Getty Image / Neill Cooper
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell has been aggressive all year when it comes to situational football decision-making. But, those aggressive calls came back to bite him in the team’s devastating 34-31 NFC Championship Game loss to the Detroit Lions.
Does the third-year head coach regret the decisions that may have cost the Lions their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl? He says he doesn’t.
Dan Campbell on 4th-down decisions: “it’s easy — hindsight. I get it. But i don’t regret those decisions. … I understand the scrutiny I’ll get … but it just didn’t work out.” #lions pic.twitter.com/viaYiXGWoT
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) January 29, 2024
There were three huge fourth-down decisions people are talking about that Dan Campbell had to make during the game, each one with its own specific set of circumstances.
The first came at the end of the first half. Leading 21-7 and facing a fourth and goal at the 49ers’ three-yard-line with ten seconds left in the second quarter, Dan Campbell elected to kick the field goal instead of try to score a touchdown. Michael Badgley made it, and they took at 24-7 lead into halftime, with the game surely in hand.
The 49ers received the opening kick of the second half and drove down for a field goal to make it 24-10. Then, the Lions moved it down into field goal range themselves, facing a 4th-and-2 at the San Francisco 28-yard-line with a chance to go up three scores, Dan Campbell elected to try to convert. Josh Reynolds dropped a would-be first down, though, and the 49ers took over.
After San Francisco rallied to take a 27-24 lead, the Lions were faced with a 4th-and-3 at the Niners’ 30-yard-line with roughly 7:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. Dan Campbell elected to go for it, and they didn’t convert. They never got the ball back while only being down one score.
Dan Campbell had been aggressive all year, and the only call I thought he got wrong was the second one. That being said, I do think if he elects to kick a field goal in the third quarter and the kick is made, they probably win the game. That’s something that I do not pity Lions fans for having to think about for, possibly, the rest of the life.
On the year, Detroit went for it the second-most amount in the league this year, converted 21 times on 40 attempts.