Give him credit, Lions HC Dan Campbell stayed himself to the bitter end

Give credit to Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. He took a team that hadn't had a playoff win since 1992 to the 2023-24 NFC Championship game.

He's led a turnaround in Detroit from the ground up. From 3-13-1 in year one to holding a 17-point lead on the road at halftime against the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers. Campbell's toughness, grit, and "never-say-never attitude as a head coach made Detroit the hell-on-wheels team it was this season.

His "go for it" attitude also cost the Lions a shot at the Super Bowl, though. Amidst their historic collapse, Campbell opted to go for it on fourth-and-short twice rather than attempt a field goal. 

Had he taken and gotten the points the first time — it was a fourth-and-2 from the San Francisco 28-yard line with 7:03 left in the third quarter — it would have put his team up three scores. Instead, San Francisco got the ball back and almost immediately made it a 24-17 game.

In the second instance, San Francisco had taken a three point lead midway through the fourth quarter but Detroit bounced back with a strong offensive drive that stalled at the 49ers' 30-yard-line. Campbell could have tied the game up at 27 with a made field goal, but he instead opted to go for it on fourth-and-three.

The Lions again failed to convert, and San Francisco promptly marched down the field to take a 10 points lead with 3:02 to go in the game. That drive essentially ended the game.

After the contest, Campbell was clear that he didn't regret his decisions to stay aggressive, and to be fair, he had a point. His fourth down aggressiveness was arguably one of the reasons Detroit was so dangerous this season. 

Defenses had to play Detroit all four downs, and they weren't even able to let up in obvious punting situations, where Campbell proved time — after-time that he wasn't afraid to throw in a fake.

The aggressiveness, the madness, ahs been part of Campbell's recipe for success in Detroit, so the fact that stuck with that recipe in the biggest game of the season shouldn't be surprising.

Had it worked out, they'd be building him a statue in downtown Detroit right now. It didn't though, and it's hard to deny that Campbell's recklessness was one of the reason's for the Lions' bitter collapse.

That's part of wearing the "big headset" though, and to Campbell's credit, he remained himself to the very bitter end.

"It's easy hindsight. I get it. I get that, but I don't regret those decisions, and it's hard," Campbell said after the game, per ESPN. "It's hard because we didn't come through, and it wasn't able to work out, but I don't. And I understand the scrutiny I'll get — that's part of the gig — but it just didn't work out."