The Lions entered Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season anticipating their first Thanksgiving victory since 2016.
Instead, they were met with an all-too-familiar stonewall.
Jordan Love’s outstanding performance helped the Packers defeat the Lions 29-22. The second-year quarterback had one of his best games of the season, completing 22 of 32 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns.
But it wasn’t just Love’s performance that had Lions fans tearing their hair out. It was more about the team’s inability to convert fourth-down opportunities against the Packers.
Detroit went for it five times on fourth down against Green Bay. The Lions only converted on one of them, a Jahmyr Gibbs dump-off reception on his team’s final, desperate drive while trailing by 15 points.
MORE: The Lions’ Thanksgiving losing streak extends yet again this season.
Some of the team’s efforts were reasonable. After all, they had been down for the majority of the game and needed to get into the end zone rather than settle for field goals.
However, there was one that Lions fans will find difficult to accept. Dan Campbell made the decision to attempt a fake punt from deep within their own territory.
Dan Campbell’s fictitious punt call
The Lions were trailing 23-14 at the time of the fake punt. They had scored to start the second half and forced a Packers punt on their first defensive drive.
As a result, the Lions appeared to have momentum, but it was quickly dashed by Campbell’s decision to attempt a fake punt.
Detroit’s fake consisted of a snap to special teams ace and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin from its own 23-yard line. The punt coverage up man tried to run the ball to the outside, but was quickly stopped by the Packers for no gain.
The Packers appeared to be prepared for the fake punt, which was similar to a play run by the Lions from their own 17 against the Chiefs in Week 1. That one was a success.
Green Bay’s coverage team was lined up to the outside in this case, making it difficult for the blockers to get to their positions.
So the Lions’ fake may not have been the best decision, especially since it resulted in Christian Watson’s 16-yard touchdown catch in the second half.
And Campbell admitted as much during his postgame press conference.
“Yeah, that’s a bad call on me,” he admitted of the fake punt. “It’s a bad decision. That was wrong of me to do to those guys. “Wrong decision.”
MORE: Breaking down the Lions’ Super Bowl odds in the midst of their best season since the 1960s
Failures on fourth down by the Lions
As previously stated, the Lions’ fake punt was not their only fourth-down blunder. It was the most egregious, but they also fell short on some other plays.
The first occurred at the conclusion of the first half. The Lions were trailing by 17 points but were on the verge of scoring when they decided to go for it on fourth-and-4.
Goff attempted a pass that was ruled incomplete, but it appeared that he fumbled. In any case, the ball went to the Packers, and the Lions failed to score.
The team’s final fourth-down conversion attempt came on a fourth-and-7 from the Green Bay 12-yard line. With 6:53 remaining, the Lions needed a touchdown more than a field goal.
In the end zone, Goff took aim at rookie tight end Sam LaPorta. The ball was just behind LaPorta, who didn’t notice it until it was too late.
The Lions certainly paid a high price for the plays, which cost them a chance at a few field goals. When you consider that their fake punt set up the Packers’ second-half touchdown, the team’s fourth-down execution becomes one of the main reasons they lost to their divisional rival.
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