Published October 26, 2026 04:08 AM
Dan Campbell made the most Dan Campbell-like decision he could make on Sunday when the Lions faced fourth-and-1 at their own 24-yard line with the score tied and 4:53 remaining in the fourth quarter: He went for it.
Campbell may be the only coach in the NFL who would have gone for it in that situation, and it didn’t work, as Jahmyr Gibbs was tackled for a loss of two yards, putting the Packers in range for what would ordinarily be a chip-shot field goal to take the lead late in the fourth quarter.
But while the decision didn’t work in the moment, it turned out OK for the Lions, who blocked the Packers’ field goal attempt and then marched down the field for a game-winning field goal of their own as time expired. Campbell explained his thinking after the game.
“I thought we would get it, number one. I really believed we would get that. Number two, I knew we would get the ball back if it didn’t work out. Those were the two thoughts,” Campbell said.
That’s solid reasoning. Only needing a yard with Gibbs and a good offensive line, it’s easy to see why Campbell thought his team would get it.
But the second point is more important: Campbell wanted to ensure that the Lions would get the ball back with time to score. If the Lions had punted, there was the risk that the Packers would not only score on their subsequent possession, but run the remaining 4:53 off the clock and score with no time left. By giving the Packers the ball back deep in their own territory, Campbell at least knew the Packers wouldn’t be able to mount a long drive that took all the remaining time off the clock.
Instead, after the Packers missed that field, it was the Lions who took over with 3:21 remaining and a long field ahead of them, and the Lions’ long drive allowed them to run out the clock before kicking their game-winning field goal.
Campbell was wrong when he thought his team would make the fourth-and-1, but right that his team would get the ball back. And when his team got the ball back, it won the game.