If you watched the **Detroit Lions**’ final offensive possession against the Green Bay Packers, you probably felt your blood pressure spike. Six minutes on the clock, down seven, and a whole lot of short passes, runs, and huddles. Fans were screaming for urgency. The broadcast crew was questioning the pace. Social media was melting down.
And then Dan Campbell stepped to the podium and explained exactly why the Lions played it the way they did.
Dan Campbell defends slow final drive
Campbell Knew Fans Would Hate It
Before the question was even finished, Campbell acknowledged the frustration he knew was coming.
“I know that’s frustrating when you’re a fan watching.”
And he wasn’t wrong. Detroit needed a touchdown, momentum was slipping, and the clock kept bleeding.
But Campbell made it clear: the strategy wasn’t accidental. It was intentional.
Playing for the Last Shot
Instead of rushing, Campbell wanted control. Total control.
“It was about playing for the last possession. We were going to do that.”
That line tells the whole story. The Lions weren’t trying to score fast. They were trying to score last, and leave Jordan Love standing on the sideline with no time to answer.
Campbell laid out exactly how he thought it would unfold:
“I was going to — defense was going to get the stop. We were going to use our timeouts, get one more shot to go win the game.”
It was a three-step plan:
Score methodically
Let the defense get a stop
Get the ball back one more time
The problem? Detroit never got past Step 1.
The Micah Parsons Factor
Campbell also admitted another reason for the slower approach: avoiding disaster.
“I wanted to keep it in our hands… and not turn it into a pin your ears back and start flying up the field with Michael Parsons and those guys.”
That name — Micah Parsons — mattered. Even though he now plays for the Packers, the logic stays the same: Detroit didn’t want to get into a full-speed dropback scenario where their banged-up offensive line had to protect for long-developing routes.
This wasn’t Campbell being reckless.
This was Campbell being protective.
So… Was It the Right Call?
That’s the million-dollar question.
On one hand, the Lions needed points. Fast. The slow pace reduced margin for error and limited the number of possessions they’d have left.
On the other hand, Campbell wasn’t wrong about the matchup concerns. The line was battered, the pass rush was getting home, and Detroit had already lost rhythm without Amon-Ra St. Brown.
He made a choice based on trust:
Trust in his offense to score
Trust in his defense to get one more stop
Trust in his team’s ability to win it late
Whether fans agree is a different story.
Campbell Stands By His Decision
The biggest takeaway? Campbell isn’t second-guessing himself.
“I wanted to play it just like that.”
No wavering. No regrets. No “maybe.”
He believed in the plan — even after it failed.
And that’s the essence of Dan Campbell. He is who he is:
Aggressive when it makes sense, deliberate when it doesn’t.
Emotional at times, analytical at others.
And always willing to back the decisions he makes.
The Bottom Line
Detroit’s final drive didn’t end the way fans hoped. But it wasn’t chaos. It wasn’t panic. It wasn’t confusion.
It was a clear, deliberate, and well-rooted plan, rooted in matchup realities.
Whether Campbell made the right call is up for debate.
But he didn’t hide from it.
He explained it, owned it, and stood firm in the philosophy behind it.
And that’s why the Lions remain a team built in their coach’s image, for better or worse.