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As critics take aim at Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell for a pair of disastrous fourth-down calls in the team’s NFC Championship game loss, Jared Goff is standing by his coach.
The Lions quarterback sounded off on Campbell’s decision to go for it on fourth down late in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers rather than attempting a game-tying field goal, saying he “loved” the calls from the notoriously aggressive head coach.
Goff also shared support for his head coach, who told reporters after the game that he had “no regrets” about the play calls.
Calls Come Under Fire After NFC Championship Game Collapse
Though the first half of Sunday’s game the Lions appeared to be headed to the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, running out to a 17-point lead at halftime while carving up the vaunted 49ers defense. But a combination of miscues, defensive lapses, and questionable calls allowed San Francisco to storm back into the game. The 49ers ran off 27 unanswered points en route to the 34-31 victory.
Campbell came under fire for a pair of aggressive fourth-down calls, giving up a potential field goal attempt in the third quarter before failing to convert and again late in the fourth quarter.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Goff said that the team wouldn’t have reached the NFC Championship game without Campbell’s aggressive style and put the blame on himself and the offense for not converting either of the attempts.
“He believes in us,” Goff said, via the Detroit Free Press. “I don’t know what the numbers are but we had a lot of big-time conversions this year that changed games and I don’t know what we were today. I know we had the two we didn’t convert. It can change a game if you convert them and we didn’t. And that’s part of the reason why we lost.”
Campbell also defended his decisions, saying he wanted to keep control of the ball late in the game rather than letting the 49ers bleed out the clock with a final drive.
Team to Address Jared Goff’s Future in Detroit
Though the sting of the NFC Championship game loss is still fresh, insiders said the Lions are expected to start planning for the future and engaging with Goff’s team in extension talks. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Lions are ready to make Goff one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
Since coming to the Lions in the 2021 trade that shipped Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, Goff has helped lead a dramatic turnaround that culminated with this season’s run to the NFC title game. The Lions also broke a 30-year division title drought, winning the NFC North and hosting their first home playoff game since the 1990s.
As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported, a contract extension for Goff is likely imminent before the start of next season.
“Sources tell CBS Sports both Goff and the Lions are very interested in an extension this offseason, and there’s little reason to doubt a deal will get hammered out well ahead of the 2024 season,” Jones reported.