same page. I think that plays into it a little bit for sure. And there's a lot that we do, by where we think we need to go. And look, we wanted to be aggressive today too. I mean, look, if you just sit back there and play coverage on this guy, he'll light you up and he'll start throwing those bombs down the field. And I mean you can die that death. I mean, so we knew we were going to be a little more aggressive today now and that can string you out. But it's not so much that as it is, okay, if we are going to do that, let's just make sure we're all on the same page. That's all. And if we get beat, we get beaten. Listen, that is the way it goes sometimes when you play this way. We've got a chance to look at it and figure that out."

Q: What's the biggest opportunity to have this extra time to get ready?

Dan Campbell: "I think for us, just to be able to look at what we've done over two weeks, we really didn't get a chance to. You talk about some of these errors from New Orleans, you know, four days ago or whatever, but you don't. You're coaching on the run, man, and while you're getting ready for this game. And so now we'll have a chance to get the players together and really go over these last two games. When we get them in here and really, go over that stuff that's, because that's how you grow and you learn. And you really get it taught and the details of it. And so that'll be good for us, you know? 

"Listen, it's early, we're in week two, we've got a long season. And the most important thing is that we get better. That's it, that's it. We just need to get better than we were today in all three phases. We need to play better against the Jets. And I believe we will. We can and we certainly will."

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