Lions Star David Montgomery Reveals HC Dan Campbell’s 6-Word Message to the Team After Shocking Playoff Loss

The Detroit Lions entered the 2024 NFL playoffs as a Super Bowl contender. Detroit struggled with injuries throughout the season, especially on defense. However, a dynamic offense led by MVP finalist Jared Goff and running back David Montgomery helped the team finish 15-2.

For the first time ever, the Lions were the first seed in the NFC. They received a bye through to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. And, perhaps more importantly, they received home-field advantage throughout the postseason as long as they kept winning.

It seemed as if Detroit was on its way to a Super Bowl championship. Unfortunately, those dreams were crushed. The Lions were swept aside by the upstart Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional Round by a score of 45-31.

David Montgomery Reveals Dan Campbell’s Message After Lions’ Playoff Exit

Lions head coach Dan Campbell is known for his passion and leadership. Detroit fans know how he gets the best out of his players. As a result, it isn’t a surprise that he had something to say after the loss to the Commanders.

Montgomery sat down with RG.org contributor DJ Siddiqi for a recent interview. The Lions running back touched on the playoff loss, and he revealed how Campbell addressed the team following the game.

“He definitely was just like, ‘You better come back piss hot,’” Montgomery said. “I make sure of myself that I take as it was. It’s a phrase we use in football. Like you better commemorate it.”

Montgomery, unfortunately, did not play a ton in the Commanders loss. He suffered a knee injury during the team’s Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He missed the remainder of the regular season before returning for the Divisional Round.

He was a major part of Detroit’s offense in 2024 and has become an important part of the team since his arrival in 2023. Montgomery has formed one of the best running back tandems in the league with 2023 first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Lions are a long-suffering franchise, having never won a Super Bowl. In fact, they have never even appeared in one. It seemed as if the team was stuck in a perpetual cycle of failed rebuilds before Campbell came along. Montgomery credited his head coach for having a major influence on the roster.

This David Montgomery run was the representation of what Detroit Lions football is all about 😤#OnePride pic.twitter.com/hB5dSC1mDe

— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) February 15, 2025

“His care for the player,” Montgomery told RG. “You go to a lot of places and these coaches don’t really care. They care about the number more than who you are. Dan really cares. He shows his emotions, he wears it on his sleeve.

“When you see somebody who is a leader of men, who’s able to get in front of the crowd and be emotional and cry, it shows me as a man I can be more emotional,” Montgomery continued to say. “Just having Dan be as humanized as he is, being a human as someone who cares about us.”

The Lions failed to reach their ultimate goal in 2024, and it will be harder to obtain it in 2025 after how successful they were in all phases (No. 1 offense in Offense+, No. 5 defense in Defense+). However, Montgomery and Campbell have full faith that they can bring a championship to the Motor City sooner rather than later.