Dan Campbell “understand(s) the scrutiny” coming his way after two costly fourth-down decisions in the Lions’ NFC Championship loss to the 49ers on Sunday, but Detroit’s head coach doesn’t regret the calls.
When discussing Detorit’s crushing 34-31 defeat in Santa Clara, Calif., Campbell — whose Lions failed to convert in two crucial second-half moments — did not second guess rolling the dice despite the disappointing outcome.
“It’s easy hindsight. I get it. I get that, but I don’t regret those decisions, and it’s hard,” Campbell told reporters after the game.
“It’s hard because we didn’t come through, and it wasn’t able to work out, but I don’t. And I understand the scrutiny I’ll get — that’s part of the gig, man — but it just didn’t work out.”
Things unraveled for the Lions in the second half following a dominant start to the game, in which Detroit led San Francisco at halftime, 24-7.
Campbell, known for his aggressive play-calling, opted to go for it on a fourth-and-3 in the fourth quarter instead of a game-tying field-goal attempt.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff tossed an incomplete pass to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown as the 49ers maintained a 27-24 lead.
That came after Josh Reynolds dropped a pass on fourth-and-2 in the third quarter with the Lions also in field-goal range.
“He believes in us,” Goff said postgame, per the Detroit Free Press. “I don’t know what the numbers are but we had a lot of big-time conversions this year that changed games and I don’t know what we were today. I know we had the two we didn’t convert. It can change a game if you convert them and we didn’t. And that’s part of the reason why we lost.”
It’s a heartbreaking end to what’s been a stellar season for the Lions, who reached their first NFC Championship berth in 32 years.
Campbell, in his third year at the helm, also recognized just how difficult a postseason return could be.
“I told those guys, this may have been our only shot. Do I think that? No. Do I believe that? No. However, I know how hard it is to get here. I’m well-aware. It’s going to be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year,” he said.
The Lions finished the regular season at 12-5 and champions of the NFC North.
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