Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke out on Sunday about the divisive decisions he made late in his team’s 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
In an NFC Championship Game that the Lions eventually lost by three points, they failed to convert on fourth-and-short instead of kicking a field goal twice in the second half.
Campbell expressed no misgivings about the calls during the postgame press conference. The Lions coach wanted his squad to control the game’s tempo and believed that keeping aggressive would help them achieve it.
“It’s easy in retrospect, and I get it,” Campbell admitted. “I understand, but I do not regret my decisions. And that’s difficult. It is difficult since we did not follow through. It wasn’t able to work out. But I don’t. And I recognize the criticism I’ll face; that’s part of the job, guy.”
The Lions kept the maximum crowd at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., quiet for the first 30 minutes of play. Detroit possessed a dominating 24-7 lead at halftime and appeared well on their way to winning the NFC Championship.
However, as the 49ers rallied to win the game, the Lions’ two failed fourth-down conversions had a significant impact on the ultimate outcome.
Midway through the third quarter, the ever-aggressive Campbell instructed the Lions to go for it on 4th and 2. Instead of extending Detroit’s advantage to 27-10 with a 45-yard field goal, wide receiver Josh Reynolds dropped a short throw from quarterback Jared Goff that would have resulted in a first down (video here).
With 7:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, Campbell doubled down as the Lions faced a fourth-and-three. Instead of attempting a 47-yard field goal to tie the game at 27, Detroit once again handed the ball over on downs. The 49ers scored a touchdown, going up 34-21 on the
The Lions nonetheless progressed well beyond what most people expected before the season started. However, being on the verge of the team’s first Super Bowl berth and falling short still hurts.
