Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell stood by his decision to go for it on fourth down late in the NFC championship game, a decision that backfired in the team’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Tom Brady doesn’t share the sentiment.
The legendary quarterback spoke out about Campbell’s play calling, saying he believes the Lions were too aggressive and would have been better served trying for the points and keeping the pressure on the 49ers.
“They’ve been aggressive all year,” Brady said on the January 29 episode of his “Let’s Go” podcast. “You know obviously, when you’re aggressive and it doesn’t work, it comes back to bite you. It came back to bite them yesterday. Again, I would’ve taken the points.
‘Comes Back to Bite You’
The Lions saw a 17-point halftime lead evaporate in the NFC title game as the 49ers scored 27 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 34-31 victory. With the Lions having possession trailing by 3 points late in the fourth quarter, they wanted to keep control of the ball and not let the 49ers get control with a chance to win, Campbell said.
“I just felt really good about us converting and getting our momentum and not letting them play long ball,” Campbell said after the game. “They were bleeding the clock out — that’s what they do — and I wanted to get the upper hand back. It’s easy [in] hindsight, and I get that, but I don’t regret those decisions.”
The Lions ultimately failed to convert, and the 49ers extended their lead to 10 points with a touchdown on the following drive. Though the Lions cut the lead back to 3 points with a late touchdown, they failed to secure the onside kick and the 49ers ran out the clock to advance to the Super Bowl.
The Lions had another fourth-down attempt in 49ers territory in the third quarter but also opted to go for it rather than attempt a field goal. They failed to convert that one as well, losing a potential 6 points.
“I’ve been in those situations. I look at them and say, OK, this is the opportunity to continue to keep the pressure on the 49ers to make great plays and you’re in a great position.”
Team Stands Behind Dan Campbell
The Lions organization has been almost universally behind Campbell, with several players voicing their support for the coach and standing behind his aggressive decisions.
Everyone can argue about Dan Campbell’s decision making. But this is how his players feel about him.
Strongest words from Frank Ragnow: “I didn’t even realize how good of a coach there is out there until I met him. He just blew me away. And he continues to blow me away.”
Quarterback Jared Goff said Campbell’s aggressive style had served the team well all year and said it was the fault of the offense that they didn’t convert on either attempt.
“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.”
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Tom Brady Sounds Off on Controversial Call by Lions HC Dan Campbell