Daniel Campbell, Jared Goff Have been to the NFC title game before, although as opponents.
This season represents the Detroit Lions’ first trip to the NFC Championship Game since 1991. However, this does not preclude team members from having previously attended the conference championship game.
The two architects of the Lions’ three-season climb from the NFL’s bottom to the top have been to the NFC championship game as recently as 2019 – but as opponents. Jared Goff, the Lions quarterback, started under center for the Los Angeles Rams, while Dan Campbell, Sean Payton’s assistant head coach and tight ends coach, stood on the opposing sideline.
The last time Dan Campbell and Jared Goff were in an NFC Championship Game was January 2019, when they were on opposing sidelines — Goff as the Rams’ quarterback, Campbell as the Saints’ assistant head coach/tight ends coach. Their last NFC Championship Game appearance ended with… pic.twitter.com/sffoIQlaVl
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 28, 2024
Who would have predicted that just two years later, both would join forces in Detroit and three years later, lead the Lions to the NFC championship game?
The 2019 NFC title game between the Rams and Saints sparked controversy.
The two teams battled back and forth throughout the game, with New Orleans taking a 10-point lead midway through the third. Los Angeles knotted the game in the fourth quarter, and the two teams swapped field goals to force overtime.
Greg Zuerlein’s 57-yard field goal propelled the Rams to victory in overtime. However, overtime may not have even been an option when the refs made a controversial no-call on the Saints’ final offensive position of regulation.
Officials did not call a pass interference penalty against Los Angeles cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman after he looked to bump New Orleans wide receiver Tommylee Lewis with 1:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. Following the failed throw, the Saints kicked a field goal to lead by three points, only to see Goff drive the Rams down the field for a game-tying field goal.
January 20, 2019: Drew Brees pass intended for Tommylee Lewis sails incomplete. Nickell Robey-Coleman on the coverage. No flag. #LARvsNO #NFCChampionship pic.twitter.com/AvzGcpGm2h
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) January 20, 2020
The contentious no-call prompted a one-year experiment in which coaches contested pass interference decisions in 2020. The NFL repealed the new rule after only one season.
Goff, who was only 24 years old at the time after being picked first overall by the Rams three years prior, became the youngest quarterback to win an NFC championship. However, his postseason delight was short-lived. Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots held Goff and the Rams to three points and 260 offensive yards in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history.
Both Goff and Campbell made the playoffs for the Rams and Saints the following season, but were eliminated in the divisional round. A year later, both arrived in Detroit.
The Lions have a chance to make NFL history
Goff might make another impact for a different organization if he and the Lions defeat the San Francisco 49ers in the conference championship game. Detroit has never won the Lombardi Trophy in the Super Bowl era, despite winning three NFL titles in the 1950s.
Furthermore, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Lions have gone 0-11 in road playoff games in more than 60 years. Coincidentally, the Lions’ most recent road playoff victory came against the 49ers in the divisional round in 1957.
Detroit triumphed by scoring 24 second-half points, advancing to the NFL championship game. There, the Lions defeated Jim Brown and the Cleveland Browns.
However, this is not the same Lions team that failed the previous season. Campbell helped create an attack that complements Goff’s skill set and features a talented group of skill position players. Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, and All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown have all emerged as great players.
Because of this, Detroit ended with the fifth-best scoring offense, propelling them to the conference championship game.
Goff and Campbell appear to have learned from their most recent playoff appearance, as they seek to establish their own legacies in Detroit.
