The Detroit Lions kept control of the NFC, the NFC North, and their 11-game winning streak by beating the Green Bay Packers 34-31 in a thrilling Week 14 Thursday night game. The game ended on a 35-yard Jake Bates field goal, but the Lions won it on the play before when Dan Campbell decided to go for it on 4th down. After the win, the gutsy head coach explained his bold decision.
“I just felt like we needed to end it on offense,” Campbell told reporters after the win. “I did not want to give that ball back, and I believed we could get that. I believed we could convert and I trusted that O-line and I trusted [David] Montgomery and they came through for us. It's a hell of a call by Ben [Johnson] … I knew how I wanted to play this game. The team knew it. And everything in me told me, ‘Let's finish this,' so we did.”
It was an incredible call and also probably the wrong one on paper. Amazon Prime analyst Kirk Herbstreit even said that while he knew Campbell was dying to go for it, obviously he had to kick the field goal and take a three-point lead with 43 seconds left in the game.
However, with the new touchback rules in the NFL and the proficiency of pro kickers, going for it now seems like a smart play (and not just because the Lions got it).
After the Lions' hypothetical 4th-down field goal, the Packers would have gotten the ball back likely at the 30-yard line (with a touchback). That means, even with no timeouts, Jordan Love and company would have plenty of time to pick up 30 yards and get to the opposing 40 or so, which would have given kicker Brandon McManus a shot at a 57-yard kick.
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While McManus' long this season is 51, he has 57-, 58-, and 61-yarders under his belt earlier in his career.
The point is, while many may say that Dam Campbell made the wrong decision that ended with the right result, that may not be true anymore. NFL data goes back years, but in 2024, fortune seems to favor the bold, and taking the opportunity to win the game when you have the chance is a good call.
