Over the past few years, the Detroit Lions have never been shy about pushing the creative boundaries of football. On Sunday, one of their half-baked ideas spectacularly backfired and proved extremely costly in a potential Super Bowl preview match against the Buffalo Bills.
Down ten points with 12 minutes left in the game, Dan Campbell curiously decided to go for an onside kick. Bills’ Mack Hollins recovered the bouncing ball around the Lions’ 40-yard line and ran it into red zone territory. Buffalo would score a touchdown on the ensuing play to extend its lead to 45-28.
The NFL world collectively scratched their heads over Campbell’s baffling move, with many fans believing the Lions recklessly jumped the gun with their onside kick decision.
Campbell likely wanted to go for an onside kick to save time, thinking that if the Lions could hold the Bills to at most a field goal they would have saved valuable minutes for their offense to get down the field in the fourth quarter.
The actual result was disastrous, to say the least.
Dan Campbell has pushed all of the right buttons in Detroit but there's no defending that move.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 16, 2024
I love Dan Campbell, he’s probably everybody’s favorite coach in the NFL. But I really, really question that decision. #Lions #Bills
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) December 16, 2024
It was a 10 point game.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) December 16, 2024
With 12 minutes left.
I don’t understand.
Campbell’s onside kick call was idiotic. That made no sense and it wasn’t defensible.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) December 16, 2024
dan campbell is the reason the lions aren’t 3-14 but also the reason they won’t be super bowl champions
— big content guy (@bigcontentguy) December 16, 2024
Lions onside kick down 10 with 12 minutes left?! Dan Campbell just out-Dan Campbell'd himself.
— Adam Silverstein (@SilversteinAdam) December 16, 2024
I really don’t understand Dan Campbell kicking an onside kick down 10 with 12 minutes left in the game pic.twitter.com/Kz2aSoRX7W
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) December 16, 2024
Why…why? This makes absolutely no sense and why Dan Campbell needs to know when to not do stuff like this pic.twitter.com/c3O8gMC0V0
— trey wingo (@wingoz) December 16, 2024
Lions players when Dan Campbell called for the on-side kick: pic.twitter.com/biRwBYhlsS
— kyla (@kylaer_) December 16, 2024
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dan Campbell, Lions Ripped for Bold Onside Kick That Badly Backfired vs. Bills.
