The Detroit Lions survived a close one. Taking down the Green Bay Packers is always sweet, but doing so by blocking a field goal and then marching down the field to score one of your own is even better.
Notably, this could've been a bit of a catastrophe. Once again, Dan Campbell's uber-aggressive approach to the game nearly gave the fans a heart attack, this time going for it on fourth-and-one from his own 22 with just over five minutes to go.
Gibbs was stopped for a loss of two yards, but the Lions' defense held its own, blocked a field goal, and gave Jared Goff a chance to go on to win the game. That's why, following the win, Gibbs stood by his head coach's gutsy call.
Dan Campbell's aggressiveness made perfect sense this time
"I was like, 'Oh [expletive]!'" Gibbs said, laughing (h/t Brad Galli). "I was surprised, but when I thought about it, I was like '[Expletive] it. We're capable of it, so we should be able to do it."
While things could've gone awfully wrong for the Lions, Campbell actually made the right call. We're not playing Monday Morning quarterback here; it's not just in hindsight; the decision made perfect sense at the time.
The Packers have one of the best offenses in the game. They can't run the ball, but Jordan Love is playing at an elite level. By punting, the Packers were almost guaranteed to march down the field, drain out the clock, and record the game-winning score.
By going for it, the Lions would either retain the ball, keep the clock running, and have the last possession. Otherwise, the Packers would recover the ball in field goal range, but they wouldn't be able to run out the clock. Either way, Jared Goff would have an opportunity to win or tie the game.
Also, that's the kind of gutsy call you make when you have a running back of Jahmyr Gibbs' caliber and such a stout offensive line. They didn't get it that time, but 100 times out of 100, you trust Gibbs to give your team one yard.
Campbell has drawn plenty of criticism for his unnecessary risk-taking, and rightly so. He's been too aggressive for his own good way too many times, though he's learned to pick up his spots and has been much more cerebral in the past couple of years.
This was a bold move, but it made sense in this context. You know Jared Goff won't turn the ball over, and with the type of playmakers they have, you have to like their chances of scoring. It's all about giving them a chance to close out the game.
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