Dan Campbell made the most Dan Campbell-like decision he could make on Sunday when the Lions faced fourth-and-1 at their own 24-yard line with the score tied and 4:53 remaining in the fourth quarter: He went for it.
Campbell may be the only coach in the NFL who would have gone for it in that situation, and it didn’t work, as Jahmyr Gibbs was tackled for a loss of two yards, putting the Packers in range for what would ordinarily be a chip-shot field goal to take the lead late in the fourth quarter.
But while the decision didn’t work in the moment, it turned out OK for the Lions, who blocked the Packers’ field goal attempt and then marched down the field for a game-winning field goal of their own as time expired. Campbell explained his thinking after the game.
“I thought we would get it, number one. I really believed we would get that. Number two, I knew we would get the ball back if it didn’t work out. Those were the two thoughts,” Campbell said.
That’s solid reasoning. Only needing a yard with Gibbs and a good offensive line, it’s easy to see why Campbell thought his team would get it.
But the second point is more important: Campbell wanted to ensure that the Lions would get the ball back with time to score. If the Lions had punted, there was the risk that the Packers would not only score on their subsequent possession, but run the remaining 4:53 off the clock and score with no time left. By giving the Packers the ball back deep in their own territory, Campbell at least knew the Packers wouldn’t be able to mount a long drive that took all the remaining time off the clock.
Instead, after the Packers missed that field, it was the Lions who took over with 3:21 remaining and a long field ahead of them, and the Lions’ long drive allowed them to run out the clock before kicking their game-winning field goal.
Campbell was wrong when he thought his team would make the fourth-and-1, but right that his team would get the ball back. And when his team got the ball back, it won the game.
The AFC North and NFC North are loaded, to an unprecedented extent in NFL history.
All eight teams in the two North divisions are above .500 after Week 7. Never before has the league had two divisions with every team having a winning record heading into Week 8.
The Browns lead the AFC North at 5-2 because they have the head-to-head tiebreaker with the 5-2 Steelers. The Bengals are 4-2 and the Ravens are 4-3.
The Vikings are 6-0, the only remaining undefeated team in the NFC. The Bears are in second place in the NFC North at 5-2, followed by the Lions at 4-2 and the Packers at 4-3.
If the playoffs started today, the Browns would be the No. 3 seed in the AFC. The Steelers would be the No. 6 seed and the Bengals would be the No. 7 seed. The Ravens would be out of the playoffs.
In the NFC, the Vikings would be the No. 1 seed and the three other teams would be the three wild cards: The Bears would be the No. 5 seed, the Lions would be No. 6 and the Packers would be No. 7 — as they have been each of the last three years.
We’re a long way from the playoffs, but right now, it looks like most of the biggest games down the stretch will be played in the North.
The Packers-Lions game was drunk. The officiating might have been drunker.
The Lions prevailed 20-17 on a 22-yard field goal by Jake Bates on the final play.
The Lions are 4-2 and the Packers 4-3.
The teams combined for 739 yards but only 37 points. They were a combined 3-of-9 in the red zone, had a combined three turnovers and three times turned it over on downs.
The Lions inexplicably went for it on fourth-and-1 at their own 24 with 4:53 left in a tie game. Keisean Nixon stopped Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs for a 2-yard loss, setting up the Packers in field-goal range.
Green Bay reached the Detroit 17 before rookie kicker Trey Smack missed his second field goal of the day and his seventh of the season. His 35-yard attempt was blocked by DJ Wonnum with 3:21 left. He also missed from 26 yards earlier in the game but made a 43-yarder with 7:10 left to tie it at 17-17.
The Lions then drove 71 yards in 10 plays, with Gibbs taking a knee at the Green Bay 3 to set up a last-play field goal.
The Packers had two questionable roughing the passer calls, including one on Karl Brooks on the game-winning drive. Brenton Cox Jr. also had one in the second half. Jordan Love had a questionable grounding call. Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes had a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty.
Fox analyst Tom Brady was critical of all four calls.
The Lions gained 415 yards, with Jared Goff going 22-of-32 for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Jameson Williams had five catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown led the way with nine receptions for 153 yards.
Gibbs had 29 carries for 116 yards and five catches for 27 yards but lost a fumble, his second of the season.
Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie recovered both Lions’ fumbles.
Love was 27-of-45 for 274 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Brian Branch had the pick in his return from an Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season.
Josh Jacobs, who was returning from unpaid leave that kept him out six games, had 11 carries for 36 yards and five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown but couldn’t come down with a catch in the end zone on the Packers’ final drive. Christian Watson caught five passes for 57 yards.
On Sunday, Vikings running back Aaron Jones made an early exit after a 17-yard gain in the fourth quarter. After the game, coach Kevin O’Connell said Jones aggravated a knee injury he suffered earlier in the season.
The injury happened in the Week 2 game against the Bears. He did not practice the following Wednesday but returned the next day and did not miss the Week 3 game.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Jones will have an MRI on Monday. The current hope is that it won’t be a long-term situation for Jones.
With the trade deadline only 16 days away, the Vikings were already believed to be interested in adding a running back. If Jones will be missing some time, the urgency to do so could increase.
The good news for the Vikings was that Jordan Mason returned on Sunday, after missing four games following a Week 1 thumb injury. Mason had 15 carries for 68 yards in his return.
Now 6-0, the Vikings have a gauntlet coming. They play the Lions in Detroit, the Bills at home on Monday night, the Packers at Lambeau Field, and the 49ers in Mexico City.
Jameson Williams’ second touchdown of the day has the Lions back in the lead.
The Lions wide receiver scored on a 10-yard reception after getting a 16-yard touchdown in the first half. It’s the second game in a row Williams has scored two touchdowns.
The Lions lead 17-10.
Detroit drove 80 yards in 10 plays after the Packers took a 14-10 lead after the Lions’ second fumble of the game. Center Cade Mays was responsible for both fumbles, though that’s not the way it goes down in the stats.
Mays inadvertently knocked the ball out of Jahmyr Gibbs’ arm with 19 seconds left in the first half and then had an aborted snap on the second snap of the second half.
The Lions have outgained the Packers 314 to 248.
Goff is 18-of-22 for 262 yards and two touchdowns, and Williams has five catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
