DJ Reader was not a member of the Detroit Lions the last time they played the San Francisco 49ers, but in general he knows the feeling of losing such a big game.
Reader's big game loss came in Super Bowl LVI, as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20 to the Los Angeles Rams and former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell has been open about how last year's NFC Championship Game loss to the 49ers is the kind of loss that sticks with you. Human nature says you don't avoid remembering all the feelings you had after such a big loss, you embrace them and channel them the proper direction. So for Monday night's rematch, even absent the same stakes, the Lions are not going to pull any punches in an effort to win.
DJ Reader totally understands how his teammates felt after NFC Championship Game loss
On Sunday, Reader told Fox 2 Detroit's Game Day Live (h/t to SI.com) that the team watched the final moments of the NFC Championship Game loss to the 49ers during a team meeting this past week.
"We watched, earlier in the team meeting, and just kind of watching the end of it, everybody’s emotions, Reader said. "The cameras catch every single angle. They can throw some music behind there, and it really describes the emotion that you was going through. As a player, that’s when it’s real. Because you work so hard, and felt like you got to the end, and just came up short. You can’t hide that raw emotion you feel."
Reader put words to the idea he can completely relate to how his teammates felt after the NFC Championship Game loss.
"I think it’s impossible for guys to scrape that memory," Reader said. "Especially when you’re out there, if you watched it or if you’re around. I think that’s a good thing, I think that’s a good thing to build off of, to feel, to understand, to hone in, really use it. So I’ve never really shied away from that kind of emotion, or the feel of, ‘Hey, this is important.’ Everybody knows how important is and guys want to go out there and do their job against a team that got the better hand of them.”
"I remember losing the Super Bowl, and that feeling never goes away", Reader said. "Every time it comes up, you’re always gonna re-live it. I think that’s a taste that guys want to get out of their mouth and get off their mind. Obviously you’ll never forget it, but you can pave the way to go out there and redeem yourself.”
The 49ers are not the same as they were in the NFC Championship Game, depleted by injuries and eliminated from the playoffs. But the Lions are ready to return to the scene of a loss no one who was involved will forget, and come out winners this time.