Why is Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell being criticized and what did Jared Goff say in his defense?

While it would be inaccurate to say that the two separate fourth-down failures committed by the Detroit Lions in the second half of the NFC Championship game cost them a trip to the Super Bowl, it would be fair to say that they really didn’t help.

Why is Detroit’s Dan Campbell under fire?

Yes, the Detroit Lions committed a number of errors on Sunday night against the 49ers that, had they not, would likely have seen them on their way to Las Vegas with the intention of spoiling a Taylor Swift party. Sadly, that did not turn out to be the case and there were two calls made by head coach Dan Campbell, that have become of particular interest to fans and critics alike in the wake of the loss. On the first of them, the Lions were leading 24-10 and faced a fourth-and-2 at the 49ers’ 28-yard line. At that point, the call was made and quarterback Jared Goff went for it, unleashing a pass to an open Josh Reynolds, who inexplicably managed to deflect the ball with both hands for an incomplete pass. The Niners obliged by scoring on the resulting possession.

Then, came the second with the Lions now trailing 27-24 on a fourth-and-3 at San Francisco’s 30-yard line. Again, the call was the same. Only this time, the 49ers had a different idea. With the defense seemingly lined up with a man coverage appearance, they dropped into zone which in turn forced Goff to make it up as he went along, firing an incomplete pass downfield. Following the game, when asked about his choices on those plays, Campbell stood firm. “I just felt really good about us converting, and getting our momentum, and not letting them play long ball,” Campbell said. “They were bleeding the clock out. That’s what they do. And I wanted to get the upper hand back. It’s easy hindsight, and I get it. I get that. But I don’t regret those decisions. And that’s hard. You know, it’s hard. Because we didn’t come through, it wasn’t able to work out. But I don’t. I don’t. And I understand the scrutiny I’ll get, and that’s part of the gig, man. But we just...it just didn’t work out.” Indeed, it didn’t but interestingly enough the Lions coach was backed by the other man at the center of it all, quarterback Jared Goff.

What did Jared Goff say about Dan Campbell’s choice?

Speaking to reporters after the game, Lions quarterback Jared Goff didn’t leave room for any doubt regarding questions about his coach’s decisions. Instead, Goff actually backed Campbell’s choices, explaining that he too believed going for it was a better choice than opting for a more conservative approach. “Love it. Love it,” said Goff. “It shows he believes in us.” Truthfully, to call Campbell’s course of action a surprise in either of those situations would be a stretch. This is a coach who has lived and died by the idea of ‘going for it’ throughout the Lions entire campaign, and look where it brought them: their first NFC title game since 1992. Quite frankly, since Campbell has been coach, the Lions have been one of the most aggressive teams in the league when it comes to fourth-down scenarios. Alas, it was not meant to be, but if there is one thing we learned it’s that whether you agree with Dan Campbell or not, it doesn’t matter because his team certainly does.