Lions coach Dan Campbell stuck to his guns and went for it on fourth down, helping to set up a walk-off field goal Thursday night in a 34-31 win over the Packers.
– Dan Campbell didn’t bat an eye.
Facing fourth-and-inches from Green Bay’s 21-yard line with 43 seconds left and the score tied at 31, the Detroit Lions head coach decided to go for it.
The gamble paid off, as Lions running back David Montgomery plowed up the field for 7 yards. The conversion helped set up a walk-off kick for Jake Bates, who nailed a 35-yard field goal as time expired to give Detroit a 34-31 win against the Packers on Thursday. With the victory, the Lions also clinched a playoff spot for the second consecutive season, which hasn’t happened in Detroit since 1994-95.
“I just felt like we needed to end it on offense”, Campbell said. “I did not want to give that ball back, and I believed we could get that, and I believed we could convert. I trusted that O-Line and I trusted David, and they came through for us.
“It’s a hell of a call by Ben”, he said, referring to offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. “I knew how I wanted to play this game. The team knew it, and everything in me told me let’s finish this, and we did.”
For Bates, who was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November, it was his third game-winning kick of the season.
