The Lions have been aggressive on fourth downs throughout head coach Dan Campbell’s tenure, but they were even more aggressive in those situations than usual on Thursday night.
Not all of Campbell’s gambles paid off, but the biggest one did. Running back David Mongomery picked up seven yards on a fourth-and-inches from the Packers’ 21-yard-line with 43 seconds left in a 31-31 game and the Lions won with a Jake Bates field goal at the final whistle.
It was the fourth conversion in five tries on Thursday night and, per the Elias Sports Bureau, it made them the second team to go for it inside the opponents’ 25 on fourth down of a tie game in the last 45 years. Campbell said after the game that he “just felt like we needed to end it on offense” and complimented Montgomery, the offensive line and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for making it happen.
The Lions’ defense has been shredded by injuries, which quarterback Jared Goff referenced while saying that Campbell told the team during the week that the offense would be shouldering a heavier load.
“We came into this game knowing we were going to do it a little bit more than usual,” Goff said, via the team’s website. “Dan had mentioned that early in the week. He was really going to lean on our offense to make some things happen and be aggressive on fourth down if the opportunity presented itself.”
The one failed conversion came on the Lions’ own 31-yard-line and led to a Packers touchdown, but the reward was ultimately worth the risks for the Lions.
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