Riding a two-game win streak, coach Dan Campbell wants his Lions to stay humble and hungry as they face the Carolina Panthers, a team still looking for its first win.
Detroit (3-1) is coming off another big road win at Green Bay while the Panthers lost their fourth straight, 21-13, against the Vikings.
For the Lions, it’s all about focus and not riding the roller-coaster.
“There’ll be teams that will rise, there’ll be teams that’ll fall, but as long as we just handle our business each week, no different than what we did. We went out to Green Bay and we looked like a hungry team, we looked focused on the details, we played together, we played violent and we made the plays that were there,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “We played complementary football and I think as long as we keep that as the focus and not about who you’re playing, who do they have up, what are the injuries, what is the weather, what – forget that, man. This is another opponent who’s dying for a win.’’
The Lions still have bad memories of last season when the Panthers beat them, 37-23, on Dec. 24 to snap a three-game win streak and put a dent in their playoff chances.
Five things to watch:
1. The Lions’ defense ranks first in the NFL at stopping the run, allowing just 243 rushing yards in four games. That must continue against the Panthers’ running backs Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard. “It goes back to last year where we had a huge emphasis on stopping the run. We truly believe that you stop the run, you make a team one-dimensional, you’ve kind of got a stop on them,’’ linebacker Derrick Barnes said. “… That’s been the main focus and we’re doing a better job this year than last year.’’
2. While Jared Goff’s streak of 383 throws without an interception was exceptional, it was not going to last. Now he’s thrown one interception in each of the last three games. There is no panic. Following each pick, he’s come back with a touchdown drive on the next play. “Nobody wants those (interceptions), we don’t but I don’t feel like he’s pressing. He’ll tell you, he made an error, made a mistake. He’s falling away in the pocket and makes an ill-advised throw, his eyes are on the receiver and best part about it was he didn’t get frazzled,’’ Campbell said. “… But what I want more than anything is I don’t want him to go into a shell or start panicking. And he’s not …” Goff has completed 69.5 percent of his passes with six touchdowns.
3. Continue to press the quarterback. The Lions defense has 13 sacks in four games – 12 of them in the last two games. Campbell said it’s another lesson of what happens when everyone does his job and stays unselfish. “And it’s really everybody’s in on it. And we’re getting a lot of production and the more we get inside like out of (Alim McNeill) Mac for example, the more you really see Hutch (Aidan Hutchinson) shine. It’s taking stress off of some of these other guys and vice versa,’’ the coach said. “You see Charles (Harris), you see Barnes, you see Alex (Anzalone), you see (Jack) Campbell, so they’re all playing off of each other, but they’re all doing their job and it’s important.”
4. Don’t expect miracles from wide receiver Jameson Williams. Fans are hungry to see what the speedster adds to this offense. First of all, there’s a chance he might be inactive depending on how he practiced this week. Also, he will be eased into the offense.He played just six games last season and one preseason game this year before he pulled a hamstring and was sidelined until his suspension kicked in. “We know our offense and putting him back in the mix, how much further we can go,’’ said Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El. “I always make sure everyone understands the humbleness part of it. It’s not that he’s the fix-all, be-all. But he brings a different element that us and many other teams don’t have in terms of speed and the way he runs down the field.’’
5. Even though the Panthers (0-4) are winless, the Lions can not go on cruise control and expect to win the game. Detroit is a 9-point favorite but that doesn’t mean much either. “Look, we talk about it all the time and we’ve lived it. We’ve been there, we know what that’s like. There’s enough of us who’ve been here and know what it’s like when you’re trying to find that win. You’ve lost a few and you’re doing everything you can as players and as coaches to find a way to get that first one. So, we expect their best shot,’’ Campbell said. “Those guys are over there preparing. … And we’re in a race to improve with everybody in this League, and the ones who can improve the fastest are the ones that begin to make a rise in October. So, it goes without saying if you don’t show up and you play sloppy football, you turn the ball over, you don’t get takeaways, you’re not where you’re supposed to be, your odds of losing go way up.”
INJURY UPDATE
The Lions will be missing CB Brian Branch (ankle) and FB Jason Cabinda (knee). WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, who injured his abdomen in the Packers’ win, is ranked as doubtful along with TE James Mitchell (hamstring).
RB Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) appeared on the injury report for the first time this week on Friday. He’s listed as questionable along with Taylor Decker, WR Josh Reynolds, S Kerby Joseph, LB Julian Okwara and G Halapoultivaati Vaitai. CB Emmanuel Moseley (knee/hamstring) is expected to make his LIons’ debut in some capacity.
PREDICTION: Lions 31, Panthers 13. The Lions’ defense is playing too well for the Panthers to pull another upset.
Lions Lowdown 