Peyton Manning texted encouraging words to Dan Campbell after Lions loss

When Peyton Manning watched the Detroit Lions' postseason run abruptly end with a one-and-done divisional playoff loss to the upstart Washington Commanders, the Hall of Fame quarterback knew exactly the type of disappointment and pain Dan Campbell and his troops were feeling.

Like the 15-2 Lions, Manning's 2005 Indianapolis Colts only lost twice in the regular season but were eliminated in the divisional round after a 21-18 upset by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After the Lions' shocking 45-31 defeat to the Commanders, Manning picked up his phone and texted words of encouragement to Campbell.

"I said, 'I know how you feel, I've been there, and it's not a good feeling,'" Manning told the Indianapolis Star on Monday at the "Night of Champions" event to celebrate the 2006 Colts' Super Bowl XLI victory. "'Understand that, but we did win the whole thing the next year.' You just kind of keep sawing wood."

“That was the kind of loss that could probably make an organization say, ‘Let's change everything. ... Let's kind of blow the whole thing up and start over,'" Manning added. "Or your organization and owner can say, 'Hey, we’re doing something right, let's keep going.'"

Detroit lost both coordinators to head coaching jobs — Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears and Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets — but it'll continue to build toward reaching the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl.

Defensive upgrades figure to be the priority for general manager Brad Holmes. In the latest NFL Mock Draft Consensus, Detroit is projected to select Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart.

Manning said "Finish" became the Colts' theme for the following season. The Lions should adopt the same slogan.

"We’d been knocking on the door, and we were coming close,” Manning said. “We were obviously doing something right. Just needed to do a little bit more."

An empathetic Peyton Manning texted Dan Campbell after Lions' playoff loss

By Joe Lago | Feb 24, 2025