Fans have witnessed some exciting events during the NFL Playoffs, and this season has seen the Detroit Lions get closer than ever to playing in the Super Bowl.
But when they played the San Francisco 49ers in the second half, their hopes were crushed. Head coach Dan Campbell has come under fire from many for his two fourth down attempts that were unsuccessful, but Campbell has stood by his calls, citing the team’s aggressive playstyle all season long.
Campbell acknowledged that his mistake on the final drive had severe repercussions, even though he continued to support his aggressive play-calling on fourth downs. His choice to run the ball on third and goal resulted in the necessity for a timeout, putting the Lions in a situation where their only hope of winning was an onside kick. They could have had more chances to take possession with all three timeouts if they had held onto that one.
In retrospect, Campbell agreed that this choice was likely the incorrect one and characterised it as a gamble. Rather than having to give up any timeouts, he thought they ought to have tossed the ball four times.
Throwing it is the simple thing to do. Though I felt that running it was the correct thing to do, it probably should have been. I assumed we would simply pop it. They were in a four-down front, and we had only two minutes to throw the ball down the pitch. I thought we would be in and out in two minutes, but we missed a block. That being said, I must use a timeout. In retrospect, toss it four times. However, I thought at that very moment that it would be an easy win. And it was unsuccessful. So I took a chance and lost.
Despite the dismal result, Dan Campbell gave his players a pep talk following the game, highlighting that this was their chance to
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