DETROIT, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions exits the field for halftime against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on November 25, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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The clock management by Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell couldn’t have been worse late in the loss to the Chicago Bears.
Dan Campbell is a first-year head coach in the NFL and he very much looked the part in the Detroit Lions heartbreaking 16-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving. Late in the action, Detroit fans were begging Campbell to call a timeout to try and save some time for the Lions offense.
Instead, Campbell sat on those timeouts until it was too late. In the end, Cairo Santos nailed a chip shot of a field goal to give Chicago the win and keep Matt Nagy’s job safe for now.
Back-to-back timeouts NFL
What really has people losing their minds here is that the Lions tried calling back-to-back timeouts down the stretch. This, which everyone knows, is against the rules and the Lions were quickly penalized for it. So, instead of Chicago facing 3rd-and-9, the five-yard gift set up a 3rd-and-4. The Bears converted and now Campbell is getting roasted for it.
The Lions losing cause the coach didn’t know not to call back to back Timeouts……blow up that whole franchise
— Don’t Call Me Chuck (@3rd_Time_Around) November 25, 2021
Dan Campbell won’t have a job for long with playcalling like that lol
— Tyler Grondin (@tbgrondin) November 25, 2021
The Lions forcing Chicago to win so their fans have to keep suffering through Matt Nagy and terrible executive leadership.
They’re thinking long-term with their efforts. I see what Dan Campbell’a doing here.
— Schlasser (@UrinatingTree) November 25, 2021
Dan Campbell wtf are you doing
— 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 (NYG: 3-7) (NYK: 9-8) (NJD) (@AndyDaltonMVP) November 25, 2021
Dan Campbell promised his teams wouldn’t play scared. I’ve never seen more terrified play calling.
— Derick Hutchinson (@Derick_Hutch) November 25, 2021
The Bears scored a touchdown earlier in this game because Detroit wasn’t lined up on defense properly before the snap near the red zone … then the double timeout.
Sideline gets full credit for this one. Dan Campbell and the staff.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) November 25, 2021
Don’t care how bad our roster is, Dan Campbell is officially on the hot seat! If we don’t win a game he deserves to be fired #Lions
— LionsFanReport (@lionsfanreport) November 25, 2021
While Jared Goff clearly isn’t the long-term answer for this team at quarterback, the mistakes made by Campbell in this one really were frightening. The double timeout is something that’s going to be discussed for a long time.
While he’s only 11 games into his stint with the Lions, fans are already calling for him to be fired as soon as possible. It’s hard to argue with those angry folks, especially after how embarrassing Campbell’s performance was on Thursday against Chicago.
