After leading the game by 17 points in halftime, Dan Campbell perhaps thought that they were clear of any comebacks. Unfortunately, a few bad missed chances in the second half came back to bite them in the Detroit Lions‘ back.
While it won’t be fair to blame Campbell for calling the plays, it’s the responsibility of the players to fulfill his desires. In a high-voltage tie like the NFC Championship game, teams must make every opportunity count. But when it came down to it, the Lions blew the chance to run away with the game.
I just felt really good about us converting, getting our momentum, and not letting them play long ball.
Campbell in the post-game presser
They wanted to force the issue and catch the San Francisco 49ers‘ defense off guard. Instead of punting or taking a field goal, the Lions opted to go for the first down and run the clock down as much as possible. When the scores were 24-10 in the third quarter on 4th and 2 from the San Francisco 28-yard line, quarterback Jared Goff tried to link up with Josh Reynolds, who couldn’t hang on.
The next one took place midway through the fourth quarter when the 49ers were just three points behind the Lions. On 4th and 3 from the 49ers’ 30-yard line, Amon Ra St. Brown dropped a pass, which turned the ball over to the home side.
I don’t regret those decisions, and that’s hard. It’s hard because we didn’t come through and it wasn’t able to work out.
Campbell added
Campbell saw the fourth downs as opportunities
The Lions have always been the team to take the game to their opponents throughout the 2023 season. If they had feared at any time, they wouldn’t have made it to the championship game. Campbell’s men had the third-best overall offense in the league, with an average of 394.8 passing yards per game and 58 touchdowns (2nd best).
It proves they can play, and throughout the first half of the NFC title game, they proved it once more. But unlike their offense, they also give up a lot of chances. They were 19th in the regular season in terms of conceding passing yards with 336.1, which increased in the postseason to 416.5.
On top of that, they were up against the best second-half team. The 49ers score an average of 14 points after the halftime whistle.
They were bleeding the clock out. That’s what they do. It would have been really hard to deal with that if they moved the chains on that fourth-and-2. That’s how they’ve done it most of the year.
Dan Campbell said (H/T: ESPN)
Detroit tried almost every trick up their sleeves against the Niners. But when there were a lot of fumbles, missed tackles, and a flea flicker that did not fool anyone, it was easier for the Niners to record the highest-ever comeback (17 points deficit) in a divisional title game.