Detroit Lions supporters have provided a thoughtful assessment of Dan Campbell’s performance during the 2025 NFL season.
Recently, we gathered insights through our latest SB Nation Reacts surveys, facilitated by FanDuel Sportsbook, which posed three key questions to the Detroit Lions fanbase:
- Are you optimistic that the Lions are progressing in the right direction?
- What grade would you assign to coach Dan Campbell for his 2025 season performance?
The responses to our weekly query illustrate the ebb and flow of fan sentiment throughout the season, with emotions fluctuating after each victory or defeat. As the playoffs appeared more distant, the overall enthusiasm waned towards the season's conclusion. However, a significant turnaround occurred with a Week 18 victory over the Bears, marking a successful sweep of the Chicago team and providing a lift as fans headed into the offseason.
Here’s how the fan confidence evolved over the course of the season:
- Before the 2025 season began: 94% confidence
- After losing to the Packers in Week 1: 53% confidence
- After a win against the Bears in Week 2: 85% confidence
- Following a victory over the Ravens in Week 3: 99% confidence
- Wins against the Browns and Bengals in Weeks 4 and 5: 92% and 94% respectively
- After a loss to the Chiefs in Week 6: 82% confidence
- Winning against the Bucs in Week 7: 98% confidence
- During the bye week in Week 8: 97% confidence
- After losing to the Vikings in Week 9: 64% confidence
- A win against the Commanders in Week 10 raised it to: 91%
- However, after a loss to the Eagles in Week 11, it dipped to: 49%
- A victory over the Giants in Week 12 only slightly improved it to: 48%
- But another loss to the Packers in Week 13 dropped it to: 34%
- A win over the Cowboys in Week 14 brought it up to: 68%
- Dismal losses to the Rams and Steelers in Weeks 15 and 16 saw it fall to: 40% and 35%
- A loss to the Vikings in Week 17 reduced it further to: 28%
- Finally, the win against the Bears in Week 18 boosted it back to: 67%.
In regards to the standalone question about Campbell's performance, fans seemed less critical than the coach was towards himself. Campbell expressed disappointment by stating, "Not good enough. We didn’t make it to the playoffs. I mean, we underperformed. So, not good. I’m going to give myself an F." In contrast, fans offered a more measured evaluation, reflecting a reasonable range of grades:
Let’s dive into some comments from our original survey to understand the reasoning behind the fans' ratings (edited for clarity):
* CoachingExpert2: "D+. Horrible offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator choices. Poor play calling and game management. We struggled against competent teams, finishing last and losing six more games than last season. The negatives far outweighed the positives this year."
* Im Agree: "I rated Dan a C/C+. A 9-8 record is technically a winning season, but it didn’t get us into the playoffs. Feels like an average outcome. We know he can perform better, and I anticipate he will in the future."
* iwantmybarrybackbarrybackbarryback: "I gave Campbell a B. He’s a solid leader, although he made some dubious decisions and handled them well... sometimes, doing your best is all you can do."
* icd8u2: "I appreciate that he gave himself an F, but as Lions fans, we recognize what an F truly looks like, and this season wasn’t it."
Throughout the year, we consistently engage with the most dedicated Detroit Lions enthusiasts and fans nationwide. If you’re interested in sharing your opinions, sign up here to participate in our weekly email surveys.
