Dan Campbell is a risk taker. You have to be when you’re coaching the Detroit Lions.
That manifested in several ways throughout 2022’s surprising 9-8 campaign. His team’s 37 fourth down attempts were third-most in the NFL. His willingness to experiment with trickeration made sure Aaron Rodgers’ final game as a Green Bay Packer was a loss. Along the way, he built an offense led by a discarded quarterback and fifth-round wideout into a top five unit.
That left fans wondering what he’d do for an encore. The NFL was eager to find out as well, slotting Detroit into a season opening Thursday night game against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. From there, it only took Campbell 5:33 of game time to get weird.
Like, go for it inside your own 20-yard line weird.
That’s not just a fake punt in the season opener; it’s a fake punt, from the Lions’ 17-yard line on a direct snap to a linebacker ON THE SECOND DRIVE OF THE SEASON. AND IT WORKED.
Detroit earned a fresh set of downs as Jaylen Reeves-Maybin briefly had more rushing yards than 2023 12th overall pick Jahmyr Gibbs. Jared Goff completed his next four passes, capping off a 91-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The unwanted quarterback and overlooked wideout got it done — and it all started when Campbell decided to burn his boats and run his first trick play fewer than six minutes into the season.