Coach
Dan Campbell
HC, Detroit Lions
Dan Campbell: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
From 0–10–1 to 15–2 — the four-year arc that rebuilt Detroit.
TrendDetroit regular-season record under Dan Campbell
| Year | W | L | T | PF | PA | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 325 | 467 | −142 |
| 2022 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 453 | 427 | +26 |
| 2023 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 461 | 395 | +66 |
| 2024 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 564 | 342 | +222 |
| 2025 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 481 | 413 | +68 |
Detroit point differential, Campbell era
| Season | Point differential |
|---|---|
| 3–13–1 | -142 |
| 9–8 | 26 |
| 12–5 | 66 |
| 15–2 | 222 |
| 9–8 | 68 |
Campbell's first Detroit team started 0–10–1 — ten losses and a Week 10 tie at Pittsburgh before the first win arrived in Week 13. From there: nine wins, twelve, then fifteen. The +222 point differential in 2024 is the largest in Lions history in the play-by-play era (since 1999), more than double the franchise's previous best.
Most aggressive 4th-down team in football — by a wide margin.
Rare4th-down go rate, mid-field short yardage (2021–2025)
| Team | Go rate | Goes | Chances |
|---|---|---|---|
| DET | 53.9% | 83 | 154 |
| CHI | 49.7% | 76 | 153 |
| CAR | 49.0% | 76 | 155 |
| GB | 48.1% | 52 | 108 |
| DAL | 47.4% | 64 | 135 |
| League avg | 39.2% | — | — |
On 4th-and-short between the two 30-yard lines — the analytics sweet spot — Detroit went for it 53.9% of the time since 2021. The next-closest team is more than four percentage points behind, and the Lions sit nearly 15 points above the league average of 39.2%. Across all situations, Detroit has 182 total 4th-down rush/pass attempts in five years — the most in the NFL.
The aggression actually works — conversion rate keeps climbing.
SplitDetroit 4th-down conversion rate by season
| Year | Attempts | Converted | Conv % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41 | 21 | 51.2% |
| 2022 | 37 | 20 | 54.1% |
| 2023 | 40 | 21 | 52.5% |
| 2024 | 33 | 22 | 66.7% |
| 2025 | 31 | 18 | 58.1% |
DET 4th-down conversion % by season
| Season | Conversion % |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.2 |
| 2022 | 54.1 |
| 2023 | 52.5 |
| 2024 | 66.7 |
| 2025 | 58.1 |
Going for it more often *and* converting more often is the rare combination. 2024 was the peak: 22-of-33 (66.7%) — a number that would lead the league in most years even on light volume. The volume itself has dropped (from 41 attempts in 2021 to 31 in 2025), suggesting the offense is reaching short-yardage situations less often, not that the philosophy has softened.
2024 Detroit led the NFL in scoring — 564 points, more than any team.
Comparison2024 NFL scoring leaders
| Rank | Team | PF | Off EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DET | 564 | +0.170 |
| 2 | BUF | 525 | +0.189 |
| 3 | BAL | 518 | +0.218 |
| 4 | TB | 502 | +0.130 |
| 5 | WAS | 485 | +0.139 |
Detroit scored 564 points in 2024 — most in the NFL and 39 ahead of second-place Buffalo. The Ravens and Bills posted higher EPA per play, but the Lions converted volume into points better than anyone: more drives reaching the end zone, fewer left on the field. They finished the year 15–2, the #1 seed in the NFC and the best regular season in franchise history.
Back-to-back NFC North titles after 30+ years without one.
MilestoneNFC North standings, Campbell era
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | GB 13–4 | MIN 8–9 | CHI 6–11 | DET 3–13 |
| 2022 | MIN 13–4 | DET 9–8 | GB 8–9 | CHI 3–14 |
| 2023 | DET 12–5 | GB 9–8 | CHI/MIN 7–10 | — |
| 2024 | DET 15–2 | MIN 14–3 | GB 11–6 | CHI 5–12 |
| 2025 | CHI 11–6 | DET 9–8 | GB 9–7 | MIN 9–8 |
Detroit went from last in the NFC North in Campbell's first year to back-to-back division titles in 2023 and 2024. The 2024 race was historic: Detroit finished 15–2 and Minnesota 14–3, the first time two NFC North teams have hit 14 wins in the same season. The Lions had not won consecutive division titles in the modern divisional alignment before Campbell's arrival.
The deep playoff runs came in the 12-win year, not the 15-win one.
AnomalyDetroit playoff games under Campbell
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | WC | vs LA | W | 24–23 |
| 2023 | DIV | vs TB | W | 31–23 |
| 2023 | NFCC | at SF | L | 31–34 |
| 2024 | DIV | vs WAS | L | 31–45 |
In 2023 (12–5), Detroit won its first playoff game since 1991 and reached the NFC Championship before falling 31–34 in San Francisco. In 2024 (15–2, #1 seed), they were home in the divisional round and lost 31–45 to Washington in one of the bigger upsets of the playoff era. The arc you'd expect — better regular season, deeper playoff run — didn't hold. The 2023 team got further with three fewer wins.
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