STEELE SPORTS

My heart goes out to any Lions fans who woke up Monday and realized that Sunday’s 34-31 loss to San Francisco in the NFC Championship game was not indeed just one long bad dream.

A blown 17-point lead at halftime is enough to make any die-hard fan miserable, especially in a game of such magnitude with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

Undoubtedly, what will keep Lions fans up at night is head coach Dan Campbell’s decision to forego two field goals that would have, in theory, been enough to give the Lions the win over the San Francisco 49ers at 37-34.

The first came on a fourth-and-two attempt from the 49ers’ 28-yard line just about halfway through the third quarter.

With a 24-10 lead, Campbell showed the same aggression he has had all season long by opting to go for the jugular over adding three more points and making it a three-score game.

An incomplete pass spoiled Campbell’s big plans and ultimately led to a San Francisco touchdown.

Without taking hindsight into account, I’m willing to say that I actually like this decision.

Campbell’s team had been dominating up until this point, and one would assume that had the Lions gained a first down, the game would be squarely in Detroit’s hands.

The ability to kill more time and the potential to secure an even easier field goal, or better yet, a touchdown, would have been enough to potentially take the wind out of San Francisco’s sails and send the Lions to the Super Bowl.

For those of you screaming “Just take the points!” in your head, you have to take into account the fact that this game was on the road.

In hostile environments, you have to earn wins the hard way and leave no doubts.

While a field goal would have made it a three-possession game, two touchdowns and a field goal in a quarter and a half of play is much more achievable than three touchdowns or even the aforementioned 17 points in only 15 minutes.

I stand with Campbell on this call, but later in the game, his choices become more speculative, in my opinion.

Now trailing 27-24 with just nine minutes left to play, the Lions opted to attempt another fourth-down conversion on a fourth-and-three at the 49ers 30-yard line.

This is where I believe Campbell’s logic was flawed, despite what analytics may say.

Absolutely nothing was going Detroit’s way in the second half, meaning the opportunity to tie the game was a blessing for the Lions.

By taking the field goal, Detroit could have built momentum and felt a sense of security knowing that the deficit had been erased.

Instead, if you choose to gamble – like Campbell did – you run the risk of essentially taking the game out of your own hands.

Another incomplete pass on fourth down once again led to a 49ers touchdown, all but sealing the Lions’ fate.

It’s this call that I can’t agree with, and the one I’m sure will keep Lions fans up at night.

Aggression is best utilized with a lead, not when you’re trailing in the biggest game of your life.