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Dan Campbell explains late-game conservative play, decision to call timeout

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell came under some criticism over the weekend with some late-game coaching decisions that could have swayed the game.

The first came at the two-minute warning. With the Lions down 16-14, the offense was in field goal position to take the lead. The Baltimore Ravens had two timeouts and the Lions were first-and-10 at the Ravens’ 14-yard line. A first down from the offense would essentially ice the game, assuming kicker Ryan Santoso made the kick. The other option—the one that Campbell ended up taking—was to run the ball three times, make Baltimore use their two remaining timeouts, and use that final down to milk 40 seconds off the clock.