Right after Jahmyr Gibbs crossed the goal line, Matt LaFleur crossed a line of his own on live TV. Cameras caught the Packers‘ head coach losing his cool after Gibbs bulldozed through the line for a 15-yard touchdown on fourth-and-short in a 2024 game. That score stretched Detroit’s lead to 24-3 and, judging by LaFleur’s reaction, it hit harder than the scoreboard. What followed wasn’t just a sideline outburst. It was a deeper admission, delivered months later, that made NFL fans raise their eyebrows.
Matt LaFleur may not have addressed his viral sideline moment, but he did something more surprising later—he gave Lions coach Dan Campbell his flowers. On a recent episode of This is Football, LaFleur opened up about how Campbell’s aggressive fourth-down strategy wasn’t just reckless—it was real and impressive. “Like the approach that Dan Campbell had when they were going to play us last year and? Certainly. He lived by it,” LaFleur said. That’s as close to a public tip of the cap as you’ll ever get from a coach who got steamrolled by it on national TV.
And the footage Matt LaFleur referred to? Oh, it’s gold. Netflix’s Quarterback series captured Campbell laying it all out before the Lions-Packers clash. “We are going four downs all the way up and down the field,” he told his players. “As long as it’s not fourth-and-f***ing 20… we are f***ing going. And we will just f***ing march down this field, and it is going to be so f***ing glorious.” Spoiler alert: it was glorious—at least for Detroit. Campbell’s fourth down late in the fourth set up the game-winning field goal.
The Lions didn’t just outplay the Packers; they outwilled them. Detroit converted multiple fourth-down plays, including two that resulted in touchdowns. On one, David Montgomery’s clutch seven-yard run on fourth-and-1 kept the game alive. On another, Gibbs’ third-quarter burst for six broke LaFleur’s composure entirely. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky called it “one of the ballsiest, most relentless game plans” he’d seen from Campbell and LaFleur, through gritted teeth or not, clearly agrees.
Matt LaFleur might’ve been fuming on the sideline, but his recent words suggest some hindsight admiration. While he initially pinned the loss on penalties and poor execution, this admission adds a new layer. It’s not just about discipline—it’s about getting out-coached. “Some of the things on Netflix. I like Quarterback… Take bits and pieces,” LaFleur said, almost like he was watching tape, not just as a coach, but as a student. A student who learned the hard way what going for it really means.
Week 1 momentum shift? Dan Campbell catches timely advantage over Matt LaFleur
The Lions may be catching a well-timed break heading into Week 1 and it has nothing to do with their own roster. Over in Green Bay, the Packers’ secondary just took a hit with Nate Hobbs undergoing minor knee surgery, as reported by Bill Huber of Packers on SI. Hobbs was one of their headline free-agent additions this offseason, expected to play a key role opposite Xavier McKinney. Now? He’s out for at least three weeks, and his Week 1 status against Detroit is looking shaky.
Even if Hobbs returns just before the season opener, he’ll be doing so with zero preseason game reps and limited chemistry with his new teammates. For a cornerback in a new system, that’s a big ask. “You’ve got to be able to play fast, and that only comes with reps,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley once said in a different context—something that now rings louder for Hobbs. In his absence, Green Bay’s younger players like Valentine and Bullford are seeing extended action, but there’s no replacing experience on short notice.
For the Lions, that creates a very real opportunity. Jared Goff and the Detroit offense are already riding high off last season’s momentum, and now they’re staring at a defense missing its top player. If Nate Hobbs can’t go or is limited, that puts the spotlight on guys like Keisean Nixon to step up and fast. With Detroit’s receivers stacked across the board, this matchup could swing their way before the game even gets going.
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