Jared Goff Defends Dan Campbell’s Fourth-and-1 Call That a Blocked Kick Rescued

• Quarterback Jared Goff said Tuesday that he did not “even think twice” when he heard the Detroit Lions were going for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 24-yard line, per Pro Football Talk.
• Jahmyr Gibbs was stopped for a 2-yard loss with the score tied and 4:53 left, but D.J. Wonnum blocked a chip-shot field goal by Packers rookie Trey Smack and Detroit won on a last-play field goal.
• Detroit has converted 61.5 percent of its 13 fourth-down attempts this season.

Goff Says a Punt Would Have Let Green Bay Run the Lions’ Own Winning Drive

The call came with the game on the line, and the Detroit Lions quarterback had no doubts. Jared Goff said Tuesday on 97.1 The Ticket that he did not “even think twice” when he heard the Lions were going for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 24-yard line, two days after the call went wrong. The score was tied at 17 with 4:53 left against the Green Bay Packers when running back Jahmyr Gibbs was tackled for a loss of two yards. Packers rookie Trey Smack then lined up for a chip-shot field goal that would have put Green Bay ahead. D.J. Wonnum blocked it. Detroit took over with 3:21 remaining and won on a field goal as time expired.

Campbell’s Two Thoughts

Coach Dan Campbell has explained the logic. The Lions had more confidence in gaining one yard than in leaving Packers quarterback Jordan Love a chance to run a four-minute drive for the winning touchdown. If the try failed, Green Bay could not run out the clock, so Detroit would have time to answer.

“I thought we would get it, number one. I really believed we would get that. Number two, I knew we would get the ball back if it didn’t work out. Those were the two thoughts,” Campbell said after the game.

The first thought failed on the field. The second held up.

Goff’s Case Against the Punt

Goff said he could not find the right word for it, then settled on “exposing” for people who call the decision wrong purely on field position. Going for it, he said, protects the Lions in a way a punt does not.

“It’s guaranteeing us a chance to win the game no matter what,” Goff said.

A punt would have allowed the Packers to do exactly what the Lions did to them on the final drive, Goff said, and he is sure Green Bay wishes it had another chance with the ball.

He also reached back to a similar spot against Green Bay. In 2024, the Lions went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay 21 with 43 seconds left. David Montgomery ran for 7 yards, and Jake Bates kicked a 35-yard field goal on the final play for a 34-31 win. There was backlash then, Goff said, and the Lions converted.

“I guess no matter what, there will be backlash, so who really cares at this point, right?” Goff said.

Goff said his team faces these situations more often than others, so it is far more comfortable in them, and he called that an advantage. The Lions practice them and spend a lot of time on them, he said.

Goff acknowledged the result. “Again, unfortunately we didn’t convert this one,” Goff said. The Lions wanted the first down and a finish on that drive, he said, but Campbell knew a failure meant Green Bay would kick a field goal or score a touchdown and Detroit would get the ball back. By every measure, Goff said, it was the right decision.

The Case Against the Call

Campbell has faced questions about an unconventional decision. The fourth-and-1 was a long one, with tracking data putting it closer to two yards. Next Gen Stats rated the decision a “toss-up,” though punting is the conventional move. Per Ryan Paganetti, teams convert on the longer one on around 63 percent to 64 percent of tries. Gibbs said after the game that the call surprised him, but that the Lions could have converted.

It was not the only fourth down Detroit missed. The Lions also failed on a fourth-and-5 from the Packers’ 6-yard line, a try taken in place of a field goal attempt.

Campbell was hired as the Lions’ head coach in January 2021 and has been known for his willingness to be bold. This season, Detroit has converted 8 of 13 fourth-down attempts, or 61.5 percent. The Lions went 4 for 4 in their previous game, against the Cardinals. Smack, meanwhile, missed two of his three kicks against the Lions, from 26 yards and 35 yards.

Goff says the Lions practice these moments and that Campbell knew the downside before the offense stayed on the field. The yard never came. The ball did, with 3:21 on the clock after Wonnum’s block, and Detroit won.