For much of this season, one team has seemingly separated itself from the pack as the best team in the NFC and possibly even the favorite to win the Super Bowl championship this winter.
However, that team, the Detroit Lions, lost to the Buffalo Bills 48-42 on Sunday in a possible Super Bowl preview, and that loss exposed a couple of vulnerabilities.
One big concern is head coach Dan Campbell’s offensive decision-making, and some are blaming it for this loss.
Hall of Fame wide receiver and Fox Sports 1 commentator Michael Irvin said on “Speak” that he doesn’t feel Detroit can win it all with Campbell’s ultra-aggressive attitude when it comes to fourth downs.
.@michaelirvin88: The Lions can’t win with Dan Campbell’s approach.
“I’m worried about them.” pic.twitter.com/hD51CcubcA
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) December 16, 2024
NFL teams go for it and leave their offenses on the field in fourth-down situations much more than they did 10 or 15 years ago, but there are times when doing so is definitely not a wise choice.
Campbell’s tendency to do so arguably cost them last season’s NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, and his decision-making may have torpedoed Sunday’s game for them.
After running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored a touchdown with 12:00 left off a pass from quarterback Jared Goff to bring Detroit within 10 points, Campbell decided to go for an onside kick.
But that onside kick resulted in the Bills getting to the Detroit five-yard line, and on the Bills’ very next snap, they scored a touchdown to put the game out of reach.
To make matters worse, Lions running back David Montgomery sprained his MCL and defensive tackle Alim McNeill tore his ACL, and both are out for the rest of the season.
They have already been without star defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson, who fractured his tibia and fibula in Week 6 and is likely out for the rest of this year.
This cumulative damage from injuries and miscues could result in Detroit not winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy it thought it would earn just weeks ago.
NEXT: Analyst Says Dan Campbell Has Crossed The Line With 'Stupidity'
