Lions use gutsy 4th-down call to finish off Packers in thrilling NFC North battle

There isn’t a situation in which Dan Campbell won’t go for it on fourth down. We found that out on Thursday night.

The Detroit Lions failed on a fourth down from their own 31 earlier in the second half against the Green Bay Packers, and had what seemed like an obvious decision to kick a field goal with 43 seconds left in a tie game. But it wasn’t obvious. The Lions went for it, and even with Jared Goff falling down while taking the snap, he handed to David Montgomery for a 7-yard gain and a first down.

That meant Jordan Love and the Packers wouldn’t have the chance to answer a field goal.

The Lions won 34-31 on a field goal as time expired. The Packers (9-4) were a tough opponent, but the Lions (12-1) found a way to get the win.

The Lions were tied 31-31 with just a few minutes left and a depleted defense that was having a hard time getting a stop. And Detroit did what a championship team should do: It made all the plays it had to and got a much-needed win. It was a game of the year candidate, with each team taking turns making huge plays. The Lions just made a few more plays when it had to. Goff shook off a bad interception, which has been rare for him this season, to make some big plays in the second half, including several on a game-winning drive in the final minutes.

And then Campbell’s decision helped put the game away. There might be a time in the playoffs in which his aggressiveness backfires, like last season’s NFC championship game, but it is also a big reason Detroit is 12-1 this season.

Lions’ defense brings pressure early

The Lions had plenty of defensive injuries coming into the game. They compensated for that by sending a lot of extra pressure at Love.

The Lions led 10-0 a couple minutes into the second quarter, and the Packers had just 37 yards and one first down. Whenever Love dropped back, the Lions would send extra blitzers. Love was sacked on Green Bay’s first offensive play by Za’Darius Smith, and that set an early tone for a shorthanded defense.

The Packers’ counterpunch was to run the ball. They kept it mostly on the ground for a drive after falling behind 10-0, had their first sustained drive of the night and a Lions penalty in the end zone set up a Josh Jacobs 1-yard touchdown.

The Lions had a drive that took the clock down to the final seconds before halftime, and they faced a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Just like he did at the end of the game, Campbell went for it. He passed on a field goal, and Jahmyr Gibbs caught a 2-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds left in the half. That was a huge play and a big drive because Detroit scored without giving Green Bay a shot to answer before halftime.

The Lions’ defense had played well. Love had just three completions for 31 yards at the half. It didn’t seem like the offense had been great, but it did enough for a 17-7 halftime lead.

Packers take a 4th quarter lead

The Packers grabbed a lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a Goff interception and a failed fourth-down gamble. Goff’s interception to Keisean Nixon set up the Packers at the Lions’ 16-yard line, and Jacobs scored a few plays later to give Green Bay a 21-17 lead.

The Lions were good on fourth downs but it takes just one failure to make all of the gambles look bad. The Lions went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line late in the third quarter. That shouldn’t have been a huge surprise. Campbell loves being aggressive. The Lions had gone for it three times on fourth down already and picked up all three. This one didn’t work, with the Lions pitching it to Gibbs and the Packers getting upfield to stop him well short of the first down. In a game the Lions led 24-21, that stop in Detroit territory was huge. Jacobs got his third touchdown of the game after that and the Packers had the lead back.

The Lions were undaunted. Patrick scored again with 8:39 left and the Lions took back a 31-28 lead. Love came right back, avoiding what looked like a sure sack from blitzing linebacker Jack Campbell to hit Watson for a 29-yard gain, then hitting Dontayvion Wicks for 26 more. An offensive pass interference call took a touchdown catch by Jacobs off the board, and the Packers settled for a field goal and a tie with 3:38 remaining.

Goff went to work. He hit Jameson Williams for 19 yards to start the drive. Gibbs picked up a first down on a screen pass on third-and-7. A holding call set the Lions back, but Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown over the middle for a huge 16-yard gain on second-and-17. The Lions didn’t pick up a third-and-1 run but they were back in field-goal range. Then came Campbell’s decision, a big first down and the game-winning field goal.

The Lions keep their fans on the edge of their seats. Campbell wouldn’t have it any other way.