Dan Campbell's over-aggressiveness could cost the Lions a Super Bowl

The Detroit Lions took a franchise record 11-game win streak into their clash with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday but failed to extend it to 12 games, losing 48-42 to Josh Allen and company. One controversially aggressive decision in the fourth quarter by Lions head coach Dan Campbell had fans and even former players raising their eyebrows.

After scoring a touchdown to cut the lead to 10 points, Campbell elected to try an onside kick with 12 minutes to play. It backfired spectacularly. Bills wide receiver Mack Hollins fielded the kick after it took a bounce and returned it inside the Lions' five-yard line. One play later the Bills scored a touchdown.

Following the game, Campbell explained his reasoning for kicking an onside kick with enough time left in the game that a comeback was still on the table.

"I thought we'd get the possession, I thought we'd get that ball," Campbell said. "One of [Jesse] Bates best kicks that I've seen him have, that was a big kicker at the end that thing took a good jump on us and Hollins made a heck of a play on it. Obviously, now, sitting here in hindsight after them taking it down to the three-yard line I wish I wouldn't have done that but it is what it is."

Campbell is also drawing some ire for not using his timeouts correctly down the stretch. Trailing once again by 10, the Lions forced a Buffalo fourth-and-goal at the Detroit 23-yard line with 2:42 to play. Instead of calling a timeout to save time ahead of the two-minute warning, Campbell let the game clock tick away, and Buffalo kicked a field goal with 2:03 left. The Lions didn't even use a timeout until there were 25 seconds left in the game; by then, too late.

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If Campbell called his first timeout ahead of the Bills' field goal attempt, Detroit would have got the ball back with about 2:35 left and would have had two timeouts and the two-minute warning to stop the clock. Instead, Campbell let the game clock, and any real chance at a comeback, tick away.

The aggressiveness from the Lions head coach has paid off in the past, but when you play with fire, you're bound to get burned. For Detroit's sake, let's hope that doesn't happen in the playoffs, the time of year you can't brush off a decision as "it is what it is".

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