Dan Campbell of the Lions is under fire after his courageous fourth-down choices fall short.

Coach Dan Campbell’s daring and aggressive approach to game management made the Detroit Lions shift from being a yearly doormat to a contender for a Super Bowl LVIII berth. However, Campbell’s go-for-broke attitude cost his team dearly in Sunday’s 34-31 NFC championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers, especially in a few crucial fourth-down scenarios.

In a league where punters and field goal kickers are increasingly choosing to go with analytical guidance, Campbell had already made a name for himself as maybe the most aggressive coach when it came to fourth-down attempts. This season, Campbell’s Lions attempted a fourth down a league-high 33 percent of the time—much more frequently than the NFL average of 20 percent, according to TruMedia.

Three out of five fourth-down attempts were converted by the Lions in their first two postseason games. However, they only succeeded in one of their three attempts on Sunday, failing twice when the offense was in position for a field goal late in the second half. With a 14-point advantage midway through the third quarter, Campbell decided to go for it on fourth and two from the 49ers’ 28-yard line; a field goal would have tied the score at three. The play was wrecked by a dropped pass. With his team behind by three points halfway through the fourth quarter, Campbell decided to go for it on fourth and three from the 49ers’ 30-yard line. After one more incomplete play, San Francisco regained possession of the ball and quickly marched for a touchdown to take a 10-point lead.

The decisions, which were both tough calls based on the statistics, came during San Francisco’s rally from a 17-point halftime hole and tested Campbell’s judgment.

“I felt like there was a significant coaching difference in the second half,” ESPN’s Booger McFarland stated. “I can really relate to Dan Campbell’s fondness of going for it on fourth down. “However, there are instances when you just have to play the game that day and watch how your team plays.”The case against the aggressive strategy includes the claims that momentum and other intangibles may influence playoff outcomes and that the Lions missed an opportunity to slow or even reverse San Francisco’s momentum by passing on the field goal tries.

“I understand that it’s simple in retrospect,” Campbell said to reporters on Sunday evening. “I understand that, but it’s difficult for me to not regret those choices. The fact that we failed to make it is difficult. It was unable to succeed. However, I have no regrets. I’m not. And I am aware that I will be under observation. That’s just part of the job, dude. It just wasn’t meant to be.