After the Detroit Lions’ 20-16 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Dan Campbell took full responsibility for a crucial error before halftime.
With 18 seconds left in the second quarter and Detroit on Tampa Bay’s 17-yard line, quarterback Jared Goff completed an eight-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The Lions rushed to spike the ball, but confusion arose as the field goal unit started coming onto the field. This led to a penalty for too many men on the field, and with no timeouts left, the resulting 10-second runoff ended the half.
Campbell acknowledged the mistake, saying, “The head coach cost them. Critical error at the end of the half, 100% on me.”
Had Detroit successfully kicked a field goal, they could have cut Tampa Bay’s lead from 13-6 to 13-9, potentially changing the flow of the game. Instead, the Lions found themselves needing a late touchdown rather than a field goal.
Despite the misstep, players like Jared Goff, D.J. Reader, and Aidan Hutchinson voiced their respect for Campbell’s accountability.
Goff, while appreciating Campbell’s honesty, pointed out that the team had plenty of chances to win and took responsibility for his own performance. He completed 34 of 55 passes for 307 yards but threw two interceptions, resulting in a 61.8 quarterback rating.
Although the Lions moved the ball well, outgaining Tampa Bay in total yards (463 to 216) and first downs (26 to 14), they struggled in the red zone, going just 1-for-7.
Campbell expressed confidence in Goff’s ability to bounce back, noting that while Goff didn’t have his best game, he’s wired to learn from mistakes and improve.
The Lions, now 1-1, will look to rebound when they face the Arizona Cardinals on the road in Week 3.