Before the NFL announced its full 2023 schedule on Thursday, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell mused in a conversation with his coordinators, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson, how nice it would be to land the Thursday night matchup to open the season.
Campbell hadn’t even considered the likelihood that would mean his team would be playing the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the scenario. As you might imagine, he’s ecstatic with how things have played out, with the Lions officially scheduled to travel to Kansas City for a primetime showdown to open the regular season.
“I’ll be danged if we didn’t draw it,” Campbell told “Good Morning Football” on Friday morning. “Not only that, but we get Kansas City, the heavyweight champ. So, we’re excited. The staff is excited, I know our players are excited, and I think everybody wants the opportunity to play the champ, and to see where you stack up. We know what (Chiefs coach) Andy Reid is about. We know what that team is about — highly competitive — they’re a champ (contender) year in and year out. They’re going to be in the running.
“…We already know they’re going to be ready, man,” Campbell said. “They’re the top dogs, they’re as good as they get and the ultimate challenge. But, if you’re a competitor like we are, as a coaching staff and our players are, it just doesn’t get any better. So, yeah, to get the recognition: ‘You know what? These guys can go in there and put up a fight and compete on the opening game of the season.’ Yeah, that means a lot, man. Yes, it means you’re gaining respect. Now, you’ve got to go earn it. You’ve got an opportunity; like everything in this league, we have an opportunity to showcase what we’re about on primetime, and now it’s up for us to go do it. And that’s all we can ask for.”
Campbell beamed, knowing his team has earned some national recognition after finishing last season with eight wins in the final 10 games. He also noted landing the premier slot in Week 1 comes with some trust that his squad will hold up its end of the bargain.
“I mean look, I would say that certainly we’re beginning to get noticed,” Campbell said. “That’s what it means. Now, I’ll say this — this is my first thought — if I’m being totally honest, as to why they would give us Kansas City. Well yeah, we finished the year (well), certainly, but it also means they’re betting on we won’t get our (butts) kicked. You may get beat, but you won’t get your (butts) kicked. That’s what they’re saying.
“That’s fine,” Campbell continued. “We know the opponent we’re getting ready to face. But, I do know there’s interest and we’re an intriguing team.”
Campbell also acknowledged his team must grow from last season’s hard lesson: Slow starts can lead to disappointing outcomes. His team stumbled out the gate to a 1-6 record in 2022, which left the Lions on the outside looking in after finishing the season tied with Seattle for the final postseason spot in the NFC, but coming up short because of a tiebreaker.
“We did just enough to mess up early in the season to not get in,” Campbell said. “We had an opportunity, and yeah, you go 8-2 down the (stretch), if you just don’t lose one of those two games, Buffalo, Carolina — well, it should have never come to that. When you start 1-6, it’s hard to overcome that. So, you know, we got to get off to a fast start, and that won’t be easy at Arrowhead, but that’s going to be a great place to play. What an opponent.”
The Lions are scheduled to play the Chiefs, Thursday, Sept. 7. The game will air nationally on NBC.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers