Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell talks with quarterback Jared Goff with just over two minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 at Ford Field. The Detroit Lions defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-31.(Jake May | MLive.com)
Despite coaching the Detroit Lions to heights the franchise hadn’t reached in more than 30 years — and some they had never experienced — head coach Dan Campbell once again left the NFL Honors show empty-handed.
Campbell, a finalist for this season’s Coach of the Year award, came up short up, losing out to Minnesota Vikings head coach, Kevin O’Connell. Campbell placed second in voting.
Also in the running were Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and Kansas Chiefs head coach Andy Reid — who will be coaching in Super Bowl 59 on Sunday.
This year also marked the second straight year Campbell was a finalist but didn’t take home the award.
While all the finalists led their teams to impressive seasons — some even major turnarounds — there’s a real argument that Campbell was snubbed.
For starters, losing out to O’Connell, specifically can be considered a head scratcher, as two of the Vikings’ three losses this season were to the Detroit Lions, who went unblemished in the NFC North.
The also Lions finished the regular season with a franchise-best 15-2 record while also becoming the NFL’s fourth-highest-scoring offense of all time, setting numerous franchise and single-season marks along the way.
Defensively, the Lions were hit hard by injuries, with as many as 16 players landing on injured reserve.
Notable losses included defensive end Aidan Hutchinson; linebackers Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin; defensive lineman Alim McNeill; and cornerback Carlton Davis III.
Yet, despite those setbacks, the defense still managed to make key plays when it mattered — including producing the league’s interception leader in Kerby Joseph.
Factoring everything in, Campbell leading Detroit to the NFC’s top seed and a second straight division title makes his case for Coach of the Year as strong as anyone’s.
However, it was O’Connell, who guided the Vikings to a 14-3 record, that took home the award. He navigated Minnesota through significant early challenges, including losing rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy before the season and starting offensive lineman Christian Darrisaw to an ACL and MCL injury after just seven games.
O’Connell also played a key role in the resurgence of quarterback Sam Darnold, who finished fifth in both passing yards (4,319) and passing touchdowns (35).
While Campbell walked away victorious, his quarterback did not.
Jared Goff, a finalist for this season’s MVP award, came up short as the honor went to Buffalo’s Josh Allen, marking the first time the Bills quarterback has won the award. Goff placed fifth in voting.
Goff finished the season second in passing yards (4,629), first in completion percentage among quarterbacks who played all 17 games (72.4%), fourth in touchdowns (37), and second in passer rating among quarterbacks who played all 17 games (111.8).
Despite his strong resume, a Week 10 performance against the Houston Texans— a game the Lions won on a game-winning field goal as time expired — was largely held against Goff throughout the season.
In that game, Goff threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns but was also intercepted five times in what was arguably the worst performance of his career.
After that game, however, Goff rebounded, throwing 21 touchdowns to just three interceptions over the final eight outings while completing roughly 73% of his passes.
