The Lions were humbled in their 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15. One of the key moments came early in the fourth quarter when head coach Dan Campbell’s aggressive nature bit him. After the Lions went 70 yards in just two minutes to cut the lead to 38-28, Campbell decided to go for an onside kick to try and steal a possession and keep Bills quarterback Josh Allen off the field. Unfortunately for Campbell and the Lions, the decision backfired in spectacular fashion.
Instead of the Bills just taking over possession, Mack Hollins returned the ball all the way to the Lions’ 5-yard line. Buffalo needed just one play to find the end zone.
While that decision isn’t the main reason the Lions lost, it’s a decision that will be talked about all week. One national analyst had an interesting thought on the decision.
CBS NFL analyst and future Hall of Fame defensive end J.J. Watt had this to say about Campbell’s choice: “I ‘think’ I could wrestle a small bear, that doesn’t mean I should try it.’
https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1868487636018757921
Watt also noted that he loves that Dan Campbell “believes in his squad so much that he thinks everything they do will be successful…but onside kicks have a 7% success rate. Trying one with 12 minutes left while only down by 10 was insane.”
Campbell took full responsibility for not only the failed onside kick, but the loss itself. It was a roller coaster of a Sunday for Detroit but they are still atop the NFC standings at 12-2, but now have the Philadelphia Eagles also at 12-2 with the Minnesota Vikings having a chance to match as well Monday against the Chicago Bears. It’s not panic time yet in Detroit…but the worry meter rose slightly.