Campbell regrets early onside kick: 'Thought we'd get that ball'
Lions head coach Dan Campbell explained his questionable decision to kick an onside kick early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills, saying that he expected Detroit to recover the ball on the play.
The Lions had just scored a touchdown to cut the Bills' lead to 38-28 with 12:00 left in the game, but Campbell opted for an onside kick. Not only did the Bills recover it, but Mack Hollins returned the short kick 38 yards to put Buffalo at Detroit's 5-yard line. Josh Allen and Co. then scored a TD on the next play to take a 45-28 lead, after the extra point, and regain momentum.
"I thought we'd get the possession. I thought we'd get that ball," Campbell said postgame, according to Brad Galli of WXYZ Detroit.
He added: "Obviously, now sitting here in hindsight after them taking it down to the 3-yard line, yeah, I wish I wouldn't have done that. But it is what it is."
"Seems a little early, Tony, but OK — here we go."
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 16, 2024
- Jim Nantz as Lions fail to recover an onside kick with 12 minutes left pic.twitter.com/MVquIlSURQ
Regarding the execution, Campbell said, "One of (Jake) Bates' best kicks that I've seen him have. That was a big kick in the end. It took a big jump on us."
The sideline boss shouldered the blame for Detroit's second loss of the season.
"I didn't have those guys ready to go. Not like that," Campbell added postgame, according to Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News. "That's on me.
"We had a number of guys that have played a lot better than that. ... That tells me that's (on) me."
The Lions and Bills put on an offensive show Sunday, combining for 1,080 total yards, 58 first downs, and 90 points - the most in a game this season.
Allen - the current NFL MVP favorite - accounted for four touchdowns after totaling six TDs in last week's 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Lions quarterback Jared Goff finished Sunday's heavyweight clash with 494 yards and five touchdowns. He is the first player in NFL history to lose a start despite passing for at least 400 yards and five TDs with no interceptions, according to CBS.
Despite the loss, the Lions remain the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a 12-2 record.