Last night's game featured two of the best teams in the NFC. The fact that they are in the same division, and thus had quite a bit of familiarity with one another, made it all the more intriguing.
As it turns out, it was a fantastic game. Plenty of fireworks. A total of 65 points combined between the two teams. Four lead changes, all in the second half. And a game which went down to the wire, right to the final play, and with tense moments leading up to that point.
However, it did not seem like this would necessary be the case. The Lions seemed to have things pretty well under control in the first half and owned a 17-7 lead as they went to the lockers. But the Packers, to their credit, fought hard and clawed their way back into the game in the second half. At that point, it became a back and forth game.
There was one thing that caught my attention, personally, though. It ultimately did not decide the game, but felt eerily reminiscent of Detroit head coach Dan Campbell's tendency to gamble a bit too much at a critical moment. The Lions won this game, but the gambling cost Detroit in the NFC Championship Game, and it could cost them again, potentially, in the future.
Very late in the third quarter, while owning a 24-21 lead, the Lions went for it on fourth down while fairly deep in Detroit territory. This I admittedly do not understand. No, I am not a football coach, and thus am hardly in position to question Detroit’s head coach, Dan Campbell. After all, he has done a phenomenal job during his tenure in Detroit.
That said, it felt extremely risky. As in, too risky, frankly. Yes, there is a chance that you will convert, and keep the drive alive. And I would not even really question it if they had done that in the same situation, but deep in Green Bay territory.
But in that situation, the risk was not only not converting, but then giving the Packers – who again, were only down by a field goal – great field position. And that just seems, frankly, too risky. Like, foolishly so.
Again, I know that I should not second guess. Again, Campbell has done a hell of a job as coach of the Lions. But sometimes, there are things that he does which make me really scratch my head. Like not going for field goals when already owning both a large lead and the momentum in the NFC Championship. Or going for it on fourth down in a huge divisional showdown game last night, while Detroit owned a lead.
It's just difficult to understand.
Just minutes later, the Packers made Campbell and the Lions pay for it by scoring a touchdown to go up 28-24.
Still, to their credit, the Lions answered. The scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to retake the lead, 31-28. The Packers managed to tie the game with a field goal late. Then, the Lions wound up with the ball at the end of the game, with yet another major gamble, although this one worked. That secured a chance at a game-winning field goal on the game's final play.
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff was incredible. He completed 32 of 41 passes for 283 yards and three TD's, with one INT. However, he also completed 13 straight passes at the end of the game, in the most critical point, and obviously helped to lift the team. While he is not necessarily one of the biggest stars in the league, a lot of the crowd were shouting "MVP!" over and over again. And it's games like this, and being at the helm for the Lions during one of their most historical seasons (at least thus far), that may help bolster the case for his being MVP this season.
This marked the 11th straight win for the Detroit Lions, which marks a new franchise record. They improve to 12-1 and remain atop the NFC standings at this point in the season. Also, this ties a record for the franchise for most wins in a regular season, as they also won 12 games in 1991, when they finished 12-4, and last season, when they finished 12-5. In both of those seasons, they won the division title and were the second overall seed in the playoffs. That said, their remaining schedule is very tough, including games against Buffalo, at San Francisco, and against Minnesota again, which might wind up being for the division title.
My pick: Accurate
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