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Eric Woodyard, ESPN
Win, lose or draw, one thing’s for sure: When it comes to Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, All-Pro offensive lineman Penei Sewell says he’s “got his back until the end.”
Campbell has received criticism for twice deciding to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal in the second half of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Sewell, however, refuses to blame the loss on Campbell.
“I don’t agree with any criticism towards Coach. I’ve got his back until the end,” Sewell told ESPN from Orlando, Florida, during an Accelerator Active Energy event with popular YouTuber Donald De La Haye Jr., aka “Deestroying.”
“If he tells me to jump off a cliff with him, I’m right next to him,” Sewell said of Campbell. “I’m so serious. So, whatever he says, whatever he calls, we’ve just got to execute. So, that’s on us really. That’s my guy.”
Detroit ended just one win shy of reaching its first Super Bowl, with the Lions winning two playoff games in the same postseason for the first time since 1957 and matching the franchise record for most wins in a single season (12).
In his third season, Sewell was voted one of six team captains and allowed just one sack on 1,178 offensive snaps played. He is considered a foundational player for the organization and made the Pro Bowl for the second straight year. He credited maturity for his improvement.
“I’m just more comfortable with everything and I’ve experienced more at the end of the day,” Sewell said. “And the game is slower and that’s pretty much it.”
With defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson both returning to Detroit next season after receiving head-coaching interest, Sewell says he wasn’t surprised with their decisions. The goal is to build something special.
“It’s family really. Those two guys coming back, it kind of solidifies that and it just speaks to it,” Sewell said. “It’s on for real. We all love them.”
The expectations are high in Detroit entering next season. And Sewell says the Lions have unfinished business.
“Every new year going in, there’s always another level to tap into, and I feel like there’s no limit and we’ve just got to go attack it like that,” he said.