The Detroit Lions fell in heartbreaking fashion to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game despite being up 24-7 at half time. The 49ers tied the game up in the third quarter and it felt like the game really turned on its head when Dan Campbell opted to go for it on 4th down rather than take the points on a field goal.
From there, the 49ers scored a touchdown to make it 24-17 and then recovered a Lions fumble. They then were able to tie the game and took the lead not long after. The momentum totally shifted when the Lions were stopped on fourth down and there will be a lot of finger pointing at Campbell for those decisions.
Following the game, Campbell was in tears when speaking to the media. He was asked about his decision to go for it on fourth down rather than kick the field goal on two separate occasions.
Dan Campbell said he was trying to take back the momentum from the 49ers with his fourth-down decisions in the second half. Said he knows he'll face criticism, but he doesn't regret them.
— Justin Rogers | Detroit News (@Justin_Rogers) January 29, 2024
“I just felt really good about us converting.” - Dan Campbell on aggressive 4th down calls pic.twitter.com/ia3ZjA5qbB
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 29, 2024
Dan Campbell on not taking the points: "I just felt really good about us converting."
Campbell had been aggressive all season long and more often than not, it worked for him and the Lions. Unfortunately for both sides, it didn't work out this time and it cost the Lions at the end of the day.
Seeing Campbell so emotional at the end of the game was hard to watch but he's led this team where it hasn't been in a very long time so it's hard to be too upset with him. He told reporters following the game that the loss felt like his heart had been ripped out.
People will crush Campbell for these decisions now but had they worked out, he'd have been labeled a genius. It didn't work out this time but no one can fault him for not playing scared in a big game.