For the Lions, the disappointment of last season is a distant memory. The loss to the Commanders, Terrion Arnold said Friday, "exited our mind when we first got here." Ever since the team reconvened for offseason workouts, OTA's and eventually training camp, said Dan Campbell, the collective focus has been, "It’s the next season. It’s 2025."
Sunday's season opener is about seizing the opportunity at hand.
"It’s the first game of the year out on the road, division opponent. You’re ready to compete and cut it lose," Campbell said Friday. "Games that count, real football, the whole thing. That’s really more of the excitement as opposed to what had happened previously."
Starting Sunday at Lambeau Field, said Arnold, "We have to go out there and make our presence felt, and just play for each other. We're not targeting certain players or targeting certain teams. We're just simply trying to be the best that we can and make somebody beat us."
For Amon-Ra St. Brown, last season was his first in Detroit that marked a step back. Despite winning a franchise-record 15 regular season games, the Lions were bounced in their first playoff game after reaching the NFC championship the year prior.
"So this year," said St. Brown, "is almost all or nothing."
"Even though in reality our nucleus will probably still be here next year and we'll probably have a pretty good team next year, there's no saying what could happen. So for us, we know we got the guys right now on this team, we got everything we need, all the pieces, let's just go out there and try to win the whole thing."
Does that make it another Super Bowl or Bust season for the Lions?
"I would just say, it’s hunting season," Arnold said. "Gotta take it one game at a time, and if we do what we’re supposed to do, then we’ll end up in the Bowl."
"We all know where we want to go," said Campbell. "Everybody’s got their goals, man. But to do that man, you have to handle what’s right in front of you one step at a time."