Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions isn’t the kind of coach who ever plays it safe, and that can be a good or bad quality, depending on what day it is and what’s happening on the field. The Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles had a “Sunday Night Football” matchup on Sunday, November 16, and it was one of those nights where a more conservative approach would have benefited the Lions.
The Eagles beat the Lions in a low-scoring, 16-9 game, and Campbell was the one calling the offensive plays. He did something not many head coaches in the NFL do by taking over the offensive play calling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton for this game, as he also did for the team’s game against the Washington Commanders on November 9. Campbell also says that he’ll be doing it for the rest of the season.
In those play calls, Campbell went for it on fourth, which is no surprise. But, the Lions were 0-for-5 on fourth down in the loss, and two of those failed fourth down attempts came in field goal range. On top of that, two of the other fourth down attempts were in their own territory, and those resulted in field goals for Philly.
Dan Campbell Talks Controversial Plays in Detroit Lions Game
This was like gambling at a different level. To go for it on basically every fourth is pretty much unheard of in the NFL or at any level of football.
So, will Campbell change? Don’t expect to see a change, although speaking to the media on Monday, November 17, the coach admitted that playing it safe would have been best.
“There’s some things I wish I would have done different,” he said. “The bottom line is, if you go totally conservative in the way this game played out, in the way it was, you’ve got a better chance of winning that game than some of those decisions I made.”
But, here’s where Campbell doubled down on his fourth down calls and identity. “I understand that. But also, that’s who we are. That’s who I am, and it bit us today,” he said.
So, don’t expect Campbell to change. But, he might think twice before going as chancy as he did on Monday against the Eagles.
Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles By the Numbers
According to NFL research, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff had the lowest completion percentage of his career, and even though Goff threw for 255 yards, he only completed 38 percent of his passes and finished with a passer rating of 60.1. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery also struggled, although Gibbs led Detroit with five receptions for 107 yards.
But, Campbell also had some kind things to say about the Lions, though. Chatting with the press, he said that the team “felt like we moved the ball pretty decently at times throughout the game and got down there and stall out a few times and obviously the fourth downs weren’t good enough.”
He added, “Give a ton of credit to them. They are a good defense. We like to think, if we were able to get a fourth down or two, it changes the game and even some of those third downs. But they played well and we weren’t even close to up to snuff today.”
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