“I just felt like we needed to end it on offense. I did not want to give that b-ll back. I believed we could get that. I believed we could convert. I trusted that O-Line, I trusted David, and they came through for us,” this statement by Dan Campbell is something of a nightmare for Matt LaFleur and the Packers. And just like their whole locker room, their safety Xavier McKinney is also frustrated with the team’s defense.

“We just got to do a better job, including myself and that is what it is,” said the 26-year-old safety. And they should be? Out of 5 fourth-down attempts, the Packers couldn’t stop the Lions for 4 of them. One of the reasons, we saw a 34-31 in favor of the Lions.

With the playoffs around the corner, Matt LaFleur’s team wants to do better with their defense and McKinney feels the same. Well, it’s not that the Packers are suffering from the defensive dilemma, but the Lions asked them tough questions on the field, and the Packers seemed clueless. Certainly, recent challenges are influencing their outcomes, especially in the last game.

But, the Packers‘ are having a solid offense this season, running the ball strongly with 396 rushing attempts, 1,881 yards, and an impressive 4.8 yards per carry. LaFleur’s team is carrying 26.8 points per game, scoring 39 touchdowns so far.

Sitting pretty at 9-4, the Packers must want to move on from this devastating loss ahead of their Week 15 game against the Seahawks. On the other hand, the Lions have already paved the way to the playoffs with their 11th consecutive win of the season. And a major contributing factor has been HC Campbell.

Dan Campbell and the fourth-down heroics

It’s simple when 43 seconds are remaining, and the scores are equal, the coach will go for field-goal. But not Dan Campbell. Instead of going with the kicker Jake Bates, the HC was confident with David Montegomery to pick up first down, and the veteran RB showed he was the right call.

The 27-year-old racked the 7-yard first down and the rest was done by Bates. The kicker later scored a 35-yard field goal, ensuring a win for the Lions with the clock ticking at 2 seconds remaining. Although Campbell’s Lions got a win over the Packers, the HC has an equal credit for this splendid victory.

“I knew how I wanted to play this game,” Campbell said post the victory. “The team knew, and everything in me told me. ‘Let’s finish this.’ And we did.” While the Lions are looking like SB contenders, the Packers must confront their defensive challenges ahead of their week 15 clash.