Matt Patricia is thrilled he was so bad the Lions had to hire Dan Campbell

After reaching the NFC Championship Game in 1991, the Detroit Lions spent 31 seasons searching for their next playoff win. In that span, the franchise suffered through the tenure of eight head coaches and three interim coaches that failed to get over the hump. In 2021, the Lions finally found the coach who would deliver them their next conference championship appearance.

Dan Campbell’s story is well-known. The coach was ridiculed for his introductory press conference, but showed enough progress through his first two seasons to retain his job. The breakthrough came in 2023, when Campbell led the Lions to a 12-5 record, a NFC North division title and an inspiring postseason run. 

In 2024, Campbell is proving his team wasn’t just a flash in the pan. The Lions have been the most dominant team throughout the regular season. The team’s success has helped fans move on from the tumultuous two seasons under the team’s prior regime.

Matt Patricia credits Dan Campbell for Lions success

During an appearance on “Good Morning Football,” former head coach Matt Patricia praised the Lions for their success this season.

“I love Detroit,” Patricia said, per Detroit Free Press. “I’m so happy for the fans. That fan base … when you take a job and you go to a city, really all you want to do as a coach is just go win. You want to go win for those people that are dying to have that and experience that. And I’m for Dan and his staff, and the players that are there, [and] ownership. [Detroit] is on fire right now. It’s great. It’s a lot of fun. I think it’s unbelievable what they’re doing. I love how they’re playing the game.”

Patricia won two Super Bowl championships in his six seasons as defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. When the Lions hired him as their head coach before the 2018 season, they hoped that his championship experience would help steer them to similar success. 

Instead, the first-time head coach never won more than six games during his tenure, and he was fired following a 41-25 loss to the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving during the 2020 season. Patricia finished his first head coaching stint with an abysmal 13-29-1 record, the fourth-lowest win percentage (.314) of any full-time Lions head coach in the Super Bowl era. 

When asked about why the Lions found success after his departure, Patricia gave the credit to Campbell.  

“Give credit to Dan Campbell and what he was able to do to just get the entire building to follow what he wanted them to do, believe in what they were preaching, go out [and] work hard,” Patricia said. “We all know how it is in the NFL as you’re going through — you get a little bit of success and you get a little bit of that belief. Look, everybody’s good in the NFL. These are great football players. Sometimes it just needs a little bit of a spark, a little bit of belief. … Now you’re winning. Everyone believes, they’re buying in, you build that momentum, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s great.”

While Patricia’s tenure in Detroit was disastrous, it served as the catalyst for the team’s current success. Patricia was responsible for bringing in several key additions to the Lions coaching staff and roster.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, offensive line coach Hank Fraley and passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand have been instrumental in Detroit’s success, and all three were originally brought to the team by Patricia. Fraley came to Detroit as an assistant offensive line coach in 2018, Johnson joined the team as a quality control coach in 2019 and Engstrand was hired as an offensive assistant in 2020.