Since looking completly lost and overmatched in a Week 1 loss at Lambeau Field, the Detroit Lions have snapped back into the form that's made them legitimate Super Bowl contenders in each of the last two seasons. After dropping 52 points against Ben Johnson's Chicago Bears, Dan Campbell's team put together a thoroughly impressive second half on the road to get past the Baltimore Ravens.
Of all the victories the Lions have had over this run of success, few if any, match the early Monday Night Football triumph. Jared Goff was solid, the dual rushing attack of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery posted 224 yards and Campbell himself showed why he has such a belief in going for it on fourth down.
After the game he revealed an under-appreciated reason why Detroit plays winning football.
"Our hardest workers are our best players." pic.twitter.com/1do5SlWSUg
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 23, 2025
"Our hardest workers are our best players," he said. "It's not lip service. It's not fake. Our best players are our hardest workers. Go out and watch them practice. And it's like that every day. That's the standard and if you're not up to that standard with the effort matching what our best players do then you're not going to be around here very long."
Campbell added that such a situation helps everyone fall in line as they try to match the intensity shown by star players who still give it their all on every rep.
The Lions' next opponent is Cleveland and based on the culture, it's a safe bet that their best players will be grinding hard as soon as preparation begins.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dan Campbell Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Reason for Lions' Success After Key 'MNF' Win.
