Dan Campbell, the head coach of the Detroit Lions, is renowned for taking risks, but this time his arrogance backfired.
In the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, the Lions fell short of the San Francisco 49ers, 34–31, after blowing a 17–point lead at the half. It was matched with the Atlanta Falcons in 2012 for the biggest lead blown in the history of the NFC Championship Game, when the 49ers also rallied to win.
With a 24-7 lead going into the locker room, Detroit was cruising in the first half and extinguishing the atmosphere in Levi’s Stadium. Although San Francisco made the required adjustments and played brilliantly in the second half, Campbell’s dubious choice ultimately proved to be the cause of his team’s downfall.
With a 24-10 lead in the third quarter and a chance to extend the margin to three points, Campbell decided to go for it on fourth down. Josh Reynolds threw away a pass from Lions quarterback Jared Goff, and Detroit’s chances of winning were gone.
The 49ers took the next possession and went on to score a touchdown. On the first play of Detroit’s next drive, rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs of the Lions was forced to fumble. San Francisco added another score to tie the game, but the Niners took a one-point lead after a field goal.
Campbell was given another chance to attempt a field goal that would have tied the score at 27, but he once more showed initiative by going for it on fourth down. Goff’s pass went wide, and the 49ers won the game the next time they had the ball in the end zone.
It was Campbell’s moxie that made him become one of the NFL’s top coaches more quickly. But he made several extremely poor decisions on Sunday, which contributed to the Lions’ inability to win their first Super Bowl since the team’s founding.
Social media users weren’t shy about criticising Campbell for his dubious decisions during the second half of Sunday’s game:
