Lions coach Dan Campbell would change one play from the win over Vikings, but not the failed 4th-and-1
Lions head coach Dan Campbell faced some serious scrutiny for a questionable play decision late in Sunday’s win over the Minnesota Vikings. Faced with a 4th-and-1 from his own 28-yard line and nursing a 23-21 lead with just over four minutes to play, Campbell rolled the dice and went for it.
The play wound up being an abject disaster. Quarterback Jared Goff rolled to his right and was sacked before he had a chance to do anything, fumbling the ball away. The Vikings would score the go-ahead touchdown before the Lions rallied on an epic final drive to steal back the win.
When asked about the decision to go for it, Campbell offered up a surprising take. He wanted to take a play back, but not that particular one. It’s the third-down play just before it that Campbell laments.
“That’s a good question and honestly it’s funny because when I go back to it, if I could have a play over in that game, it wouldn’t have been the fourth-and-1, it would’ve been the third-and-2 right before it,” Campbell said in his press conference on Monday. “That’s the one I regret because I wish that I had given a better play to Jamaal Williams there and we wouldn’t even have been sitting in a fourth-and-1.”
Later in the press conference, Campbell again reflected on the offense’s struggles on third downs. Coach Campbell sees progress but not enough of it.
“And so, there again, there are so many little things that you’ve got to hone in on,” Campbell said. “And so, I feel like we’re beginning to find some of these schemes we think that we can work with and find ways to get our guys open. (Amon-Ra) St. Brown and some are stepping up, Josh Reynolds. So, we’re getting there, but certainly – our third-down percentage is still not good enough, so we’ve got to continue to improve so we can stay on the field.”
Interestingly, most analytical data indicates that Campbell made the correct decision in choosing to go for it on fourth down. But the play called was a suboptimal hedging of the odds.
