Lions coach Dan Campbell ignored the analytics and attempted a field goal late in Detroit’s Week Three loss at Minnesota, and he still regrets it.
In fact, he’ll always regret it.
The Lions were leading 24-21 with 1:14 left in the game when Campbell decided to try a field goal on fourth-and-4. Going for it and getting it would have sealed the win. Instead the Lions missed a 54-yard field goal, the Vikings took over in great field position, and Minnesota drove for a game-winning touchdown. As he prepares to face the Vikings again on Sunday, Campbell said this week that he’s still kicking himself for kicking on fourth down.
“Look, it burns me,” Campbell said. “Of course it burns me. That’ll be there until the day I die. That’s not going to go away.”
Campbell said it’s part of his personality that past failures eat at him, and it’s not going to stop. Beating the Vikings on Sunday, however, might make Campbell feel a bit better.