Dan Campbell Reflects on Onside Kick Decision

Lions head coach Dan Campbell is known for taking bold risks, but he wishes he could reconsider one crucial call from Sunday’s game against the Bills.

After Jahmyr Gibbs scored a touchdown, trimming Buffalo’s lead to 38-28 with 12 minutes left, Campbell opted for an onside kick. Lions kicker Jake Bates executed the kick well, but Bills receiver Mack Hollins recovered it and returned the ball to Detroit’s 5-yard line.

Buffalo scored on the next play, paving the way to a 48-42 victory.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott admitted he didn’t know what Campbell “was thinking there, but it worked in our favor.”

Looking back, Campbell acknowledged he’d make a different call if he could.

“Obviously, in hindsight, after seeing them return it to the [five]-yard line, I wish I hadn’t made that call,” Campbell said, according to Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News. “But it happened.”

The game’s outcome might have been different if the Lions had kicked the ball deep, though no one can say for sure.

Moving forward, Campbell will likely reconsider such aggressive plays in similar situations.

His willingness to take chances has been a defining trait, but this particular gamble is one he’d prefer to have back.