Why preseason wins matter to Detroit Lions' Dan Campbell: 'It's got to be part of our DNA'

INDIANAPOLIS — It may be "just a preseason game" to some, but not Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell.
The Lions snapped the NFL's longest preseason losing streak Saturday, beating the Indianapolis Colts, 27-26, in a win Campbell called "a step in the right direction" for his team.
"It's important. It's very important," Campbell said. "And especially with a young team and just where we've been, where we're coming from and where we began to go at the end of the season. Man, it's got to be part of our DNA, it's got to become part of who we are and we have to embrace every moment and treat it like it's your last moment. Because if you don't and you just kind of accept it, then you'll just be average or above average and that's not good enough in this league."
With both teams sitting the bulk of their starters after conducting joint practices this week, the Lions ran for 174 yards on 33 carries Saturday and Tim Boyle led an 18-play, 85-yard drive late that covered most of the fourth quarter for the go-ahead touchdown.
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The Colts answered with an 11-play, 72-yard touchdown drive, but third-string quarterback Jack Coan threw incomplete on the potential game-winning two-point conversion with 38 seconds left and Tom Kennedy recovered the ensuing onside kick to preserve the Lions' first preseason victory since an Aug. 24, 2018 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Lions had lost nine consecutive preseason games before Saturday, including 27-23 to the Atlanta Falcons last week. They went 0-3 in the preseason last year, 0-4 in exhibition play in 2019 and lost their final game of the 2018 preseason.
The 2020 preseason was canceled due to COVID-19.
"(Coach) was referencing a bunch of different stuff (in his postgame speech), no matter what you're playing, dominoes, spades, whatever, it just feels good to win," Kennedy said. "And I think as a group, as a team, we got to learn that feeling and feel how that feels, so I'm glad we got this one. Obviously, we wish we had the one back last week, but it was great to get this one today."
The Lions squandered a late lead last week against the Falcons, when David Blough fumbled a shotgun snap with 2 minutes to play and a chance to run out the clock.
Jared Bernhardt beat undrafted rookie cornerback Cedric Boswell for the game-winning touchdown five plays later.
Boswell gave up the Colts' final touchdown Saturday, two plays after the Lions allowed a third-and-7 conversion, but John Cominsky forced Coan out of the pocket on his two-point attempt and the quarterback's throw bounced harmlessly in the end zone.
Campbell said he was pleased with the resilience his defense showed after Coan's late touchdown, and said he felt his team "got better these two days and I thought we got better today, so this has been a good week for us."
"(Winning is) what we want to be about," Blough said. "It doesn't matter where we play you, when we play you, we want to win. And preseason obviously, at least last week we felt like we had one in our hands and tonight was different because we capitalized on our opportunities and winning is important. And it starts, I know it's preseason, but you've got to win. If you want to be a winner, you've got to win. And so it's all the way through. That's what Dan’s trying to instill in us and a lot of young guys, players, made great plays to allow that to happen."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.