Jared Goff played big role in Lions' late fourth down decision vs. Packers

Now deep into his fourth season as Detroit Lions' head coach, no one has gone for it on fourth down more than Dan Campbell over that span. Last Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, the Lions went 4-for-5 on fourth down.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Lions went for it on 4th-and-1 rather than kick a game-winning field goal with more than 40 seconds left The intention was to run the rest of the clock out, and that is what happened when the play worked. Jared Goff tripping over an offensive lineman's feet and falling down as he went to make the handoff to David Montgomery added to the drama, and after kneel-downs it was only a four-yard difference in the field goal distance.

If the Lions don't convert that fourth down, it's possible we're having a different conversation today. The Packers would have had a chance, however slim, to drive for a game-winning field goal or . In the days since, there has criticism of Campbell's decision to go for it there, and of his aggressiveness in general.

Jared Goff played a big role in late fourth down decision against the Packers

On the latest episode of his podcast, reviewing most of Week 14 in the NFL, Richard Sherman of course talked about the Lions-Packers game he was on-site for as part of the Prime Video analyst desk.

Goff joined the Prime Video desk after the game, including former Rams' teammate Andrew Whitworth. When asked about words he shared with Goff postgame, Sherman deferred to a question Whitworth asked about the sideline conversation about that late 4th-and-1.

"Jared basically comes over, and Dan’s on the headset telling him, ‘Hey, we’re kicking it. Get the field goal team ready, we’re gonna stand here, we’re gonna talk it through but we’re gonna kick it.’ And Jared, dejected, is like, ‘Man, I wanted to go,’" Sherman said. "Dan Campbell just looks at him and says, ‘You want to do it? F it, we’re going for it.’ And he changes his mind and goes for it. He trusts his men, he trusts his team, he trusts his offensive line that they’re gonna get it done for him."

Sherman expanded on mutual trust between Campbell and Lions' players.

"And some people may look at that and say, ‘Is that really how it should go?’ Yeah, yeah that’s how it should go. You can do all the analytics in the world, you can say, ‘Oh, this percentage, or this percentage,’ but at the end of the day, do you trust your team? Do you trust your guys?" Sherman said. "And if your quarterback says he thinks that they can get it done, and you say, ‘I’m gonna believe in my quarterback and what he sees and what he does.’ That’s a gut feeling, and that’s why this team is ready (to run) through walls for Dan Campbell, because he believes in them like they believe in him.” 

Campbell's aggressiveness on fourth down is rooted in how he believes in his players. In this case Goff reinforced that belief with his own confidence late in last Thursday night's game, which emboldened Campbell to go for it. Sherman's reveal is more evidence of the good marriage between head coach and quarterback that exists in Detroit.