By Moses Joshua 
Why Detroit’s head coach never hesitated to put the game — and the season’s momentum — in one player’s hands
In overtime against the Giants, the Lions didn’t rely on trickery or luck — Dan Campbell put everything on the back of a running back who had been unstoppable all afternoon.
A Decision Rooted in Confidence, Not Chance
Sometimes a football game demands a complicated approach. And sometimes, as Dan Campbell admitted, it’s as simple as handing the ball to the player who has been torching the defense all day. After Detroit’s dramatic 34–27 overtime victory over the New York Giants, Campbell didn’t hide the truth: he wanted Jahmyr Gibbs carrying the load the moment the extra period began.
“It was going to be him, somewhere in there, for sure,” Campbell said. “I wanted to lean on him.”
In other words, this wasn’t a debate. It wasn’t a gamble. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone on the Lions’ sideline. Gibbs was the plan.
And he validated that trust instantly.
Why Gibbs Was Always the Answer
Gibbs’ 69-yard burst on the very first play of overtime wasn’t a fluke — it was the conclusion of a story Campbell felt brewing all game. The head coach explained that Gibbs had a different gear on Sunday, one that the staff couldn’t ignore.
“I had a good feeling, I think we all did, about Gibbs. You could feel it today,” Campbell said.
When a coach starts talking about “feeling it,” the ending usually writes itself. Gibbs looked decisive, explosive, and comfortable behind his blockers from the first series. By the time regulation ended, the Lions knew the Giants had no answer for him.
So when overtime arrived, Campbell faced no real dilemma. He could have opened the extra frame with a safer call or tried a misdirection. Instead, he chose the most straightforward — and most dangerous — option available.
Momentum, Blocking, and the True Simplicity of the Call
Campbell admitted he briefly considered other ways to begin overtime, but every scenario circled back to Gibbs.
“I was going back and forth on who exactly we may start with,” he said, “but I had a good feeling… We were blocking for him pretty good.”
That line wasn’t an accident. Campbell gave his offensive line the credit they deserved — the kind of blocking Detroit was generating made the decision even easier. With consistent push up front and receivers sealing edges, Gibbs wasn’t just gaining yards; he was threatening to score every time he touched the ball.
“You get a hat on a hat, and he’s going to find it,” Campbell said.
That’s exactly what happened. Detroit executed, Gibbs saw daylight, and one cut later he was sprinting untouched toward the end zone, igniting Ford Field and sealing one of the Lions’ most electrifying wins of the season.
Bottom Line: Campbell Trusted His Star — and It Won the Game
Dan Campbell didn’t dial up something exotic. He didn’t try to outthink the Giants. Instead, he trusted the most explosive player on the field and rode the momentum that had been building all afternoon.
Detroit needed a hero in overtime. Campbell made sure the ball found Jahmyr Gibbs — and Gibbs did exactly what Campbell believed he would.
Sometimes coaching is complicated.
On this Sunday, it was gloriously simple.