Don't think I didn't think of that once I saw that Darnold was contained. Don't give them any excuse to call a facemask, don't give them any excuse to call a facemask.
Four road games against Dallas, Minnesota, Green Bay and Houston, within a 5 game span is arguably as tough of a stretch as any NFL team will face this season. The Lions have passed the first two of those four tests.
There is some argument that running two plays up the middle would have used up a few more seconds than the two kneeldowns, especially the second one which was immediate. But whether to gain a few more yards or to burn a few more seconds, the risk of running plays are a) punch out; and b) holding penalty that would push the ball back 10 yards and stop the clock.