“Draw them off,” Herbstreit suggested.
“Yeah, draw them offsides,” Michaels replied.
“He has the time-out,” Herbstreit noted. “Maybe they’re thinking, ‘You know me, I’m the guy who goes for it on fourth down.’ Then they’ll call a time-out.”
In that moment, both Michaels and Herbstreit overlooked two important details.
First, the Lions had already used a time-out, which meant that sending the offense onto the field to try to draw Green Bay offsides and then calling a time-out wasn’t an option. The Lions were left with only two choices: take a delay of game penalty and make Jake Bates’ field goal attempt five yards longer, or run a play.
Additionally, Herbstreit and Michaels seemed to forget their earlier analysis of the game.
Leading 24-21 and facing a fourth-and-one from their own 31-yard line, the Lions had opted to go for it. The decision backfired when running back Jahmyr Gibbs was stopped short of the first down, giving the Packers great field position.
Despite the unsuccessful attempt, which was followed by the Packers scoring to take the lead, Herbstreit quickly defended Campbell’s decision.
“Looking at that choice, it’s easy to question going for it deep in your own territory,” Herbstreit said. “But here’s the thing: you live by the sword, you die by the sword. If it works, and they drive down the field and score, everyone’s praising Dan Campbell. He’s already 3-for-3 tonight. Sure, it’s risky, and you give the ball to Jordan Love, but Campbell is doing what he does. You can’t criticize him if it works.”
