Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell faced a lot of criticism when he decided to go for it from his own 24-yard line in a tie game. The play was stopped in the backfield, and the Packers took over in field goal range with just over five minutes to go in a tie game. While many outsiders questioned the call, former NFL head coach and Super Bowl winner Mike Tomlin completely understood what Campbell was doing.
Tomlin noted on the NBC Sports studio show on Sunday night that Campbell made the decision due to the amount of time on the clock and the offense that he was facing. Tomlin noted he would have done the same thing as Campbell.
“It centers around elite quarterback play,” said Tomlin on NBC. “When you’ve got elite quarterback play, and particularly when you’re playing elite quarterback play, you want to make sure your guy at least has the chance to have the ball at the end of the game. And that’s what that decision appeared to be about for me.”
Tomlin added that the Lions could have punted the ball. But with how the Packers offense was moving, the odds were that the added yards would have only allowed Green Bay to kill more time, which meant Detroit would not see the ball.
On the flip side, because Green Bay did not have far to go with the ball after the turnover, they could not run out all of the clock. So, by turning it over in their end, it guaranteed Detroit would get a chance, whether trailing by three, seven, or tied.
Mike Tomlin Stands With Detroit Lions Coach Dan Campbell on Costly Decision
Tomlin added that when he had Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback and he was playing a good team, he would do the same thing, and his mentality was about having the ball last, not leading on the scoreboard with five minutes left.
“If (Campbell) punts that ball, the way Jordan Love and Co. has been operating, it’s not possible; it’s probable that they’re going to matriculate the ball down the field and win the game,” said Tomlin, getting in front of Campbell. “And so what he did by going for it, he was either going to be successful and keep the ball for his quarterback, or he was at least going to give his quarterback an opportunity to answer. I was always ready to make that decision when I had Big Ben for example and I was facing another elite quarterback.”
To the credit of Campbell, those who are on his side have much better NFL resumes than the names who were against the decision.
Campbell Defends Decision
Campbell essentially confirmed exactly what Tomlin said when asked about his decision after the game. It came down to the worst case for Detroit was getting the ball back with time. That made the risk worth it.
“Well, I thought we would get it, number one,” admitted Campbell. “I really believed we would get that. Number two, I knew we would get the ball back if it didn’t work out. And those were the key thoughts.”
The Lions wound up getting the ball back and driving for a game-winning field goal. So, the plan did work.
Mike Tomlin Sounds Off on Lions’ Controversial Decision