The Detroit Lions took a heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game, and will not be playing in the Super Bowl this season. Detroit had a 24-7 lead going into halftime but had a huge collapse in the second half, causing them to lose the game. Lions fans are placing the blame on head coach Dan Campbell for the loss after the team decided to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal twice in the second half but were unable to convert.
Detroit Lions Fans Rip Into Dan Campbell
Campbell received a lot of heavy criticism for his decision to go for it on the fourth down attempt on social media, with fans saying that he threw the game away. Here are some of the reactions from fans.
everyone to dan campbell after not kicking the FG pic.twitter.com/iI9V0N7c5P
— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) January 29, 2024
This is how Dan Campbell has his kicker on the sideline pic.twitter.com/1nWHO8VGzW
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 29, 2024
I know Dan Campbell entire philosophy is to go for it but I mean….I'm stunned
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) January 29, 2024
My heart sank for Lions fans the second I saw this happen live. You just cannot be waving goodbye that early in a playoff game pic.twitter.com/L839Ikj6W8
— Dana Beers (@danabeers) January 29, 2024
KICK THE FIELD GOAL LIONS OMG pic.twitter.com/kWbjmGZFpw
— Therealmo_1 (@Therealmo_1) January 29, 2024
Many fans are saying that the Lions should have kicked the field goal and that Campbell’s decision to go for it cost Detroit the game. With the final score being 34-31, the two field goals would have given the Lions the upset win. Instead, it will be the 49ers heading to Las Vegas to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs for a world championship.
Epic Collapse
Even with the controversial fourth-down calls by Campbell, Detroit was still not able to get anything working in their favor in the second half. From dropped passes to the defense not being able to slow down the San Francisco offense, the Lions made the history you never want to have, which is giving up the largest halftime comeback in conference championship history.
Who Is To Blame?
While this loss will sting for the team and the fans, the Lions certainly have a bright future ahead of them with tons of young talent. As for Campbell, while he is a great coach overall, he will most likely look at being a little more conservative with his playcalling in the future. Do you think this loss is all on the head coach, or did the team not perform well enough in the second half?
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