Risky business, but it paid off. There is not a situation in which coach Dan Campbell plays scared, will not be aggressive and go for it on fourth down. That was substantiated on Thursday night.
The Detroit Lions failed to convert a fourth down attempt from their own 31-yard line earlier in the second half against their division rival, the Green Bay Packers, and what would have been an obvious choice to 31 other coaches around the league, to kick a field goal with 43 seconds remaining in a tie game, was not obvious to Campbell. The Lions went for it, and even with quarterback Jared Goff stumbling and falling down while taking the snap, he handed the ball off to David Montgomery for a huge 7-yard gain and a first down.
That meant Jordan Love and the Packers would not have the opportunity to respond with a field goal of their own.
“That’s exactly the kind of game we expected,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said. “It was tough and it went back and forth. There were just a couple plays that didn’t go our way.”
The Lions won 34-31 on a field goal as the clock struck midnight and clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season. Coincidently, it was on the three-year anniversary of Campbell’s first win with the organization. The Packers (9-4) were a worthy adversary, but the Lions (12-1) found a way to get the win.
“I just felt like we needed to end it on offense,” Campbell told reporters postgame. “I did not want to give that ball back and I believe we could get that [first down].”
The Lions were tied 31-31 with just a few minutes left and a depleted defense with 13 players on injured reserve, that was having a hard time getting a stop. And the Lions did what a championship team should do: They made all the plays they had to and got a much-needed win. It was a game of the year candidate, with both team taking turns making critical plays. The Lions just made a few more plays when it counted. Goff bounced back from a bad interception, which has been rare for him this season, to make some big plays in the second half, including several on a game-winning drive in the final minutes.
And then Campbell’s decision helped put the game on ice. There may be a time down the road in the playoffs in which his aggressiveness backfires, like last season’s NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers, but it is also a big reason Detroit is 12-1 this season and have won a franchise-record 11 games in a row.
Embed from Getty Images“This will be one of those you’ll never forget,” Campbell said.
The Lions had a laundry list of defensive injuries coming into the game. They made up for that by sending a lot of extra pressure at Love.
The Lions led 10-0 a couple minutes into the second quarter, and the Packers could only manufacture 37 yards and one first down. Whenever Love dropped back to pass, the Lions would send everything but the kitchen sink. Love was sacked on Green Bay’s first offensive play by Za’Darius Smith, who just got there a few weeks ago from the Cleveland Browns, and that set the tone right away for a shorthanded defense.
The Packers’ counterpunch was to run the ball. They kept it mostly on the ground for a series after falling behind by double digits, had their first sustained drive of the night and a Lions penalty in the end zone set up a Josh Jacobs 1-yard score.
The Lions had a methodical drive that took the clock down to the final seconds before halftime, and they faced a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Just like he did at the end of the game, Campbell was aggressive and went for it. He chose to forego a chip shot field goal, and Jahmyr Gibbs caught a 2-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds left in the half. That was a huge momentum builder and a big drive because Detroit scored without giving Green Bay a shot to answer before halftime.
The Lions’ defense, even in their undermanned state, played well. Love could not find the rhythm and had just three completions for 31 yards at the break. It did not seem like the offense had been great, but it did enough for a 17-7 halftime lead.
The Packers grabbed a lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a Goff interception and a failed fourth-down gamble. Goff’s pick to Keisean Nixon set up the Packers with outstanding field position at the Lions’ 16-yard line, and Jacobs scored a few plays later to give Green Bay a 21-17 lead.
The Lions were efficient on fourth downs but it takes just one failure to make all of the gambles look bad. The Lions went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line late in the third quarter. That should not have been a stunner. Campbell thrives on being aggressive. The Lions had gone for it three times on fourth down already and picked up all three. Unfortunately for them, this one was not successful, with the Lions pitching it to Gibbs and the Packers getting up field to stop him well short of the first down. In a game the Lions led 24-21, that stop in Detroit territory was massive. Jacobs got his third touchdown of the game after that and the Packers had the lead back.
The Lions were not phased. Patrick scored again with 8:39 left and the Lions took back a field goal advantage, 31-28. Love came right back, evading what looked like a sure sack from blitzing linebacker Jack Campbell to hit Watson for a 29-yard gain, then hitting Dontayvion Wicks for 26 more. An offensive pass interference call took a touchdown catch by Jacobs off the board, and the Packers settled for a field goal and a tie with 3:38 remaining.
Goff went to work. He connected with Jameson Williams for 19 yards to start the drive. Gibbs picked up a first down on a screen pass on third-and-7. A holding penalty moved the Lions back, but Goff hit his favorite target, Amon-Ra St. Brown over the middle for a gigantic 16-yard gain on second-and-17. The Lions did not pick up a third-and-1 run but they were back in field-goal range. Then came Campbell’s decision, a big first down and the game-winning field goal.
The Lions keep their fans on pins and needles. Campbell would not want it any other way.
The Packers travel to Seattle to face the NFC West-leading Seahawks in a Sunday night game on December 15.
The Lions host AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen on December 15.
