After the Lions’ dramatic, last-second 34-31 win over the Packers, head coach Dan Campbell explained his philosophy behind his bold four-and-1 decision:

“Let’s finish this.”

Detroit converted on fourth down despite a gaffe on Jared Goff’s handoff and kicked the game-winning field goal from 35 yards out. An earlier shot from 38 yards out would have given Green Bay nearly 40 seconds to work with.

The Dan Campbell Lions have consistently been one of the league’s most aggressive teams when it comes to going for it in the fourth period and imposing their will on opposing defenses – and that philosophy will come in handy as the Lions attempt to win the Super Bowl with increasing injuries on defense. This is not the time for them to deviate from the path of aggression. It will continue to be a great weapon for them in the future.

Overall, the Lions defense performed admirably on Thursday night. They held Josh Jacobs to 66 yards on the ground (though he also scored three touchdowns) and found themselves in a tough situation on a drive after a failed fourth-down attempt left the Packers just outside the red zone. Packers quarterback Jordan Love still had an excellent game, but the Lions defense was down three defensive linemen before lost star defensive tackle Alim McNeill to a concussion. They already entered the game without Aidan Hutchinson, Alex Anzalone, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Malcolm Rodriguez, John Cominsky and Marcus Davenport, all of whom are on injured reserve. Every NFL team will be banged up to some degree heading into Week 14, but Detroit’s defense has been truly decimated by injuries.

Luckily, the offense is more than good enough to still give them a chance to win the Super Bowl while they try to put together a viable defense for the playoffs. Even on a night where they were missing Taylor Decker, they had more than enough energy to score 34 points against the Packers. Their offensive line is just too dominant, the running backs are elite, Goff gets the ball out on time and Ben Johnson is a mastermind who pulls the strings as a play-caller. Wouldn’t the Lions be unwise? not hold the gas and let this unit take over?

It’s inherently aggressive to keep trying on fourth down – heck, even fourth-down models thought it was too risky a move to go beyond a field goal in this scenario. However, it’s easier to run a unit like the Lions’ offense. Who better to trust on fourth-and-1 than Penei Sewell and David Montgomery? If they want to play this kind of football, they at least have the personnel to make it completely justifiable.

The best way to protect a beleaguered, hurting defense is to ensure the offense keeps the ball and converts its attacks. Going for it in the fourth round has to be part of it.

The Lions are certainly at a disadvantage on defense due to their injuries, but here’s hoping some of these guys get healthy quickly and possibly get an extra week off since they are currently in control of the top seed in the NFC at the moment. They converted 80% of their attempts in the fourth period against Green Bay and needed every one of them to put the game on ice. That’s already what they do, but that style of play, aggressiveness and overall belief in the talent make it a shield to protect their defense.

Next week’s game against Buffalo will likely require more aggressiveness, but that’s just standard operating procedure for the new-age Lions.