November 12, 2023: Dan Campbell goes for it on fourth-and-2 instead of kicking, and the Lions beat the Chargers 41-38 on the last play

On November 12, 2023, the Lions and Chargers scored 79 points in Inglewood, and neither team was sacked. With the game tied 38-38 and less than two minutes left, Lions coach Dan Campbell passed up a field goal and went for it on fourth-and-2. Detroit won 41-38 on the last play.

The Lions were 6-2 and the Chargers 4-4. Detroit led 17-3 after two 1-yard touchdown runs by rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. After a Justin Herbert touchdown pass, David Montgomery ran 75 yards for a score that stood on review. The Lions led 24-17 at halftime.

Herbert’s 18-yard pass to Jalen Guyton tied it 24-24 in the third quarter. Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 20-yard touchdown put Detroit up 31-24, and a pass interference call helped Los Angeles tie it at 31. Brock Wright made it 38-31, and Herbert threw 38 yards to Keenan Allen to tie it at 38-38.

From the Los Angeles 26, a field goal would have given Herbert the ball back with more than a minute and a half left. Campbell kept his offense on the field, and Jared Goff threw to rookie Sam LaPorta for six yards and a first down. Goff then kneeled three times.

Riley Patterson kicked a 41-yard field goal with 2 seconds left. “It’s a lot of fun when he puts the ball in our hands to make a play,” Goff said. Goff threw for 333 yards, St. Brown had a career-high 156 receiving yards, and Montgomery ran for 116. Detroit outgained Los Angeles 533 yards to 421.

The win made Detroit 7-2. The Lions finished 12-5, won their first division title since 1993 and reached the NFC Championship Game. The Chargers finished 5-12, and coach Brandon Staley was fired in December. This season, the Lions play at Miami on Sunday, November 8, and the Chargers host Houston.