Dan Campbell has guts and the team to make him look smart. In a 41-38 win at the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Lions converted four of five fourth-down attempts.
None was bigger than a fourth-and-2 on the Chargers’ 26-yard line with 1:47 left and the game tied. Jared Goff found an open Sam LaPorta for 6 yards and the first down. Then after three-kneel-downs, Riley Patterson kicked a 41-yard field goal with no time remaining for the win.
That call was the definition of gutsy. It was pure Campbell whose team is now 7-2 and still atop the NFC North.
“I wanted to finish with the ball and so I trusted our guys. I trust (Jared) Goff. Going into that situation, there could be a lot of time left (if) you kick a field goal. I wanted to finish with the ball in our hands,’’ Campbell said. “I liked were we were at offensively. We were playing good, Goff was in a good spot. I thought it was the right thing to do.’’
He didn’t really have to defend himself, since the call resulted in the win but the media asked him repeatedly about it.
“To each his own. Some say it’s a boneheaded move, some say it’s not. I made the decision and I stick by that decision,’ Campbell said.
Goff, for one, loved the call.
“We love when he puts us in those positions to make those plays. He’s got balls of steel and today he showed it,’’ Goff told CBS.
Campbell said he thought he might melt into his seat on the long plane ride back to Detroit. He got what he wanted out of his team.
“I wanted us to play fast, physical and violent and truly compete,’’ Campbell said. “I did feel that way in all three phases.’’
Other than the coach’s gutsiness, five reasons the Lions won:
1. Give credit to offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for finding what worked. When it appeared the Chargers’ defense had all the answers, Johnson pulled more plays out of his bag of tricks – at least enough to win. He had a healthy crew and knew how to push the buttons. Goff had seven different pass catchers with at least two receptions a piece.
2. Running backs David Mongomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are a perfect combination and finished with a total of 193 rushing yards. They give the Lions a run game they haven’t had since perhaps the Barry Sanders era. “This is part of the vision coming alive – those two back there, the two-headed monster, they both deliver something different, they’re both very unique and they’re dangerous, both of them,’’ Campbell said. “It’s good to see that. Gibbs continues to grow and it’s great to have David back, he played at a high level.’’ Montgomery had a dozen carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. Gibbs had 14 carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns along with three catches for 35 yards. Even more amazing is they did it against the Chargers defense which had allowed just 89.8 rushing yards per game.
3. Jared Goff is not sure he’d like to play a shootout every week, but he managed in this one. The California native finished 23 of 33 for 333 yards and two touchdowns and a 122.4 rating. He never appeared rattled. No mistakes, completed 69.7 percent of his passes. Campbell has said it before and he said it again after the game, “We’ve got a quarterback.” In the NFL that is absolutely huge. Of course he got some help. Amon-Ra St. Brown had eight catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. “He’s a stud,” Campbell said of St. Brown.
4. The defense allowed the Chargers to gain 421 net yards which was not exactly the goal going in. However they got key stops at times to give the offense a chance to win. “Defensively we played really good early and they started getting us in the no-tempo,’’ Campbell said. “We have to clean up the composure a little bit and get the call, get lined up and just play ball. That will all be stuff we correct.’’ Early in the fourth quarter, the Chargers got the ball to the Lions’ 1-yard line and the defense stuffed them for five plays (including a penalty) before allowing a touchdown on fourth-and-goal at the 1. The Chargers converted all three fourth-down attempts and half of their third-down attempts.
5. The offensive line is healthy with Jonah Jackson and Frank Ragnow returning after being injured. They protected Goff big-time. “Not only were there no sacks, but I never got hit,’’ Goff said. “… It typically doesn’t happen against a good defensive line.’’ He did say he fell to the turf a few times but blamed himself for that.
NEXT UP: Chicago Bears (3-7) at Lions, 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, at Ford Field.
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