The Detroit Lions went 4-for-5 on fourth down in Week 14 against the Green Bay Packers. The one miss wasn't ideal, giving the Packers a short field to score a touchdown. And there are plenty of people out there who believe the last one, which was converted and allowed the Lions to run out the rest of the clock before the game-winning field goal, wasn't worth the risk.
Over his four seasons as Lions' head coach, Dan Campbell has gone for it on fourth down more than any NFL head coach. His first (2021) and third seasons (2023) are two of the top-five seasons in NFL history in total fourth down attempts, and his second season (2022) is in the top-10.
So far this season, the Lions have the ninth-most fourth down attempts in the league (22). They've converted 15 of them, for a sixth-best conversion rate of 68.2 percent. As Al Karsten of Pride of Detroit noted, the Lions have been getting progressively better at converting fourth downs. So there's no reason for that aggressiveness to stop, even as Campbell continually works to find the proper risk/reward balance.
Of course Campbell has experienced the other side of being so aggressive on fourth downs. Failures in last year's NFC Championship Game led to rampant criticism, and over the top fan reaction after his address was leaked online led to him having to move.
During his appearance on 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday morning, Campbell was asked why more NFL coaches don't take the same approach he does on fourth down?
"Oh, I don’t know. Well, here’s the obvious. What happens when we don’t get that? That’s the obvious. Well, we’re moving to the next house," Campbell said. "That’s why. To each his own, there’s plenty of philosophies that work in this league. And you can win a lot of games doing it your way, and I just lean more this way. It doesn’t mean that we’re always gonna be this way, but that was right for that game.”
Campbell's belief in his players is where the root of his fourth down aggressiveness is. Others coaches may simply not have the same level of belief in players. But the biggest reason why they won't take the same approach on fourth down is the backlash that will come with a costly failure. Campbell does not fear that backlash, and he won't change who he is as a coach because some who think they know best call for it.