Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff stands by the fourth down play-calling of head coach Dan Campbell in Sunday’s NFC Championship loss, even if it completely backfired.
The Lions carried a 24-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, seemingly poised to reach their first ever Super Bowl. But the wheels came off entirely in the second half, with the 49ers putting up 27 unanswered points.
Campbell curiously passed on two field goal attempts in the second half (45 and 47-yard attempts) to go for it on fourth down. The Lions failed on both conversions, so leaving those six points on the board proved costly in a 34-31 loss.
But per ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin, Goff made it clear after the game that he loved Campbell’s ultra-aggressive decisions on fourth downs.
“Love it. Love it,” Goff said. “Keep us out there… (As a player) it shows he believes in us.”
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Jameson Williams’ touchdown reception with less than a minute left gave Detroit some hope, but the 49ers recovered the onside kick to clinch their first NFC title banner in four years.
While the Lions are left wondering what could have been, the 49ers will prepare for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58 — a rematch of their thrilling showdown in Miami four years ago that saw Patrick Mahomes and company come out on top.
