A 17-point halftime lead in the NFC Championship game. Everything looked to be almost in the bag for the Detroit Lions and Bruce Campbell to advance to the franchise’ first Super Bowl. All they needed to do was hold on to that 24-7 lead they had at halftime. Instead, a flurry of decisions made by Lions head coach Dan Campbell sent the team spiraling out of control.
Going for it on fourth down in field goal range
The 49ers were able to get a field goal on their first drive of the second half, moving the score to 24-10 in favor of the Lions. The ensuing possession, the Lions were able to drive the ball down into 49er territory. Far enough to get into field goal range. Then came one of the most boneheaded coaching decisions I’ve ever seen. On fourth and 2 at the 49er 28-yard line, Campbell had a decision to make.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to Lions fans that Campbell went for it. After all, the team has gone for it on fourth down the second-most in the NFL this season. But surely even they thought that Campbell should’ve taken the points from the field goal. However, Campbell played gutsy, like he has all season, and it didn’t pay off.
An incomplete pass led to the 49ers taking over on downs down just two possessions. If Lions kicker Michael Bagdley would’ve made the field goal attempt instead, the Lions would have held a 17-point lead, which means that the 49ers would have needed three possessions to tie or go ahead in the game.
The Result
The 49ers scored five plays later, mainly due to a miraculous 51-yard reception by Brandon Aiyuk. Make it 24-17 in favor of the Lions. No big deal, the Lions still have the lead. Then rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs took a handoff and fumbled. It was recovered by the 49ers. Only needing another 24 yards for a touchdown, they wasted no time, scoring in four plays. So, in the span of four minutes of play time, the Lions went from possibly being up by 17, to having the game now tied.
The 49ers would gain a three-point lead after kicking a field goal with 9:52 left in the game. All momentum suddenly swung in the 49ers favor. It was the Lions turn to see if they would respond or not. They did gain some momentum, moving the ball to the 49ers 30-yard line facing a fourth and 3.
Surely, he can’t make the same mistake twice?
Only being down by three with seven minutes left in the game, Campbell can’t pass up this opportunity to tie, could he? He did. And it failed again, failing to convert on fourth down, giving the ball back to the 49ers. Seven plays and 70 yards later, Elijah Mitchell scored on a three-yard run to put the 49ers up 34-24 with three minutes left.
While the Lions were able to put together a scoring drive before the game ended, the final score still wound up being 34-31 in favor of the 49ers.
The wrong decision… Twice
Campbell has made a habit since his Lions debut of being gutsy. And I understand that. However, there is a fine line between aggressive and being reckless. Being aggressive in certain situations wins you games sometimes. Being reckless makes you lose games all the time. Campbel was put in a situation where he could have brought the City of Detroit their first ever Super Bowl appearance, but just like Jahmyr Gibbs in the third quarter, he fumbled it away.