There is no situation where Dan Campbell won’t go down on fourth down. We got to know about it on Thursday night.
The Detroit Lions fumbled on fourth down from their own 31 early in the second half against the Green Bay Packers and it seemed like an obvious decision to kick a field goal with 43 seconds left in a tie game. But it was not obvious. The Lions went for it, and even as Jared Goff fell while taking the snap, he handed off to David Montgomery for a 7-yard gain and a first down.
That means Jordan Love and the Packers won’t have a chance to answer with a field goal.
The Lions won 34–31 on a field goal as time expired and clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season. The Packers (9-4) were a tough opponent, but the Lions (12-1) found a way to win.
“I felt like we needed to finish it with our offense,” Campbell told reporters after the game. “I didn’t want to give that ball back and I believe we can get it [first down]”
The Lions were tied 31-31 with just minutes left and a depleted defense that was hard to stop. And Detroit did what a championship team should: It made all its plays and got a much-needed win. It was a game of the year candidate, with each team taking turns making huge plays. The Lions made a few more plays when it had to. Goff shook off a bad interception, which was rare for him this season, to make some big plays in the second half, including several including a game-winning drive in the final minute.
And then Campbell’s decision helped put the game away. There may be times in the playoffs where his aggressiveness backfires, like in last season’s NFC Championship Game, but that’s a big reason Detroit is 12-1 this season and has won a franchise-record 11 games.
The Lions’ defense brought the pressure early
The Lions had plenty of defensive injuries in the game. They compensated for this by sending a lot of extra pressure on profits.
The Lions were up 10-0 a few minutes into the second quarter, and the Packers had just 37 yards and a first down. Whenever Love returned, the Lions sent additional blitzers. Love was sacked on Green Bay’s first offensive play by Ja’Derius Smith and that set the early tone for a shorthanded defense.
The Packers counterpunch was to run the ball. After falling behind 10-0 they mostly kept it on the ground for the drive, their first sustained drive of the night, and a Lions penalty in the end zone set up a Josh Jacobs 1-yard touchdown.
The Lions had a drive that ran the clock down to the final seconds before halftime and they faced fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line. As he did at the end of the game, Campbell went for it. He passed on a field goal, and Jahmir Gibbs caught a 2-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds left in the half. It was a huge play and a big drive as Detroit scored without Green Bay getting a shot before halftime.
The Lions’ defense played well. Love had just three completions for 31 yards in the half. The offense didn’t look great, but it was enough for a 17-7 halftime lead.
The Packers took the lead in the 4th quarter
The Packers grabbed a lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a Goff interception and a failed fourth-down punt. Goff’s interception of Keisean Nixon set up the Packers at the Lions’ 16-yard line, and Jacobs scored a few plays later to give Green Bay a 21-17 lead.
The Lions were good on fourth down but all it took was one failure to make all the gambles look bad. The Lions went fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line late in the third quarter. This should not have been a huge surprise. Campbell likes to be aggressive. The Lions have already gone for it three times on fourth down and picked up all three. It didn’t work, the Lions pitched it to Gibbs and the Packers got him upfield to stop him well on first down. In a game the Lions led 24-21, that stop in Detroit territory was huge. Jacobs then got his third touchdown of the game and the Packers took the lead back.
The lions were fearless. Patrick scored again with 8:39 left and the Lions took the lead back to 31-28. Love came back by avoiding what looked like a sure sack from blitzing linebacker Zach Campbell to hit Watson for a 29-yard gain, then hit Dontevion Weeks for another 26. An offensive pass interference call took a Jacobs touchdown catch off the board and the Packers scored a field goal and settled the tie with 3:38 left.
Goff went to work. He hit Jameson Williams for 19 yards to start the drive. Gibbs picked up the first down on a screen pass on third-and-7. A holding call set the Lions back, but Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown over the middle for a huge 16-yard gain on second-and-17. The Lions couldn’t get a third-and-1 run, but they got back into field-goal range. Then came Campbell’s decision, a big first down and the game-winning field goal.
Lions keep their fans on the edge of their seats. Campbell wouldn’t have it any other way.
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