CHICAGO — The Detroit Lions keep coming up short with their ultra-aggressive approach to fourth downs, and that could cause first-year head coach Dan Campbell to revisit his philosophy.
“We got to do a better job — I have to do a better job,” Campbell said after Sunday’s 24-14 loss to the Chicago Bears. “Because if we don’t and this is what we’re, I guess, not producing, then it does, it’s got to make you think, ‘Maybe well, maybe we’re being too aggressive. We need to just take field goals and punt. Play it safe.’”
Campbell has played things anything but safe in his first four games as coach: The Lions (0-4) have gone for it 10 times on fourth downs, with three conversions.
GRADES: Dan Campbell gets D for decision making in Lions’ loss to Bears
SHAWN WINDSOR: After weeks of new hope, these Lions channeled depressing familiarity vs. Chicago
On Sunday, Campbell passed on a field goal attempt on fourth-and-goal from the 5 on the Lions’ second possession, and again on a fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter.
Jared Goff threw incomplete both times, and the Lions walked away from both red zone trips without points. For the game, the Lions scored seven points on five trips inside the Bears’ 20-yard line.
“I don’t regret any of them,” Campbell said. “But the last one at the end, here’s what I would have done is that I wish we’d have huddled up and that’s on me. Should have huddled them up, give us our best play on fourth down and get the first down, get a touchdown, and then we go from there. I wish I’d have done that.”
[ Meet the guy who keeps Lions’ Dan Campbell on track with his in-game calls ]
The Lions, trailing 14-0, eschewed a sure field goal on their second possession of the game, after fumbling on their first trip to the red zone. Goff threw the ball away on first down, D’Andre Swift was stopped for a 2-yard loss on second down, and Goff gained 2 yards on a scramble on third-and-goal from 7.
On fourth down, Bears linebacker Alec Ogletree deflected a Goff pass to an open Swift in the end zone.
Though the Bears entered Sunday as the second-lowest scoring team in the NFL, Campbell said he did not give much consideration to taking an early field goal and making the score 14-3.
“It just, my gut tells me to go for it,” Campbell said. “You get down there that tight and you get seven out of it, that’s a good thing. And then if something, if it doesn’t work out, which you don’t want, you’ve got to them pinned back there. I just think in a game like that where you feel like they get up a couple of scores, you’re just, kicking field goals may not be the game, whereas last week it could have been a little bit more that game. You take it as it comes.”
The Lions converted a fourth-and-1 on their final drive of the game, their only fourth down conversion of the game, and were in scramble mode when they found themselves in another fourth-and-1 situation, from the Chicago 8-yard, with just over 4 minutes remaining.
After completing a 9-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown on third-and-10, Goff raced the Lions to the line of scrimmage on fourth down and threw incomplete to St. Brown in the left flat.
Players said there was no confusion about the down, distance or play call, and Goff said he simply missed St. Brown on his throw.
“It was a little hectic there,” Goff said. “Yeah, in hindsight, obviously, we’d love to huddle up and get our best play call there. But we were just rolling with the momentum.”
One analytics bot devoted to fourth down decision making said Campbell was right to try the final fourth-and-1, and Goff said it is time for players to start supporting their coach’s aggressive approach by making better plays on the field.
“You want to always have the coach have the confidence in your guys,” Goff said. “But damn right, we better start making them if we’re keep doing it.”
CARLOS MONARREZ: It’s time for Dan Campbell to stop being so aggressive on offense
Dagger time
Chicago quarterback Justin Fields threw five passes of at least 20 yards, but there was one that stood out and clinched the game, in his opinion.
It came with 2:01 left in the third quarter and the Bears leading, 21-7. On first down from the Detroit 45, receiver Allen Robinson got a good release down the right side and Fields connected with him for a 27-yard gain to the 18, which the Lions unsuccessfully challenged.
The Bears settled for Cairo Santos’ 33-yard field goal four plays later for a 24-7 lead, which Fields felt put the game out of reach.
“I think it was the dagger,” he said. “Yeah, that’s a play that we rep a lot in practice. It was just like practice. He ran a great route, great catch, and he got yakked, so great protection up front. The O-line did a great job today, like I said before, and those guys definitely bounced back from last week.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.