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Perhaps nobody in NFL history knows what it takes to reach the Super Bowl better than Tom Brady, so the legendary quarterback’s words carry weight when evaluating some of the decisions by Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
“They’ve been aggressive all year,” Brady said when discussing Detroit’s 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game during an appearance on his Let’s Go! podcast. “You know obviously, when you’re aggressive and it doesn’t work, it comes back to bite you. It came back to bite them yesterday. Again, I would’ve taken the points.
“I’ve been in those situations. I look at them and say, okay, this is the opportunity to continue to keep the pressure on the 49ers to make great plays and you’re in a great position.”
Detroit went for 4th-and-2 from San Francisco’s 28-yard line while holding a 14-point lead in the third quarter and went for 4th-and-3 from San Francisco’s 30-yard line in the fourth quarter while trailing by three.
Both attempts were unsuccessful, and the 49ers scored touchdowns on the ensuing possessions.
Considering the final deficit was three points, the Lions surely would love the six points that would have come with two made field goals in those situations. While San Francisco would have changed its strategy if that is how things played out, it isn’t a stretch to say the visitors would be preparing for the Super Bowl with those extra points.
There was also a situation that stood out in the final two minutes.
The Lions were down 10 but at the 49ers’ 1-yard line with all three of their timeouts remaining. They decided to run the ball and then proceeded to call a timeout when David Montgomery didn’t score.
While Detroit eventually scored a touchdown, the usage of the timeout meant the game was all but over when it didn’t recover the ensuing onside kick.
“The handoff there late in the game, that was the one I didn’t understand,” Brady said. “Unless you saw some incredible look to walk the ball in, you just can’t take the chance that you’re gonna be stopped short and keep the clock running. You just can’t get the ball back. So that was the one I just said, ‘I don’t know what they’re doing.’ I thought it was just a flat-out error.”
The Lions and their fans will be thinking about what could have been throughout the offseason, as they built a 24-7 halftime lead just to watch it disappear after intermission.
Now San Francisco will have the opportunity to win a Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.
