Lions set NFL record for fourth down futility not seen in 32 years in shutout loss to Patriots

The Detroit Lions surprisingly had zero points in their Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots. Not only did the Lions fail to get points on the board, but they also failed to convert a single fourth down — as Dan Campbell decided to go for it six times! 

The Lions finished 0 for 6 on fourth down against the Patriots, breaking the NFL record for most fourth down attempts without converting a single first down in a game. Detroit broke the previous mark set by the 1995 New England Patriots, who went 0 for 5 on fourth down in a Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos (New England lost 37-3). The NFL’s fourth down conversation numbers date back to 1990. 

Campbell doesn’t regret going for it on any of his attempts, even if the result hurt his team in the long run. 

“Just with where it went, look, I wanted to be patient in that game,” Campbell said Monday. “But I also know this – shoot man, the first fourth-and-1, that was less than half a yard, and we’re running behind (Lions tackle Penei) Sewell, and it was (Lions guard) Logan (Stenberg), and I just – and we’re giving it to (Lions running back) Jamaal (Williams), I didn’t – I didn’t second guess that one bit, I would take that every day of the week, and we got stuffed on it. 

“And then, just knowing where we’re at on the other fourth downs where it was playing out, I feel like that’s what we needed to do.”

The Lions had four second half possessions that ended in a turnover on downs. Detroit was trailing by double digits on each of the fourth down attempts, explaining Campbell’s rationale to be aggressive. Detroit averaged three yards on fourth down on those attempts, as Jared Goff threw incomplete passes on three of those attempts and Jamaal Williams lost a yard on a rush attempt. 

Nothing went right for the Lions Sunday, but Campbell doesn’t base his aggressiveness on analytics. 

“I think that a lot of it is probably where I feel like the strength of our team is,” Campbell said. “Yes, I’m a little more aggressive by nature, but I also – those fourth-and-1s, I trust our offensive line and Jamaal (Williams), not that you’re always going to run it or hand it to him, it’s hard not to… I thought those were all very manageable, the fourth-and-2s, the fourth-and-4s, the fourth-and-5s, or you know, fourth-and-goal at the five. 

“I felt like – because I love what (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) had in, I love the plays that we had. I like the design. I knew who we were throwing them to, and it didn’t work out. So, that’s kind of where that game ended up going.”