Getty Dan Campbell coaching the Lions against the Packers in 2022.
It’s felt clear that the Detroit Lions like rolling the dice a lot under Dan Campbell, but in 2022, it’s never been more clear to be the case.
Campbell and the Lions continue to try and reinvent the league in terms of going on fourth down, and they have launched an all-out assault this season on the down. As a new piece showed, Detroit goes for it just under 50% of the time on the down.
Pro Football Focus recently took a look at breaking down where all teams in the NFL are on fourth down decision making. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Lions led the league in terms of going on fourth down. They were only slightly ahead of the Arizona Cardinals in terms of aggressiveness.
Also notably, for the Lions, the decision for the team seems to boil down to punting or going for it. Detroit had one of the smallest percentages of going for field goals on the down, perhaps as evidence of their shaky kicking situation.
This season, the Lions are 8-18 on fourth down conversions, which may not seem like a bad total. The way some of the notable failures have gone, however, have hurt the team and arguably cost the Lions some games.
It’s clear looking at this analysis the Lions are going to remain a team to watch on fourth down the rest of the 2022 season.
Jonah Jackson: Blame Players for Lack of Execution
In the aftermath of the loss in Week 5, Campbell and his staff received tons of heat for the mistakes. Interestingly enough, though, the players believe that had they simply executed better, it wouldn’t even be a discussion.
Speaking on Monday, October 12, guard Jonah Jackson was asked about some of the failures of the week on fourth down. As he said, it was frustrating, especially given the players were the ones who didn’t get the job done.
“I mean it takes a toll, but it’s just on us. We got to finish and execute the job and the task at hand. Whatever is called, he has the confidence in us to convert on fourth down. We got to do it,” Jackson said to the media of Campbell’s calls.
Many have slammed Campbell for his reckless decision making during games, but at the end of the day, he does show trust in his roster by making the calls he does during games.
When it doesn’t play out well, the players know they have let the staff down, and more often than not gladly shoulder the blame. Perhaps that’s why Campbell is so aggressive.
Campbell Now NFL’s Most Aggressive Coach
No matter what others think of his tactics, it’s clear that Campbell doesn’t care one bit and will continue to roll the dice on fourth down when he feels it acceptable. So far, that’s been the one hallmark of his tenure as Detroit’s head coach.
During the 2021 season, the Lions were considered one of the league’s most aggressive teams on fourth down, and it’s clear that has continued into 2022. That’s in spite of the tactic arguably costing them in a few close games.
During a 2021 game in Chicago, the Lions had momentum after some stops and late scores, and were moving down the field again. Instead of kicking a field goal, Campbell elected to go for a fourth down and avoided putting points on the board. The Lions would go on to lose.
This season, while Campbell has had plenty of bright spots on the down much like in 2021, his failures have been larger in scope. Campbell passed by a fourth down chance or punt for a 54 yard field goal in Minnesota and lost, and now has the curious call against New England on fourth and nine on his resume.
It’s clear Campbell is going to continue to roll the dice and be aggressive on the down. That much is obvious after a look at these numbers.