Dan Dakich Goes Off On Dan Campbell: 'He Made A Career-Changing Mistake'
Social media torched Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell for his blatant refusal to kick field goals in the second half of the NFC Championship. And Dan Dakich isn't letting him off the hook, either.
On Monday's episode of OutKick's Don't @ Me, Dakich blasted the coach's decision making — on one-play in particular.
Up 24-10 over the 49ers in the third quarter, the Lions faced a fourth-and-2 from the San Francisco 28. Rather than trying a 45-yard field goal, Campbell kept his offense on the field. Jared Goff found an open Josh Reynolds, but he dropped the football.
A catch there would have extended the drive and possibly resulted in a touchdown. But Dakich isn't playing that woulda-coulda-shoulda game.
"Now, you can go ahead and say, 'The Reynolds kid dropped the football,'" Dakich said. "He did. Should he have made the catch? He should have. But did he? No."
Dakich said Campbell's decision to go for it there on fourth down ultimately decided the game. Because the stop gave momentum back to San Francisco, who — up to that point — were struggling to put anything together on offense.
"The Lions were pretty much having their way with the 49ers," Dakich explained. "You've got to understand every game is organic. The 49ers and their crowd were flat. Because the Lions were kicking their ass. Only chance you had.
"Victory favors a team making the fewest mistakes. That guy made a mistake. And he made a huge one. He made a career-changing mistake. And it was a simple move: Kick a field goal, no momentum."
Going for it on fourth down is the norm for Dan Campbell
Campbell is a big proponent on going for it on fourth down, but the stakes were a whole lot higher this time. And for those defending Campbell's aggressive coaching style as the reason the Lions got to the NFC Championship in the first place, Dakich had something to say about that, too.
"That's a part of how they got there... It's not the only way the Detroit Lions got there," Dakich said. "They got there because they developed. They got there because they got good wide receivers — at least except for that Reynolds kid. They got there because of the rejuvenation of Jared Goff, the former number one pick who came out to Detroit and has been as good as any quarterback."
In other words, Campbell's a good coach. But he doesn't get all the credit.
"They got there, sure, because of their 'we're gonna go for it' mentality. They got there because, sure, 'we want to play harder and better than you, and we're more gutsy than you. We take more chances than you,'" Dakich said.
"But that wasn't yesterday. That wasn't yesterday. And that wasn't a game Week 6 against Carolina somewhere in Carolina. No, this was the once-in-a-lifetime, maybe, NFC Championship Game, where you have control of the game — except you didn't."
Agree with the Campbell's decision or not, it's one that will haunt him (and the Lions fan base) for a long, long time.
Follow Amber on X at @TheAmberHarding or email her at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.