Wll Dan Campbell's aggressiveness haunt him in the playoffs?
Wll Dan Campbell's aggressiveness haunt him in the playoffs?
By Levi Coovert December 08, 2024 02:56
After the Detroit Lions thrilling 34-31 victory over their division rival Green Bay Packers, the Lions have won 11 games in a row and are atop the NFC North standings. However, head coach Dan Campbell continues to raise eyebrows with his dangerous decision making when it comes to fourth downs.
The Lions made the risky call to go for it on fourth-and-one with thirty seconds in the game, and left three points on the board. The Lions could have kicked the field goal, and would have needed to hold the Packers to score no points in thirty seconds. Instead Campbell went for it on fourth down to ice the game.
While the decision did pay off, it was just another in a long list of Campbell's extremely risky decisions. Last year, he opted to go for two instead of tie the game as time expired in a game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Lions missed the 2-point conversion and in doing so, lost not only the game but their chance to be the NFC's top seed.
Some NFL pundit's are wondering if Campbell's risky decisions will come back to bite him once again come playoff time. Colin Cowherd of FOX Sports wanted to remind Campbell that the Lions are no longer the "hunter," but that they are now the "hunted." He said the aggressiveness was fun when the Lions were a long-shot with nothing to lose, but now that Detroit is in position to win the Super Bowl, Cowherd would encourage Campbell to be a bit more conservative.
In a tight game against a team like the Chiefs or Eagles, the Lions would need to be careful. Great head coaches, specifically Andy Reid, will take advantage of the Lions risk-taking. Although Detroit has been very impressive on fourth downs, they are not bound to make every single one, and when they don't, they will risk giving the ball to their opponents in great field position.
Still, the analytics usually suggest that teams should go for it on fourth down more often. Particularly in situations when a team is across midfield and when it is not a win-or-lose scenario.
Campbell may need to be a bit more conservative in close, end-of-the-game scenarios, but for the most part, his aggressiveness has been paying off. He has built a culture of aggression and risk-taking, and the Lions are thriving because of it. Why change now?
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