At the end of the game, the Lions had a 4th and two, at the LAC 26. Kicking a 43 yard field goal there would have put them in the lead, and probably would have been what most coaches would have done.
Campbell opted to go for it, and they gained 6 yards and a first down. If you’re Riley Patterson, it would be natural to be feeling like they went for it to avoid putting the game in your hands, or because they wanted to get the ball closer to make the kick easier.
But then, instead of running the ball up the middle (again, like most coaches would have done), they went three straight kneel downs. This actually lost them yards, and put Patterson into the position of kicking a clutch 40 yd game-winning field goal with time expiring. A 40-yard field goal isn’t exactly a record-breaking kick, but it’s not a chip shot either.
It’s also not much different from a 43 yard field goal. You could make the argument that Campbell’s decision actually went and made the kick harder for Patterson. But by kneeling the ball down (and going backwards) three straight times, he sent a message. He was saying “this isn’t about you. I completely trust you to make this kick. Be the hero and win this game for us.”
There’s no question that fans don’t have a ton of trust in Patterson, and for young guy, it would be very easy for him to start doubting himself, too.
But Campbell never did. He had faith in Patterson, and coached like it. And Patterson nailed the kick.
A+ coaching
I agree with you. The Charges offense was clicking for most of the 2nd half and the Lions defense wasn’t getting the job done, so Campbell and Johnson called a 2 minute offense to run out the clock and kick the go-ahead field goal to win it in regulation. That 4th down call was very gutsy. It was good to see Patterson making the kick to win the game, that may have been a minor factor, but I don’t think it was entirely about building confidence in the kicker.