DETROIT – Detroit Lions fans, this week was way less fun than the opener.
The Lions came home and lost to the Seattle Seahawks. Again. So now they’re 1-1, and I’m wondering: How is everybody feeling?
I want to ask you about some of Dan Campbell’s decisions in the game, including his fourth down gambles and the way the final two minutes of regulation were handled. Then, let’s see where we’re at going forward.
Clock management
When the Lions got the ball back with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter, they decided to milk the clock and kick a field goal to send the game into overtime.
They could have tried to score a touchdown to win the game, but Campbell decided to be conservative. Ultimately, the Seahawks won the overtime coin toss and won the game without Detroit ever getting a chance.
Click here to read my full thoughts on how that drive was managed.
Did you agree with the way the final drive was handled?
Passing up field goal
Hindsight is 20-20, and obviously, passing up on a field goal attempt looks a lot worse after the Lions ultimately lost in overtime. Theoretically, if they had scored three more points, they wouldn’t have needed overtime in the first place.
But I can certainly see both sides of the argument here. Early in the second quarter, Campbell passed up a 48-yard field goal attempt to go for a 4th and 4 on Seattle’s 31-yard line.
The Lions didn’t convert, and the game stayed tied. Keep in mind, it’s no guarantee Riley Patterson would have made that kick.
Would you have kicked the field goal to try to go up 10-7, or were you OK with that decision?
4th down near midfield
The much more controversial fourth down decision came late in the third quarter, when the Lions were up 21-17 and facing a 4th and 2 from their own 45-yard line.
Campbell gave Jared Goff the green light, but his pass to Josh Reynolds was incomplete, and the Seahawks capitalized on the short field with a go-ahead touchdown nine plays later.
What do you think? Should the Lions have punted?
How are you feeling?
After the first two weeks, the Lions are right where most of us probably thought they would be: 1-1. You might not have expected them to beat the defending Super Bowl champs and then lose to the Seahawks, but hey, it’s the NFL. You never know.
How are you feeling overall? Still optimistic?
