Category: Detroit Lions

Five things to watch as Lions face Packers in key divisional matchup

Detroit injuries could play a factor; plus updates, prediction

It seems like ages ago, back in Week 1 when the Lions got beat soundly by the Packers in Green Bay. Detroit has been waiting months for the rematch and  it’s finally here.

The Packers meet the Lions at 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving at Ford Field.

“Nobody likes losing. We don’t like losing and we don’t like losing to anybody. But you open the year and we go out to their place and they gave it to us pretty good and a division opponent, you don’t want to start that way.’’ Dan Campbell said. 

“So, I think any chance you have to – you get another opportunity. That’s one of the blessings of playing somebody in your division twice, you get another opportunity. And so, we’ve got another opportunity in front of us at our place on a short week and we’re looking forward to it. It’s a good team. And this division’s good, I mean we’ve said that. It’s a good division – it’s been good for a while. So, this is good.”

Detroit is coming off a 34-27 overtime win over the Giants to boost their record to 7-4, third in the NFC North. The Packers (7-3-1) routed the Vikings, 23-6, to remain in second place. While the Chicago Bears (8-3) hold on to first in the division.

To say the Lions-Packers game is huge is an understatement. While there will be five games left, the outcome could determine playoff status.

Both teams have developed and changed since Week 1.

“Well, I think it’s – the easy thing to say is I wish we were cleaner in areas. Yeah, I wish we were cleaner altogether,’’ Campbell said. “It’s like you play good on one side and then the other side you’re sputtering a little bit or then the other side you do some things right and then maybe one of the units isn’t as good. And you just want to feel like all three are good.’’

Five things to watch:

ONE: Look for increased protection for quarterback Jared Goff from offensive line and others. He was sacked three times by the Giants and in the loss to the Eagles, he just did not have much time in the pocket. Green Bay’s Micah Parsons, always a threat, had two sacks against the Vikings and has 10 overall. 

TWO: Run the ball. Let Jahmyr Gibbs work his magic. In the loss to the Packers, the run game could not get in gear with 46 total rushing yards averaging a measly 2.1 yards per carry. In part it happened because of miscommunication issues on the line. Rookie guard Tate Ratledge said that was the worst game he’s ever played at any level. The communication seems to have been fixed, Gibbs averaged 14.6 yards per carry in the win over the Giants. So it’s crucial to get Gibbs and David Montgomery in the flow early and often.

THREE: Convert third downs – keep Jordan Love off the field. Again, in that opening loss, Detroit held a big edge in time of possession but did not execute when they had the ball. In the first 11 games they converted on 36.23 percent of third downs. Just not enough. Last season, they averaged 47.6 percent, fourth in the NFL.

FOUR: Defense must pressure Love who has thrown just three interceptions this season against 15 touchdowns. The LIons defense must also tighten up in third-and-long situations. It was an issue with the Giants. “It’s one thing here, it’s one thing there. Some of it has been penalties, it’s the way we play and we’re not going to go away from the way we play,’’ Campbell said. “That’s the style that we’re going to challenge. Some of it, if we are going to pressure, we don’t always get home. So, I mentioned this the other day, you get strung out. That happened a few times. We had a couple of things, just tackling in space that got us. But when you go across the board and you look at them in totality, it’s really one guy here, one guy there. And so, there again, we’ve just got to play as one. We want them in second-and-long, we want them in third-and-long. We’ve got to be better, and we will be better. We’ll be better.”

FIVE: Special teams must keep up the good work. Kicker Jake Bates and punter Jack Fox were huge in the overtime win against the Giants. Bates was 5 of 5 on field goal attempts, nailing a career-high 59-yarder to tie the game late and send it to overtime. The Giants had lousy field position all game getting nailed back by Fox’s punts.

LIONS INJURIES: OUT — C Graham Glasgow, TE Brock Wright, S Kerby Joseph, EDGE Josh Paschal, WR Kalif Raymond; QUESTIONABLE — CB Terrion Arnold, EDGE Marcus Davenport, T Taylor Decker, OL MIles Frazier, G Tate Ratledge, T Penei Sewell, WR Isacc TeSlaa and RB Sione Vaki.

PACKERS INJURIES: DL Kari Brooks, DL Lukas Van Ness, WR Jayden Reed and WR Savion Wllliams; WR Matthew Golden, CB Nate Hobbs, CB Kelsean Nixon and LB Quay Walker.

PREDICTION: Lions 28, Packers 27

Lomas Brown ‘flabbergasted’ when named a semifinalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Brown blocked for Barry Sanders during his 11 years with the Lions

Fittingly, Lomas Brown was at a turkey giveaway on Tuesday morning when he got the call that he is a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I was just flabbergasted,’’ Brown said at a press conference on Tuesday. “I didn’t have words at that point. I’m still kind of short of words to say what this means to me.’’

Brown, an offensive tackle for the Lions from 1985-1995, said he is thankful for the chance to get in the Hall and to all those who have helped him including the Lions media relations staff and the Lions organizaion. After an 18-year NFL career, he retired from the Buccaneers in 2002 and has been eligible for the Hall since 2007.

“I’m just thankful today to be able to get to a point I’ve never gotten in the Hall of Fame selection. I’m just thankful,’’ Brown said.

The seven-time Pro Bowler was drafted by Detroit in 1985, stayed for 11 years and then went on to play for the Cardinals, the Browns, the Giants and the Buccaneers where he was on the 2002 team that won the Super Bowl. 

He was teammates with coach Dan Campbell on the Giants in 2001-2002.

“Unbelievable teammate, always upbeat, never a bad day, willing to do whatever for a teammate and just a helluva player, a productive player,’’ said Campbell who played tight end. “You talk about reliability, dependability, that was him.’’

At the time Brown didn’t see Campbell as a potential NFL coach, but he did see something in him.

“I was in my 15th year, he was in his second when I got to New York. You couldn’t say he was going to be a great coach but there was something different about that dude,’’ Brown said.

Brown remains engaged with the Lions as part of the radio broadcast team. He’s also involved in charity work in the community which started when he was drafted in 1985.

“As an offensive lineman you’ve always — there’s something about you where you want to protect people — make sure everyone is having success,’’ Brown said. “And I think for me when I first got here in ‘85 my thing was instead of making a big impact on the field I thought about making a big impact off the field. It thrust me into the community and you guys live here, this is a great community. We know there’ s a lot of need out there. They say to those who much is given, much is expected. I kind of took that moniker.’’

The next step in the Pro Football Hall of Fame process is to narrow the field from the 26 semifinalists to 15 which is expected by the end of the year.

It’s been a bumpier road this season for the Lions: Will it pay off?

November success hinges on matchup against Packers

ALLEN PARK — Will November be a month to remember for the Lions? So far they have two wins and two losses. It all hinges on the Packers game on Thanksgiving.

Detroit is 7-4, Green Bay is 7-3-1. In their first meeting in Week 1, the Packers dominated, 27-13. Both teams are different now. Green Bay also is 2-2 this month.

The Lions needed overtime on Sunday to beat the lowly, two-win Giants. They routed the Commanders and lost to the Vikings. 

Then there is this gem: The Lions are one of two teams in NFL history to produce 24-plus passing TDs, 15-plus rushing TDs and 8-or-fewer turnovers through the first 11 games of any season. The other team was the 2012 Patriots.

After 11 games, the Lions are one big puzzle and so different from last year when they finished 15-2.

On Monday, coach Dan Campbell said the obvious – of course he would like to see his team play cleaner in some areas and he’d like all three units to complement each other game-in and game-out.

“Also, maybe this is this year, you know, as we continue to clean things up just find a way to win, just find a way to win,’’ Campbell said on Monday.  “Kind of like what happened yesterday. Along the way let’s get our confidence up, let’s get a little momentum, let’s feed off each other. Say what you want, yesterday, at the end of the day, the best thing that happened was we did complement each other.’’

In the fourth quarter when they needed a big stop in the Red Zone, the defense came up big. When Jake Bates was asked to kick a 59-yard field goal – boom, he did so. Jahmyr Gibbs put the offense on his back scoring on the first snap of OT. Then Aidan Hutchinson came up with the only sack of Giants QB Jameis Winston all day. It may not have been pretty throughout – the Lions never led until overtime – but they dug deep to win.

“At the end of the day, you take it the way it comes and you just try to improve along the way. You just never know, 15-2 felt great last year until you get booted right out,’’ Campbell said, referring to the first-round playoff loss to the Commanders. 

“It’s like, hey man, maybe we have to go the hard road and just win, let’s just win and find a way every week and grind it out.’’

Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson echoes Campbell heading into Thanksgiving.

“We found ourselves with a couple losses early and I think right now we are just heads down, grinding these wins out and really just focused on the next game — that’s the Packers,’’ Hutchinson said. “Focus on being 1-0 this week, if we adopt that mentality it will serve us in the end. And I think going to the playoffs when we are hitting our stride, that’s the most ideal time to do that.’’

UP NEXT: Packers (7-3-1) at Lions (7-4), 1 p.m. Thursday at Ford Field. FOX will carry the game with Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt in the booth.