Dan Campbell’s ultra aggressiveness on fourth down has undoubtedly been his coaching identity as the head man for the Detroit Lions. The decisions seem to have worked out in Detroit’s favor more often than not the last four-and-a-half years, even the seemingly absurd ones.
Matt LaFleur is no turkey himself, and LaFleur fed Campbell multiple servings of his own recipe for Thanksgiving Thursday in a 31-24 Green Bay victory. The Packers were 3-for-3 on fourth down; the Lions were 0-for-2.
“We came in here with an aggressive mindset and I think that’s one of the ways you have to play against these guys, knowing that you’re going to have to defend four downs,” LaFleur said via packers.com. “It’s a really good football team. They’ve been one of the premier teams in the league for the last few years now . . . I thought the only way you come into this place – which is not an easy place to play – is you have to be aggressive.”
LaFleur’s first fourth-down decision occurred at the 14:19 mark of the second quarter from the Lion 22-yard line. Up 3-0, Jordan Love only needed three yards for the conversion. Instead, he matched his coach’s aggression and opted for Dontayvion Wicks up the left sideline.
Wicks had one defensive back trailing as he wheeled towards the end zone, while another flew across the field to meet him as the ball arrived. Love zipped the ball to his third-year pass catcher just in time, and Wicks made a jumping catch while managing to tap both toes in bounds for the 10-0 lead.
The Lions answered – as they would for much of the game – with their own touchdown drive, 10-7. Love then engineered another long drive, moving the ball to the Detroit two-yard line on fourth down, and only needing one yard to convert. The gunslinger connected with the outstretched hands of Romeo Doubs on a speed out at the goal line to push the lead back to 10 points, 17-7.
Detroit answered again with a touchdown as the teams entered the locker room with a 17-14 score. The Lions started the second half with the ball, and the Packer defense delivered a fourth-down play of its own.
To no surprise, Campbell elected to go for it from the Green Bay 47 on a fourth-and-3 early in the third quarter. The Lions tried an inside handoff to the electric Jahmyr Gibbs from the shot gun. Isaiah McDuffie provided the stuffing to force a turnover on downs. McDuffie – starting for an injured Quay Walker – made a similar play on the preceding third down as well, and led the team with 12 tackles.
Two plays after the turnover on downs, Love hit Christian Watson on a high, deep pass down the right sideline for a 51-yard score, 24-14. Watson toasted his man as he caught the ball in stride, similar to his long Thanksgiving score in Detroit two years ago. Watson again led Packer pass catchers in targets (10), and caught four of them for 80 yards.
The Lions answered – again – rather easily, going 71 yards in five plays, 24-21. The Packers didn’t need to pull from the fourth-down menu on the next drive. Love went back to the speed out pass at the goal line, this time teaming with Wicks, 31-21.
Green Bay gave thanks for a fortuitous bounce three plays before the score. Doubs caught a slant inside the 10-yard line and had the ball punched out from behind. Fortunately, it bounced right up off the turf to Rasheed Walker’s belly. The left tackle displayed some soft hands in securing the possession for his offense.
The Lions – again – crawled their way down the field with an 11-play, 53-yard drive. As expected, Campbell kept the offense on the field for a fourth-and-3 from the Packer 21 with 10:55 remaining. Jared Goff was flushed to his right and had an open Jameson Williams breaking out with him. Goff left the ball inside and Williams dropped the sure-fire conversion.
The drop proved to be a critical mistake by the Alabama speedster, who otherwise ran away from the Green Bay secondary for most of the game. Williams finished with seven catches for 144 yards and a touchdown after his running mate, Amon-Ra St. Brown, left the game early with an injury.
A missed pass interference call allowed the Lions to quickly get the ball back for what would ultimately be their final drive. Micah Parsons, in his closer role, sacked Goff twice on the drive. His second sack ensured Detroit would only get a field goal to make it 31-24. It also gave him 12.5 on the year, making him the first player in NFL history to have at least 12 sacks in his first five seasons (sacks became an official stat in 1982).
The Packers needed one more fourth-down play to win the game, and their star quarterback delivered. Love and the offense faced a fourth-and-3 from the Detroit 45-yard line. The Lions had spent their timeouts and with the clock under two minutes, a first down would seal the victory.
Love, unable to step into the throw due to pressure, still managed to put enough sauce on a pass over the middle to an in-breaking Wicks. Wicks, the Packers’ star receiver for Thursday, secured the high throw and the win despite losing a shoe and safety Brian Branch draped all over him.
“I’d rather go down swinging,” LaFleur said. “Sometimes it can bite you, absolutely. You just have to deal with the consequences.”
Wicks, who is finally healthy after battling injuries for most of the season, had six catches on seven targets for 94 yards and the two scores.
“I can’t say enough great things about Wicks. He’s been injured quite a bit, he’s been in and out of the lineup. But he made critical plays all game. I’m just really proud of him and his mental toughness to stay with it,” LaFleur said.
Love continued his Thanksgiving Day excellence. He completed 18-of-30 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns, good for a 124.2 quarterback rating.
Despite the problems with Williams, the Green Bay defense had the Lions’ ground game in a food coma all afternoon. Gibbs finished with 68 yards on 20 carries while David Montgomery had 32 yards on eight rushes.
The Packers (8-3-1) are now a half game behind the Bears in the division (8-3), who play the Eagles tomorrow. The NFL’s oldest rivalry will reconvene next Sunday at Lambeau Field, and then again two weeks later in Chicago.
Other Notes
Devonte Wyatt had his left ankle rolled up during Parsons’ second sack and had to be carted off the field. LaFleur said it doesn’t look good.“I’m sick for him, I’m sick for us. That’s a critical loss for our defense, obviously. I can’t say enough great things about him in terms of watching him mature, not only as a football player but as a person. I’ve got a lot of love for Devonte Wyatt and I think the whole locker room does too,” he said.