Dan Campbell explains Lions' wild fourth-down decision vs. Packers

ALLEN PARK — Head coach Dan Campbell got ambitious on a fourth-down decision that appeared like it would cost the Detroit Lions the lead late in the fourth quarter of their 20-17 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 25. In a tie game with 4:50 remaining, the Lions handed the ball to Jahmyr Gibbs on fourth-and-1 from their own 24-yard line and lost 2 yards, giving the Packers the ball with a prime opportunity in the late stages of a defensive struggle. Lions defensive end DJ Wonnum blocked the ensuing 35-yard field-goal attempt from Packers kicker Trey Smack that would've given Green Bay a 20-17 lead, and the Lions walked it off on the other end with a 22-yard kick by Jake Bates, rendering the decision moot. But even in victory, the decision left many people scratching their heads. Even Gibbs was surprised by the decision: "But when I thought about it, I was like, 'Man, f--- it.'" "I was like, 'Oh s---,'" Gibbs said. "But I mean, we could've got that. We just had — I think it was probably like a mis-ID or something, something probably happened, something that's fixable. ... Easily, we could've got that. We're capable of it, so I think we should be able to do it." More: Wojo: Lions overcome fumbles and foibles, beat Packers in a wild one Campbell explained the decision after the game: "Well, I thought we would get it, No. 1. I really believed we would get that. No. 2, I knew we would get the ball back if it didn't work out, you know? And those were the two thoughts." Even though it put the defense in a bad spot, it also presented them with an opportunity to put their stamp on the victory. "I mean, we've witnessed so many times, when we give our offense a chance to go win the game, they go do just that," linebacker Derrick Barnes said. "And our biggest thing was on the fourth-down stop that Green Bay got was — it wasn't like, 'Oh, man, they should have (punted). There was none of that. It was, 'OK, now we got an opportunity to go help our team win the game.'" Campbell has cooled a bit on his aggressiveness since his earlier days as Lions coach, but every now and then, he reverts back to the same mindset he started the regime with. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sunday it didn't — but it also didn't cost the Lions a win. "To miss that fourth down and get the ball back with no-harm, no-foul, hats off to our defense there and DJ with the block," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. nbianchi@detroitnews.com @nolanbianchi