Dan Campbell Offers Sobering Thoughts On Heartbreaking Loss To 49ers

Dan Campbell continues to shoot people straight following the Detroit Lions blowing the NFC Championship to the 49ers.

The Lions blew a 17-point halftime lead to Brock Purdy to lose 34-31. Detroit fans were fired up and ready to buy Super Bowl tickets when the team was rolling.

Then, fans - myself included - had our hearts ripped out as the nation watched the 49ers climb back into the game. It was like watching a car crash in slow motion.

Gutting. Heartbreaking. Crushing.

Dan Campbell reflects on heartbreaking loss to the 49ers.

Campbell shared some pretty blunt comments after the game when he made it clear there's zero guarantee the team returns to the NFC Championship.

"Sometimes, you can only say so much. You have to live it, unfortunately. You got to get your heart ripped out, which we did. It’s a lesson learned. Look, I told those guys, ‘This may have been our only shot.’ Do I think that? No. Do I believe that? No. However, I know how hard it is to get here. I am well-aware. It’ll be twice as hard to get back to this point next year as it was this year. That’s the reality," the Lions coach told the media immediately following the game.

His thoughts were just as sobering a day after the game.

"We did some really good things this year, and ultimately, we improved, which is the name of the game. I think, unfortunately, you got to live that to really understand why you're in this business. And that's what it's for. The playoffs. NFC Championship game. Super Bowl. And now your eyes are open. Our guys' eyes are open and this should be the ultimate motivation to push forward, and it will be for us. It will be. So, you know, we'll learn and move on," a very somber and clearly dejected Campbell told the media Monday afternoon.

You can watch his full comments below, and send your thoughts to David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

You have to respect Campbell's outlook.

The Lions were crushed in front of America after appearing to be on the fast-track to the Super Bowl. It was 24-7 at halftime.

I could taste a trip to Las Vegas on my tongue to watch the Lions in the team's first Super Bowl appearance. Instead, millions of fans had it ripped away after Brock Purdy decided to do his best Mike Vick impression and Lions receivers decided catching the ball was no longer necessary.

Campbell is going to continue to get crushed for his aggressiveness, but that's who he is. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Dan Campbell reflects on gutting NFC Championship loss. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

However, Dan Campbell isn't running and hiding. He's facing the media, and has now offered incredibly blunt comments twice about the game. Not only is he being honest, but he's using it for motivation moving forward.

You can either sit and cry about a loss or you can move forward. You can use it as a spark. Use it as a flame in your gut. Make it the ultimate motivation, and it sounds like that's exactly what Campbell intends on doing with the Lions.

Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions lost in the NFC Championship to the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Detroit isn't going anywhere and the team should be competitive for a long time with Campbell. The crushing NFC Championship loss isn't the end of the story. It's just a brutal and unfortunate chapter in what Dan Campbell is building. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.