Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Campbell takes blame for key Lions mistake

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Evan Winter | Last updated 11/23/23

The Detroit Lions (8-3) are gutsy and it's a big reason why they still lead the NFC North despite a frustrating loss to the Green Bay Packers (5-6).

But, Dan Campbell may have been a bit too gutsy when he called for a fake punt down, 23-14, on 4th and 4 from his own 23 with more than five minutes left in the third quarter.

It was a bad call, plain and simple. In a hypothetical situation, it would even be wrong to hold the players wrong if they botched the snap or fumbled the ball - whatever. They shouldn't have been in that situation to begin with and it's on Campbell for putting them in that position.

Fortunately, Campbell fell on the sword for the poor decision after the game. Now, that was the right call, because he let his guys down. Not the other way around.

"That's a bad call on me." Campbell on the missed fake punt
— Mike Payton (@AtoZ_Payton) November 23, 2023

Campbell doesn't need to drop the aggressiveness - he just needs to be smarter about it

Two of Campbell's first fourth down decisions were wrong, to begin with. Even if the analytics say it was the right call - which they do on the first one. The counterpoint: Any time you have a manageable chance to cut the lead down a possession, you take it.

Yes, the field goal would've been a 52-yarder, but this is a 4th and a 4 we are talking about. Not a 4th and 1 or even 4th and 2. Riley Patterson, even with the missed PAT, already has a 52-yarder this year under his belt in 2023, as well.

The second fourth down decision was obviously the fake punt. The next two were understandable, even if the Lions would've removed the need for a two-point conversion by kicking a field goal in one of the situations.

It seems like Campbell was chasing points and trying to prove something with the first two decisions, however, which can't happen if you're going to be this aggressive on a consistent basis. Just ask Brandon Staley how that ends up going in the long run.

Campbell's decisions certainly aren't what cost the Lions the game - there were a lot of reasons why they lost. But at the same time, he needs to pick and choose his battles a bit more carefully moving forward.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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