NFL World Awestruck by Lions Coach Dan Campbell’s Gutsy Fake Punt Call

Detroit’s coach elected to run a fake punt inside his own 20-yard line against the defending Super Bowl champions.

With two Super Bowl victories in the past four seasons, the Chiefs are well on their way to building a dynasty.

Indeed, with the great Patrick Mahomes under center, Kansas City boasts a gaudy 64–16 regular-season record. Opponents know they need to play to their potential—and probably take a few chances—to beat the Chiefs head-to-head.

Meantime, the Lions are a trendy pick to win the NFC North this season under third-year coach Dan Campbell.

So perhaps it shouldn’t have been a total surprise that Campbell reached into his bag of tricks early in Thursday’s Lions-Chiefs season opener in Kansas City. With the Lions facing fourth-and-2 from their own 17-yard line, Campbell made the bold decision to go for it.

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Detroit’s Jalen Reeves-Maybin subsequently took the direct snap and ran for three yards and a first down. The Lions ultimately drove the length of the field and scored the game’s opening touchdown on their way to a 21-20 win.

NFL fans and observers loved the gutsy call.

The call by Campbell marked the first time since the 2019 season that an NFL team attempted a fake punt inside its own 20-yard line, per NBC’s Mike Tirico. In that instance, the Ravens successfully ran a fake punt on fourth-and-1 from their own 11-yard line against the Steelers on Dec. 29, 2019.