With little to play for in Week 18, head coach Dan Campbell would prefer keep his squad fresh than rest his starters against the Minnesota Vikings.
During his 14 years as an NFL coach, Campbell has built a distinct reputation. It’s gotten him a lot of attention, which is why he was catapulted into an interim head coach post in Miami after only six seasons as an intern and tight ends coach. Now in his third year as a full-time head coach in Detroit, he has added to his own coaching style.
He demonstrated this in Week 17 when he chose to try for a win in the final seconds of regulation by attempting a two-point conversion rather than going for overtime against the Dallas Cowboys. That decision backfired, and their winning streak ended on Sunday — though the outcome was very contentious.
The Detroit Lions will use starters in Week 18.
The Detroit Lions will not have anything to play for as a result of the loss, since they will enter the NFC playoffs as either the second or third seed. Many would expect Campbell to rest his starters and keep them healthy ahead of his first postseason game as a head coach, given the circumstances. That, however, would not be a Dan Campbell choice.
“Yeah, that’s the plan right now, play our guys,” Campbell replied when asked if his starters would play in Week 18. “Our players will be prepared to go. I’m confident they will.”
There is a lot of debate about the danger and value of resting players in the season’s last game. There is an argument to be made that doing so, particularly with a bye week, might be extremely damaging to a team’s rhythm in a playoff clash. However, as this season’s multiple quarterback injuries have demonstrated, there is always a substantial chance of injury in each NFL game.
If the Lions make it through Week 18 without incident, the move may prove wise, but if a guy like Jared Goff suffers an injury before the franchise’s first playoff game in eight years, he will regret it for the rest of his career.
