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Lions grab historic win as Dan Campbell makes craziest call yet

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

'TNF' takeaways: Lions grab historic 11th straight win as Dan Campbell makes craziest call yet

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Dec 6, 2024 8:01 AM ET

Thanks to a Jake Bates game-winning field goal as time expired, the Detroit Lions were 34-31 winners over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night, improving their record to 12-1. It also extends the Lions' winning streak to a franchise-record 11 consecutive games.

Here are four takeaways from their win.

1. Lions head coach Dan Campbell made his craziest call yet

There is not a more aggressive coach in the NFL than Campbell, and no coach who is more willing to go for it on fourth down.

A lot of times it works out in his favor.

Sometimes it does not, as was the case in last year's NFC Championship Game.

But for as aggressive as he is, he made what might have been his craziest, most jaw-dropping and most aggressive decision ever late in the fourth quarter of Thursday's game.

With the Lions facing a 4th-and-inches on the Green Bay 20-yard line in a tied game with only 43 seconds to play, Campbell kept his offense on the field and went for another fourth-down conversion.

This is a situation where 31 other NFL head coaches would have simply kicked the field goal, taken the three-point lead with less than a minute to play and relied on their defense to get a stop.

But not Campbell. He went for it in an effort to ensure that Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love did not touch the football again.

It almost backfired spectacularly.

The @Lions go for it... and get it!#GBvsDET on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/uHtmLGvCWW
— NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2024

If the Lions had screwed that up when quarterback Jared Goff fell, or if they had simply been stopped short of the line to gain, and then went on to lose the game, Campbell would have almost certainly faced scathing criticism on Friday and for the next week.

But the Lions made it work, and they got the win.

The Lions were 4-for-5 on fourth downs on Thursday. They were stopped deep in their own territory on a 4th-and-1 play, resulting in a Green Bay touchdown. The Lions still managed to make up for it.

2. The Packers' NFC North hopes are pretty much gone

The Packers entered Thursday's game still clinging to some slim hopes for an NFC North crown, but they were going to have to win this game to have any realistic chance.

Well, they did not win, and now their chances of a division title are pretty much nonexistent.

The Packers are now three games back of the Lions in the division, while Detroit has the head-to-head tiebreaker by sweeping the regular-season series.

The Lions have not yet clinched the division as the Minnesota Vikings are still just a game back, but they did officially clinch a playoff spot.

Speaking of.

3. Detroit is in the playoffs again

The Lions clinching a playoff spot is significant because it is the first time since the 1994 and 1995 seasons that the Lions have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

It is also just the third time in the Super Bowl era they have made the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

They have an argument for being the best team in the NFL right now and one of the top Super Bowl contenders. Even with the extensive list of injuries they are dealing with on defense.

4. Tim Patrick's case for Comeback Player of the Year

There are always a few strong candidates for NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and Detroit wide receiver Tim Patrick is as good of a contender as any in the NFL this season.

After missing the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to ACL and Achilles injuries, he caught on with the Lions this season and has become a significant part of their passing game.

He scored his first two touchdowns in three years on Thursday night, helping the Lions extend their winning streak.

For the season, he has caught 27 passes on 33 targets for 349 yards and now two touchdowns.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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