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Detroit Lions fans' anger with Dan Campbell turns to shock after win vs. Vikings

Dan Campbell knew all along.

Right after Twitter users roasted the Detroit Lions coach Sunday for his analytically backed decision not to punt to the Minnesota Vikings on fourth down inside the Lions' 30, Jared Goff led the team on a game-winning drive.

The Lions beat the Vikings, 29-27, just how you'd draw it up.

JEFF SEIDEL: Lions top off amazing weekend of football in the state with first win of season

Detroit's near-collapse prior to Goff's pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown as time expired gained a lot of attention on social media. But it all goes down as a W, the first of the season (yes, we're in Week 13) and the first in nearly four years vs. Minnesota (yes, the Lions play the Vikings twice a season).

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After the game, Campbell dedicated the game ball to the Oxford community, after a horrific high school shooting last week left four students dead and seven others injured.

The Lions led the Vikings for more than three quarters Sunday but needed a desperation two-minute drive without timeouts, down four, to snatch a victory.

To recap, Detroit led most of the game but failed to convert a fourth-and-2 from its own 28 while holding a narrow lead. Minnesota took over with about 6 minutes left and great field position, down two. The Vikings eventually scored but couldn't convert the 2-point try.

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The analytics say Campbell's much-maligned decision was the right call. Your average Lions fan or football viewer? Not so much.

"ESPN's win probability model agreed with Dan Campbell's decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 on their own 28 with 4:08 remaining (that the Lions failed to convert). WP go: 57.8% WP punt: 55.6% Needed a 59% chance of conversion to justify going for it. We estimated Lions' chances of converting at 66%," tweeted ESPN's Seth Walder.

Let us enjoy the moments of anger turning into joy.

WHOA: How in the world did Lions get their first win of the season? Thank Jared Goff

Slow down, you already got him for five more years as it is.

You can count this assistant sports editor among those who thought the fourth-and-2 go-for-it call was bad. Apparently, I wasn't alone.

Follow the Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at tjdavis@freepress.com or on Twitter @TDavisFreep.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions fans' anger with Dan Campbell turns to joy