The San Francisco 49ers were trailing Dan Campbell’s squad by 17 points, and their offence was blazing in the first half.
The Niners’ defence significantly improved in the second half, and the Lions were completely outmatched.
Coach Campbell still aspired to uphold his philosophy of taking chances and making audacious choices, sometimes even at the expense of others.
The Lions lost the game despite going for it twice on fourth down and leaving at least six points on the field by failing to convert two field goals.
It goes without saying that the young coach received a lot of backlash for their choices.
In light of this, former tight end Greg Olsen used Twitter to poke fun at people who criticised Campbell.
Olsen commented, “They should have just taken the points,” in response to a tweet commemorating Super Bowl LII’s “Philly Special.”
For those who don’t know, the New England Patriots were ahead 15–12 when Doug Pederson made the decision to go for it on fourth and goal. He called a stunning trick play that gave them the game’s momentum.
To be honest, it’s difficult to hold Campbell accountable for following his strategy and carrying out the actions that first enabled his squad to advance so far.
However, one aspect of coaching is being able to read a room and make wise choices based on the circumstances, and that’s where Campbell might have approached things a little differently.
