The Detroit Lions' green dot says to place the blame on his shoulders.
Lions All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell was emotional after Thursday night's loss at the Buffalo Bills, fighting back tears as he spoke with reporters following the Lions' 41-31 loss at Highmark Stadium.
"I'm gonna be honest with you. Hats off to them. Played terrible. It starts with me, and I feel like it's on me. I gotta be better," Campbell said. "And I ain't got no other thing to do but look in the mirror and be better so that's really where it starts. It starts with us, but yeah, they did a good job."
Jack Campbell laid the blame for the Lions' defensive issues against the Bills on his shoulders in an emotional postgame conversation. pic.twitter.com/CbVgmVVWwk
— The Lions Wire (@thelionswire) September 18, 2026
Campbell finished
Thursday night with six tackles and one quarterback hit, but he's the leader of a Lions defense that surrendered 41 points and that allowed the Bills to score touchdowns on six of their first eight drives. Detroit's defense has allowed at least 30 points in back-to-back games to open the season.
It marks the first time a Detroit defense has allowed at least 30 points in the first two games of a regular season since 2021, which were the first two games of the Dan Campbell era.
"Every time I lace up my cleats, I'm going 100%. Yeah, put it on me," Campbell said. "I played terrible. I've gotta be better. Especially for the offense and for all these guys in the locker room."
Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson said he expects changes of some kind, though he's unsure of what that might entail.
"Things will definitely be changed," Hutchinson said. "I don't know what that is necessarily, but I know there will be changes. We're not going to keep banging our head against the wall."
Hutchinson tallied three tackles, a sack and a pair of quarterback hits.
According to ESPN research, Detroit has allowed the second-most first downs through two games in NFL history. The Lions' 63 first downs surrendered are tied with the 1985 Indianapolis Colts and just one behind the 2018 Kansas City Chiefs.
Detroit has allowed 30-plus points in five of their past eight regular-season contests, dating to last year.
The Lions (1-1) will look to make amends in Week 3 when they host the New York Jets (1-0) from Ford Field.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions All-Pro LB Jack Campbell shoulders blame for Bills loss
