Dan Campbell fourth down play calls: Why Lions coach faced criticism for aggressive gameplan in loss to Eagles

Daniel Chavkin

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Dan Campbell fourth down play calls: Why Lions coach faced criticism for aggressive gameplan in loss to Eagles image

The Detroit Lions are known for their aggressiveness under Dan Campbell, but they might have taken it too far on Sunday night.

The Lions' offense was stifled all night by the Philadelphia Eagles in their 16-9 loss, but that was especially the case on fourth down. Campbell kept his offense on the field multiple time Sunday night, but they were unable to convert a single fourth-down.

Instead of relying on his special teams unit, Campbell was hoping the offense would finally break through against the top-tier Eagles defense. Instead, Detroit left Philadelphia with a loss, looking back on many missed opportunities.

After the game, Campbell put the blame on himself for the offense's issues.

"We could not convert, and when you can't convert, that makes it very difficult," he said. "There's some calls I wishI could've gotten back. I didn't help those guys and I hate that."

Campbell maintained that he was focused on scoring touchdowns in the red zone, which is why he went for the fourth downs.

"We get in the red zone, we have to score a touchdown man. We can't come away not scoring seven there," Campbell said. "We have to convert at least two or three of those fourth downs."

Here's a breakdown of the Lions' fourth down woes.

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Lions fourth down decisions

Throughout the night, the Lions decided to go for it on multiple fourth-and-short plays, but were consistently unsuccessful. That included attempts both on the ground and through the air.

Detroit even attempted a fake punt in the first half, but the Eagles were ready to stop it.

Overall, after entering the game converting 13-o-18 fourth down attempts this year, the Lions went 0-for-5 on fourth down attempts against the Eagles. Detroit's five failed fourth downs in the first three quarters were the most in a game since 2000.

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Who calls offensive plays for the Lions?

Head coach Dan Campbell took over as the Lions' offensive playcaller last week against the Washington Commanders. Offensive coordinator John Morton previously called plays for Detroit in his first year with the team, but Campbell decided to take control during the season.

The Lions scored 44 points against Washington in Week 10, and it appeared that Campbell had made the right decision. However, the Lions' offense struggled in Philadelphia during Campbell's second week leading the way.

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