Campbell defends his choice to use Lions starters vs. 49ers

Is it the right thing to do? Or he made a mistake?

Entering the MNF clash vs. the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions manager Dan Campbell weighed whether he should rest or play the best footballers in the team.

After thinking a lot about that, Campbell decided to use the starters in a rematch of the 2023 NFC Championship Game as Detroit defeated the 49ers 40-34 in California and avoided any major injuries.

“Without a doubt, I thought about that. I did it before the beginning of the match and even before going to sleep last night,” Dan revealed. “I discussed it with my team, but in the end, I decided that the right thing to do was to trust the starters because we owed it to them.”

#Lions HC Dan Campbell admitted he considered resting starters after the Vikings won yesterday, but ultimately decided to play the guys who prepared all week. He called it a tough decision but added, "We love it hard." pic.twitter.com/wH9w3W8wbS

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Campbell claimed that Detroit was playing for the victory, although the match didn’t have postseason implications. However, the Lions’ pride was on the line after blowing a 17-point halftime lead to the 49ers in the last playoffs to fall 1 match shy of advancing to the Super Bowl.

That elimination still hurts the players that were on the field that day.