Lions coach Dan Campbell recently stated that Detroit fans should “wear a diaper” when watching the team because he likes to take risks on the field, specifically on fourth downs.
The team’s fourth-down risks continued on Thursday against the Packers, with some of the choices backfiring. In the third quarter, the Lions attempted to make a big play on a fourth down by faking a punt from their own 23-yard line. The Lions were stopped immediately and didn’t gain any yardage, giving the Packers the ball just outside the red zone.
From the moment of the snap, this fake never stood a chance.
Detroit tries the fake punt, but the @packers say "NOT TODAY"
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2023
📺: #GBvsDET on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/N5H8NbZZUE pic.twitter.com/fdga3rPIOC
Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love threw a touchdown pass a couple plays later to put the Packers up 29–14.
Campbell was asked about this decision after their 29–22 loss, and he accepted the criticism for the play call.
“That's a bad call on me,” Campbell said. “I shouldn’t have done that to those guys. Bad call.”
Dan Campbell says the Lions' fake punt vs. the Packers was a bad call.
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) November 23, 2023
"That's a bad call on me. Shouldn't have done that." pic.twitter.com/SZWfukFvpD
The Lions were only successful on one of the five fourth-down attempts in Thursday’s loss, and fell to 8-3 on the season.
