Coach Dan Campbell says Lions will 'come back stronger' - ESPN

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — In the hours after the Detroit Lions' NFC divisional round loss to Washington, head coach Dan Campbell received a 4 a.m. text from All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The defeat, after earning the No. 1 seed for the first time in team history, continued to disturb both of them.

«I know the guys, [the loss] eats away at [them],» Campbell said Monday. «I know the right guys — they're our guys for a reason and that's what will always give me hope and let me know we're only going to be better.

»We're going to come back stronger, we're going to learn from this, and it's just more fuel on the fire, is what it is."

After experiencing a wave of emotions in the wake of Saturday's 45-31 loss to the Commanders, Campbell said he «absolutely» feels that the Lions' Super Bowl window remains open.

«Yeah, I do,» Campbell said. «We talk about that core. That core group is still intact — and we've signed some back, some are up on contracts and that'll be ongoing. But, yeah, we absolutely do.

»I think the most important thing is you want to know you've got your culture, you've got your identity, and you've got players that fit into that, and we've got that. And we've got players in every pivotal position you can ask for to have success and those guys are made the right way, so, absolutely, our window is open."

The Lions are expecting to lose both coordinators — Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson — to NFL head coaching jobs. Campbell said it's his job to «replenish and find the next man up» if they head elsewhere, and he plans to be heavily involved in evaluating future candidates from inside and outside the organization to make sure the team keeps rolling after a 15-win season.

The Lions want to keep their terminology and will