PHILADELPHIA -- Dan Campbell’s aggressive ways have helped propel the Detroit Lions to new heights.
It’s who they are. It’s what they’re about. It’s what the head coach believes is the right way to attack the game deep in his soul, and they have embraced that mentality to make it part of their identity.
But those fourth-down calls and fake punts are called high-risk, high-reward plays for a reason. What happened in the team’s 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was the high-risk side of that equation. The Lions failed to convert any of their five fourth-down attempts in the loss. They matched their own NFL-worst mark over the last 25 seasons from 2022 with that brutal showing.
Campbell stepped to the podium after the loss, admitted there were a few decisions and calls he’d like back. But then, in the same breath, while keeping a straight face and his same demeanor, reiterated this was an off day and not any indication that they shouldn’t veer from who they are.
“That’s who we are. It’s who I am, and it bit us today,” Campbell said.
It’s not just the coach defending his decisions, either. Jared Goff defended those aggressive calls by saying reporters will praise them when it works, and question them when it doesn’t.
But the quarterback who has made a living with Campbell’s trust in those moments said, “That’s just kind of who we are.”
There wasn’t any wavering after the game, even with the results slapping them in the face. Campbell noted playing more conservatively might have given them a better chance to win, before returning to saying that aggression is who he and this team are.
Voices didn’t skip. They didn’t point fingers. And they surely aren’t about to change their identity after one brutal night, and they shouldn’t, full stop.
On the other hand, some of the play-calling paired with the flow of the game deserve criticism, though. In some instances, the Lions telegraphed their hand, misread the defense and failed to recognize when to play the field position game or take points.
The two fourth-down choices that stick out are the back-to-back runs up the middle by Jahmyr Gibbs and the failed fake punt. Both happened on back-to-back drives in the second quarter. Gibbs went up the middle for no gain on third-and-1, then the Lions hurried back to the line and went for it again and suffered another no gain, giving the ball away near midfield. Detroit’s defense took over again and forced a three-and-out despite the field position.
Then, on the next series, they ran a fake punt on fourth-and-2 at its own 43-yard line, with linebacker Grant Stuard taking the direct snap for no gain. The Lions hadn’t run a fake all season, but the Eagles kept their first-team defense on the field and seemed to know what was coming. They used that stop to add another field goal to go up 6-0.
But as Campbell eases back into calling the offense, he needs to recalibrate and recognize the flow of the game when his defense is playing lights out.
Detroit bottled the run game, was stingy against the pass and kept the reigning Super Bowl champions to four third-down conversions across 15 tries, while looking great against the infamous “tush push.”
Sheppard’s unit deserved more trust in Philadelphia.
The Lions should continue to roll the dice on fourth and get creative to try to find a spark. But they must improve at picking those spots and understanding when the defense is leading the way.
That’s my main issue with what happened on Sunday night. Sheppard’s defense played winning football for 60 minutes against the reigning champions, despite swinging with their back against the wall.
The Eagles had one drive go longer than 50 yards, with their most explosive play netting 34 yards.
Shoot, even when Goff had a pass intercepted off the tip in the first quarter, the Lions held the Eagles to a field goal despite the drive starting at the 11-yard line -- that defensive effort didn’t stop there.
Philadelphia started a drive on Detroit’s side of the field three times, coming away with two field goals and one punt. The Eagles punted seven times, settled for three short field goals and turned the ball over on downs. Sheppard’s group even almost got the ball back for the offense in a one-score game late, too. But a questionable defensive pass interference penalty on third down ended the game.
“Defense, I thought really, really played their tails off,” Campbell said. “I thought they showed up, played championship-style defense that they had to put out a number of fires there between the takeaways and the fourth-down stops.”
It’s one thing to say that. It’s another to feel and adjust to the realization that these Lions can win the field position battle and trust their defense.
That might be a tough adjustment for an aggressive, offensive-minded coach like Campbell. But finding the balance between aggression and the right moment to go for it all could take them to even greater heights with a “championship-style” defense. If he can get comfortable and balance the aggression with the fact that his defense can control games against anyone, and not just his offense, they could thrive in a whole new fashion.
There is something to be said about better picking your spots, knowing the opponent, feeling the game and recognizing how great the defense is playing. Campbell and the Lions didn’t have that on Sunday; they just closed their eyes and kept everything the same, then defended it as “that’s who we are.”
Fans should want a coach like Campbell who trusts his offense and gut feelings. His aggression has led to Goff’s resurgence, Ben Johnson’s rise, and these Lions going from cellar-dwellers to back-to-back division champions as expected annual contenders.
Personally speaking, the Lions are on the right side of history when it comes to pushing the issue on fourth down. They entered Sunday’s game as the seventh-best fourth-down offense in the NFL. They had converted 13-of-18 attempts, for a 72.2% conversion rate, before getting shut down on Sunday. However, when you ignore game flow, get predictable and refuse to play the field-position game on nights like that, it can bite you.
“There’s some things I wish I would’ve done differently,” Campbell said. “Look, the bottom line is you, obviously, if you go totally conservative in the way this game played out and the way it was, you got a better chance of winning that game than some of those decisions I made.”
Campbell’s aggression is a foundational pillar for this franchise. But this loss exposed the high-risk cost when situational aggression doesn’t match the flow or how his defense is playing. He’s saying the right things after the game. Still, it’s time to embrace his words like they have so many times.
The lack of that wasted an elite defensive showing and put the Lions even deeper into a crowded NFC playoff picture. This isn’t and shouldn’t be an identity crisis for Campbell. It’s just another challenge he must work through and consider as he takes on more while taking over calling the offense.
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