Much like Lions fans everywhere, Holly Campbell is still reeling after Saturday’s crushing playoff loss.
Hours after the Commanders stunned the NFC’s top seed with a 45-31 Divisional Round win in Detroit, the wife of Lions coach Dan Campbell posted an emotional message on Instagram as she digested the season-ending loss.
“It hurts,” Holly wrote alongside an image of a broken heart. “This season was a dream and nobody wanted it to end. We all wanted more. Detroit deserved more. We’ll be back, better and stronger but today…it just hurts.”
Holly concluded her message with a blue heart emoji and the hashtag, “one pride.”
Coming off a bye week after capturing the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 seed, the Lions couldn’t tame the sixth-seeded Commanders, who advanced to their first NFC тιтle game in 33 years.
Washington will visit the Eagles in next weekend’s NFC Championship game.
Campbell, whose Lions fell short of a Super Bowl berth last year with an NFC Championship loss to the 49ers, teared up in his postgame press conference.
“It just hurts to lose, man,” Campbell said. “And I don’t care if you’re the 7-seed, 6-seed, 5-seed, 1-seed. Cause I’ve lost at all of them, damn near. And it stings and it hurts. It hurts. You have to get up, body’s beat to s–t, mentally stay locked in and do those things, so long season.”
Campbell, 48, has been at the helm in Detroit since 2021, transforming the club from a struggling 3-13-1 squad in his rookie season to this year’s 15-2 powerhouse.
Holly, who has been married to Campbell since 1999, posted encouraging social media messages throughout the season, including the Lions’ regular-season finale against the Vikings in Week 18.
With an NFC North тιтle and the No. 1 seed on the line, Holly cited Sansa Stark (played by Sophie Turner) in the HBO fantasy series “Game of Thrones.”
In a message shared on her Instagram Stories in late December, Holly wrote: “If we don’t take back the North, we’ll never be safe. I want you to help me, but I’ll do it myself if I have to.”
The Lions demolished the Vikings on Jan. 5, 31-9.
Minnesota’s postseason run ended last Monday with a 27-9 loss to the Rams.
