Dan Campbell didn’t care. The head coach of the Detroit Lions decided to go for it with 43 seconds left in a game that was tied at 31-31 and he was facing a fourth-and-inches on Green Bay’s 21-yard line.
Running back David Montgomery of the Lions blasted through for a 7-yard gain, proving that the bet paid off. Jake Bates made a walk-off field goal after that conversion, and he fired a 35-yard kick as time ran out to give Detroit a 34-31 victory over the Packers on Thursday. The Lions had not qualified for the playoffs since the 1994–95 season, but the victory also guaranteed them a spot for the second straight year.
“I just felt we needed to finish it on offense,” Campbell commented. We could get the ball, and I didn’t want to give it back. We were successful because I had faith in David and our O-line.
Campbell also commended Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator, for his call. “I knew how I wanted to play, the team knew it, and everything told me to finish it, and we did.”
Bates, who won the November NFC Special Teams Player of the Month award, made his third game-winning field goal of the year with this one. Earlier kicks included a 44-yarder at Minnesota and a 52-yarder in Houston.
Bates maintained his cool even though the Lions had the greatest winning streak in franchise history, going 11 games in a row. “I’m trying to stay level-headed, just the same every day,” Bates replied. “‘Never ride the roller coaster,’ advises Fipp. That means keeping stable, without any highs or lows.
Lions’ Bold Decision Delivers a Last-Second Victory
The Lions’ four fourth-down conversions against the Packers were their most in a game this season and tied for the most in the previous four decades, according to ESPN Research. And they became into.
“We knew we were going for it on fourth down all game,” mentioned St. Brown. “I didn’t anticipate it at the last minute, but that was the plan. I was also taken by surprise. We’re accustomed to it now, though, as I mentioned. We’re all on board if Coach Campbell says to go for it. Even though I wasn’t on the field for that play, I had complete faith in the players.”
For the third time in the team’s existence, Detroit has now achieved a 12-win season, joining the 1991 and 2023 squads. Campbell underlined the fierce rivalry in the NFC North as the Lions strive for the conference’s No. 1 seed, even though they have a solid 6-1 record in their previous seven games versus Green Bay.
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