Dan Campbell began his tenure as a Lions head coach with a memorable speech. He made it clear the Lions were going to embody the city, be built on toughness and never give up.
He got his point across in his introductory press conference by mentioning, among other things, biting off kneecaps.
This team is going to take on the identity of this city and this city has been down and it found a way to get up. It's found a way to overcome adversity, right? So this team is going to be built on, we're going to kick you in the teeth, right? And when you punch us back, we're going to smile at you. And when you knock us down, we're going to get up and on the way up, we're going to bite a kneecap off. All right? And we're going to stand up and it's going to take two more shots to knock us down. And on the way up, we're going to take your other kneecap and we're going to get up and it's going to take three shots to get us down. And when we do, we're going to take another hunk out of you.
Since that 2021 speech, few teams have been as aggressive as the Lions. And those aggressive tendencies are at their most prevalent on fourth down. Campbell and the Lions have shown that no down is too daunting for them.
Campbell knows the strategy is not for the weak of heart, or stomach, and has given out some entertaining advice to fans to prepare them for those stress-filled moments.
"Here's what I would say, because I tell my family this, just wear a diaper before some of these games," Campbell said in November, per Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket. "I'll give them an alert and say, 'Put them on and be ready to roll.'"
Here's what you need to know about Campbell's fourth-down tendencies and success rates.
Dan Campbell 4th down conversion rates
Campbell's arrival in Detroit coincided with the Lions becoming the most aggressive team on fourth down.
The Lions have gone for it on fourth down 123 times since 2021, most in the league, with the Cardinals (109) and Browns (108) the next closest, according to Stathead. In 2023, only the 2-15 Panthers went for it more on fourth down than Detroit (48 to 40).
When Detroit faced a fourth-down on offense, it went for it on 34 percent of the time, the highest rate of any team since 2000, topping the previous record of 31 percent held by the 2021 Chargers, per Stathead.
In those attempts, the Lions were successful 52.8 percent dating back to 2021. The team converted 52.5 percent of its first-down attempts in 2023.
But Campbell's aggressiveness comes out in more than just his overall willingness to go for it. It's Campbell's willingness to take chances in his own territory that make his decisions so daring.
Own territory
In 2023, the Lions went for it on fourth down in their own territory nine times. Only the Texans (11) and Chiefs (nine) had as many or more similar attempts among teams that finished the season with a winning record. On those attempts, the Lions were successful 44.4 percent of the time.
And overall since 2021, the Lions have gone for it in their own territory 29 times with a success rate of 51.7 percent.
Distance
The Lions were also often more willing to go for it past the traditional "gimme" distances. From one yard or two yards out, just about every model will say teams should go for it. Beyond that, the odds get dicier.
Detroit is willing to roll the dice in those situations. The Lions went for it facing a fourth-and-three or longer 20 times, trailing only the Panthers (24) and the Cardinals (22). The Lions converted on their attempts 30 percent of the time.
Dating back to 2021, the Lions rank fifth in fourth-down attempts three yards and out with 49 attempts, trailing only the Browns (57), Panthers (56), Cardinals (54) and Jets (51). Detroit has been successful on 34.7 percent of those tries.
While winning
Under Campbell, the Lions have adopted a mentality of putting the foot down on an opponent to put a game away. The Lions exhibit that as well as anyone.
Detroit went for it on fourth down while winning 14 times, tied with the Browns for the most in the NFL. On those attempts, Detroit was successful 71.4 percent of the time, which included three touchdowns, the most of any team in the league.
And as with everything, that trend doesn't stop with 2023. Only the Eagles (33) have gone for it more times on fourth down while winning than the Lions (29) and Browns (29) since Campbell was hired as the team's head coach. And Detroit's 62.1 percent success rate ranks in the upper half of the league.
Red zone
Campbell and the Lions aren't settling for three points, they want touchdowns. Only the Colts (11) went for it on fourth down in the red zone in 2023 more often than the Lions (10) and Commanders (10). Detroit was successful on six of those attempts, three of which resulted in touchdowns.
In Campbell's head-coaching tenure, Detroit's 31 fourth-down attempts in the red zone are more than any other team. The Eagles (11) are the only team with more touchdowns in those situations than the Lions (10) and Chargers (10). Detroit has successfully converted on those fourth downs 54.8 percent of the time.
