The NFL community was left scratching its head on Thanksgiving as Dan Campbell’s trademark aggressiveness went off the rails during the Detroit Lions’ 31–24 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Campbell has shaped the Lions in his own bold, risk-heavy image, but on Thursday those decisions became the central storyline. Detroit spent much of the afternoon without star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, who exited with a concerning injury, and the Packers repeatedly put pressure on the Lions by thriving in high-leverage moments. Jordan Love led an offense that converted three fourth downs—two of which turned into touchdowns. One was a tightrope sideline catch by Dontayvion Wicks; another was a red-zone strike to Romeo Doubs shortly after officials granted Green Bay a timeout that infuriated the Ford Field crowd.

Despite missing St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta, the Lions stayed within reach. Jared Goff leaned on Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Jahmyr Gibbs, and a second-quarter wildcat snap to David Montgomery produced a 3-yard touchdown that appeared to fit Campbell’s aggressive but calculated approach.

Everything unraveled late. Down 31–21 in the fourth quarter, Detroit bypassed multiple short field-goal opportunities in favor of going for it on fourth-and-3. One attempt toward Williams fell incomplete. Later, with the clock fading and the Lions at first-and-goal, Campbell again turned to the wildcat—this time having Montgomery try to throw—but the pass flew over Ross Dwelley. A couple of plays later, Micah Parsons registered a drive-crushing sack, and Detroit failed again on fourth down, still trailing by two scores.

Only after the game dipped under three minutes did Campbell finally send Jake Bates out for a 31-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 31–24 with 2:59 left. Fans were bewildered: why decline the “easy” points earlier, only to settle for them when a touchdown was essential?

Detroit’s defense then needed a fast stop but couldn’t deliver. Love hit Christian Watson on third-and-5, then found Wicks again on a desperate fourth-and-3 toss to seal the game.

With the Packers moving to 8–3–1 and remaining unbeaten in the NFC North, national reaction quickly centered on Campbell’s choices. Social media erupted with frustration: some claimed his seat was “getting hot,” others said his relentless aggression was “hurting his team,” and several fans argued that Campbell’s decisions directly cost Detroit another Thanksgiving matchup.

Campbell has long said he accepts the fallout from his fearless style. But this time, many around the league wondered whether that approach just sabotaged a crucial divisional contest the Lions couldn’t afford to let slip away.