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Dan Campbell has faced scrutiny for his playcalling in the Detroit Lions' loss in the NFC championship game. Campbell went for it on fourth down unsuccessfully in the second half twice instead of kicking a field goal. Many Detroit and NFL fans called out the head coach, including former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Brown took to X to assert that Campbell had the severe head injury CTE for the questionable playcalling in the game. The 49ers won the game by a 34 -31 score, despite trailing 24-7 at halftime.
"Dan Campbell is the first coach with CTE," Brown tweeted.
The first instance happened on a fourth-and-two on the San Francisco 49ers 28-yard-line in the third quarter. Jared Goff threw an incomplete pass to receiver Josh Reynolds for a turnover on downs. It led to the 49ers putting points on the board as Brock Purdy found Brandon Aiyuk for a six-yard touchdown pass.
Campbell rolled the dice in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-three in 49ers territory, leading to an incomplete pass from Goff intended for star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown. That would also lead to another touchdown drive as Elijah Mitchell scored from three yards out.
Campbell addressed it after the game and mentioned he had no regrets going for it on both occasions:
"It's easy hindsight. I get it. I get that, but I don't regret those decisions, and it's hard. It's hard because we didn't come through, and it wasn't able to work out, but I don't. And I understand the scrutiny I'll get -- that's part of the gig -- but it just didn't work out."
Per ESPN Stats & Information research, the Lions went for it on fourth down 34% of the time during the regular season. It is the highest rate of any NFL team in the 21st century. ESPN analytics also slightly favored Detroit going for it on fourth down in both game instances.
The Lions had one of the best seasons of all time under Dan Campbell
This season, Dan Campbell is a frontrunner for NFL AP Coach of the Year. The Lions won the NFC North for the first time since it was formed in 2002, and the 12 wins tied for the most in franchise history. It tied the 1991 Lions team led by Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. Similarly, both teams reached the NFC championship game.
