What They're Saying: Lions Feel Loss Can Be Wake Up Call

Quotes from several Lions players, coaches following Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here is a collection of quotes from Detroit Lions players and coaches following the team's 20-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dan Campbell

On other teams giving the Lions their best every week:

“Yeah, that’s something that we talked about as a team going into this year. That was, we felt like we kind of crossed over into this threshold. This new threshold of, alright, we’re perceived as a team that is finding ways to win. We’re pretty tough, physical, we play a certain way, we go to the NFC Championship game, so that’s a notch in your hat. You do that, that speaks volumes. I mean, we’re going to Arizona this week. For them, that’s going to be a huge win if they find a way to beat us. So, they’re going to have plenty of motivation for that. But we talk about it as a team, and we know we’re going to get everybody’s best and that’s a good team there. It is a good team. I know they have players out, but it is a good team and it was a good team last year when we faced them twice. But that’s the bottom line. All these games are going to come down to what just happened there. It’s going to come down to the end of the game a lot of the time. And so, that’s the world we’re in, and our guys know that. They know that.”

Jared Goff

What he saw on his first interception:

“What did I see? I saw pass interference on the defense. But listen, I’ve had a million plays that should’ve been called pass interference that weren’t and that’s one of them. Chalk it up to the game and it happens. Gotta respond, and I thought we did respond. I thought I responded, but stuff like that happens all game long. And I’ve had plays that were called pass interference that weren’t pass interference throughout my career. You take the punches and move on.” 

Taylor Decker

On the team's red zone struggles in Sunday's game:

"I'm not gonna take any credit away from the Buccaneers, that's a really good football team, so credit to them because they made plays when they had to. But yeah, it just felt like there was a lack of execution down there when we needed to make plays. In the run game, for us as an offensive line, we can't have negatives or no gains. That's brutal, especially because we pride ourselves in being able to run the ball in the red zone, even though that is a really good front. So yeah, we've just gotta be better."

Aidan Hutchinson

On Sunday's loss:

"Yeah, I mean it sucks. But I was just talking to some guys and I think this is gonna be really good for us. We had an early loss last year too. I remember we lost to Seattle, and everybody thought we sucked again. I think we're gonna keep this one in perspective and if we're gonna be struggling a little bit as a team, I'd rather we struggle early rather than late. The plan is to catch fire as we get through the season and then we go from there." 

Penei Sewell

If the loss serves as a wake up call for the team:

"I think so. Moments like these, you only can learn from it. You really can't go lower than this point and I just hope the guys have that great mindset coming in each and every week. It's only the second game, so we can get better."

Sione Vaki

On his role in Detroit's fake punt:

"It was just, I was kind of mindblown that they called it going out to the field. And so, all my nerves were going up. I didn't want to sell myself out, sell the team out or the play. Just wanted to really go out there and execute. And then when the ball was in the air, it was just like, 'Dang, he threw the ball. So now, (I've) gotta go catch it."

DJ Reader

If coaches taking accountability the way Campbell did is rare amongst others in the profession:

"I'm sure it is. I mean, everybody's got egos but you've got to check your ego sometimes and I think the good ones do."

Amik Robertson

On what made Chris Godwin so difficult to stop:

"That's a great team, that's all I can say. That's a great team. We respect him and 13 (Mike Evans), we know what they bring to the table and we tried to slow them down."

Derrick Barnes

On how the game-winning drive will haunt the defense despite an overall solid performance:

"For sure. One-hundred percent. It's funny, because all our leaders, our captains say it could be that one play, that one drive that could be the difference in the game, and don't let it be that one play or that one drive. And it happened to be. I think, as a defense, we did what we were supposed to do. Obviously, we want to limit points, that's our main goal, and outscore them. Obviously we didn't get that job done. That's something we've got to take as a defense and go back to the drawing board and see what we can do to prevent that."