Sad news. Due to his wife, the head coach of the Detroit Lions has officially announced his retirement.
In the NFC Championship game on Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions stuck to his game plan, which might have cost them at least six points.
Campbell decided to try to convert on fourth down rather than go for a field goal.
With the Lions leading 24-10 with 7:03 left in the third quarter, they made their first attempt. Despite having a 17-point lead, Detroit elected to go for it on a 4th-and-2 play from the 49ers’ 28-yard line. Josh Reynolds caught a ball from Jared Goff, but it was incomplete.
Detroit could have tied the score with a field goal in the fourth quarter, but they went for it on a fourth-and-three. Amon-Ra St. Brown received a pass from Goff, but it was also incomplete.
Detroit had two chances to score a minimum of six points. They attempted to be proactive twice, but the 49ers outscored them in the second half.
Josh Reynolds is absent.
Josh Reynolds, the eighth player for the Detroit Lions, fails to make a catch in the third quarter of the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on January 28, 2024, against the San Francisco 49ers. (Getty Images / Ezra Shaw))
“It is undeniable that Dan Campbell is an excellent leader who motivates his team,” commented former CEO Andrew Brandt of the Green Bay Packers. “But his decisions have hurt them today.”
“Dan Campbell is a total moron. If they lose, they have no one else to blame but him,” Kendra Middleton of NESN stated.
Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy wrote, “I know Dan Campbell entire philosophy is to go for it but I mean….I’m stunned.”
“Dan Campbell deserves this change in momentum. “Kick the damn field goal,” Matt Barrie of ESPN continued.
Following the game, Campbell stated he didn’t “regret” the choices he made.
“We converted, and I felt really good about it,” Campbell remarked following the match. “And maintaining our pace and preventing them from playing long ball. They were using up all the time; that’s what they do, and I wanted to regain control.”
Since Campbell became head coach, the Lions have made more plays on fourth down. Based on Team Rankings, the Lions were successful 54.76% of the time on fourth down, good for 12th place in the NFL.
