Detroit Lions – Page 32

Banged-up Lions face division rival Packers; injury updates and prediction

Five things to watch as Packers visit Ford Field

Lions coach Dan Campbell is amped up every week, but perhaps more so as the Lions face the Packers in a huge divisional contest on Thursday night at Ford Field.

“They have players everywhere and they’re playing good football. So, this is going to be a great matchup,’’ Campbell said. “Back at our place, it’s just another one of those, division game number four, get it back at home against a really good opponent and it’s – there again, this is why you do it. This is why you coach, it’s why you play, so, we’re fired up for this.”

The Lions, who have won all three of their division contests, won the first meeting against the Pack, 24-14, at Lambeau Field on Nov. 3. Since then the Lions are 4-0 while the Packers are 3-0.

“There will be enough carryover, I’m sure for them as well as us. Things that they did well against us, things that we did well, and then you just kind of play off of that,’’ Campbell said. “And there will be wrinkles on both sides. The weather affected a couple of things, but I think all in all, the blueprint’s there for either team, however you want to look at it. So, I don’t see anything being too significant and we get wrinkles every week. We always get something that’s tendency breakers now. So, we pretty much expect that.”

Five things to watch:

ONE: The Lions’ defense must contain Packers RB Josh Jacobs who is having a good season. “Big, powerful, hard to tackle, run after contact, and I said this the first time that we played them, is when you have a running back of that nature, it changes the mindset of the O-line. So now the O-line knows that we have this physical runner, so now that turns into a more physical offensive line and all they have to do is show him, give him a little crease, and they know that he’s going to make three yards out of nothing,’’ Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “Most of those three yards end up getting to be six and seven yards and he’s going to break a tackle. So, I think he fits that scheme perfectly and he’s doing a hell of a job as far as complementing the whole offense which allows now the vertical passing game to show up.”

TWO: Quarterback Jordan Love had a fairly good game in the first meeting of the two, with 273 passing yards and one interception. But when it came to the red zone, the Lions defense held and Green Bay was just one-of-four inside the 20. Since the Packers started leaning more on the run, Love has improved. He threw 11 interceptions in the first eight games but has gone two games without a pick and with a total of four TD passes.

THREE: Against the Bears on Thanksgiving, Detroit’s run game was so effective Chicago barely had the ball on offense. With a depleted defense due to injury, a similar start would be effective. No reason that can’t happen with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs both healthy. They combined for 138 rushing yards in Green Bay on Nov. 3.

FOUR: Especially with the absence of Alex Anzalone, linebacker Jack Campbell has stepped up. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said he’s their rock. “He’s a man’s man, he loves standing in front of the huddle to give the call to those guys and they really really respect him,’’ Glenn said. “They respect him because of who he is personally, but they respect the way he plays the game, it’s a hundred mph all the time.’’ Campbell amassed 10 tackles in the first meeting with Green Bay.

FIVE: The Lions need Jared Goff to have another big game. While it’s just been a month since they faced each other, both teams have changed a bit and both are still winning. The Packers have won three straight. “They’re playing well and we’ve got our hands full. It’s a good defense, they’re well-coached, they do a lot of really good things, the backend’s good, the linebackers are good, the front four is good, they’re good on every level and we know what we’ve got to take care of,’’ said Goff who as 18 of 22 for 145 yards and a touchdown in their first meeting.

LIONS INJURY UPDATE: LT Taylor Decker (knee), DL Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring), DL Josh Paschal (knee) and DL D.J. Reader (shoulder) are out.

PACKERS INJURY UPDATE: CB Jaire Alexander (knee), WR Romeo Doubs (concussion), LB Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) and DB Corey Ballentine (knee) are out.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Packers 24

Lions WR Jameson Williams just wanted a highlight when he hurdled Bears DB

ALLEN PARK — Jameson Williams had told his Detroit Lions wide receiver teammates for weeks that he was looking to hurdle over a defenseman during a game.

Afterall, he had a legitimate reason: “I just wanted to get a highlight.”

So Williams, best known as JaMo, stepped up and in the Thanksgiving win over the Bears, he caught a Jared Goff pass and hurdled over Bears defensive back Kevin Byard on a second-and-1 play to gain 15 yards. Byard, who is 5-foot-11, was standing tall. No problem for JaMo.

“I ain’t going to lie, I’ve been telling receivers I’m going to hurdle somebody for 2-3 weeks now. Ever since I came back in Houston game,’’ Williams said on Monday. “I tried to do it in Houston game. I kinda did it but it didn’t work out as well as this one. Last week vs. the Colts I tried to jump, but I got tripped up from the back on the catch. This week it was one-on-one and I just did it.’’

He got the result he wanted, the highlight clip has been everywhere.

“I think it was exciting, I heard the crowd go crazy. That was probably one of the only plays or first plays I’ve actually been on the field and hear the sound of the crowd change — go from normal to when I jumped over him it was really loud,’’ Williams said. “I think it’s exciting for me, my teammates, the fans. That’s what I try to do, I try to create excitement for everybody that was watching us play, watching me play.’’

It is not like he is new to hurdles.

Along with football, Williams ran track at Cardinal Ritter High School (St. Louis) and won back-to-back Class 3 state titles in the 300-meter hurdles.

In 2018, Williams ran the 300-meter hurdles in 37.28 seconds, breaking the previous record set by Ezekiel Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys running back. Williams also won a state title in the 400 meters.

He tried hurdling defenders in high school with limited success.

“The first game of my senior year I did it and I scored. In St. Louis in high school, you can’t hurdle, it’s a penalty. They didn’t call a penalty on that one,’’ Williams said. “Then I did it my last game in the state championship. I hurdled somebody, I rolled over them but I was never down, I got up and finished but they called it a flag. So it got called back.’’

Williams’ speed is what set him apart on the football field at Alabama and now with the Lions.

He would like to get a chance to use that speed as a punt returner.

Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said Williams and cornerback Terrion Arnold beg him to return punts.

“I love it, it doesn’t mean they’re going to get that, but I love the fact that they want to do it because there are some other players that probably are hoping that their number’s not called, it’s just the reality of it,’’ Fipp said. “But you want guys who want to touch the ball, I mean, that’s how (former RB) Darren Sproles was, that’s how (former WR) DeSean Jackson was. I mean, those guys wanted to be back there, they wanted to touch the ball and they wanted to make a difference in the game, and they knew that it was an opportunity to do it.”

Williams has matured in his three years in Detroit and last week said flat-out he’s a football player. He takes pride in blocking and his connection with Jared Goff continues to grow.

Still, some NFL players do not want to play on special teams.

“It’s football, it’s still football. You’ve got the ability to make a play and change the game on special teams,’’ Williams said, explaining that a punt return can be a game changer just like a play on offense or defense.

UP NEXT: Green Bay Packers (9-3) at Detroit Lions (11-1) at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday at Ford Field.)

Lions snap Thanksgiving losing streak in 23-20 win over the Bears

DETROIT — It was a win that tasted good, literally. After the Lions edged the Chicago Bears, 23-20, quarterback Jared Goff and a few of his teammates got to eat from the CBS victory turkey.

“In your NFL career you have these bucket lists, holding the Lombardi is obviously No. 1, but eating the turkey after the Thanksgiving win is up there too,’’ Goff said. “That’s something I’ll never forget. It was actually pretty good, the stuffing was good.’’

It wasn’t a typical win for the Lions who have been blowing out opponents this season. Didn’t matter to the Lions who have started a season 11-1 for the first time in franchise history.

It was their 10th straight win and third in the division. That’s what matters.

“Ultimately that was a good win against an opponent that has fought every week. This is the third game in a row – division game – that those guys have brought it over there,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “We did what we had to do to win, we’ll clean up the other stuff that cost us some points. I’m not worried about that, but I will take this W and I’m not going to lose sleep over it.’’

The Lions dominated the first half and took a 16-0 lead into the locker room. Then the tables turned and the Bears found some offensive juice in the second half.

Detroit never lost the lead, but early in the fourth quarter a touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Keenan Allen tightened up the score to 23-13. Then a 31-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Moore with 5:36 left put the Bears within 3 points, 23-20.

Questionable clock management at the end – the Bears still had a timeout left – and all of a sudden, it was over and the Lions won. It was the sixth straight loss for the Bears (4-8).

Five reasons the Lions won:

ONE: The Lions defense in the first half held the Bears to just 53 yards, two first downs and zero points. Already decimated by injury, defensive linemen Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike were injured and out of the game. Still the defense found a way to just hold on. Campbell loved the way Za’Darius Smith, D.J. Reader and Al-Qaudin Muhammad stepped up on the line.

TWO: The dynamic RB duo did not disappoint. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 228 scrimmage yards. They were especially effective in the first half when the Lions had 144 rushing yards. No touchdowns for either one. Gibbs fumbled – an uncharacteristic move – and lost the ball on the Bears’ 6-yard line in the second quarter. A touchdown there would have changed the game.

THREE: Jared Goff had a solid day, but the Lions were just 2-of-5 in the red zone. In the first half they were forced to settle for three field goals when they stalled out inside the 20. “It wasn’t our best performance in the red zone, we’ve got to do better. We’ll learn from it,’’ said Goff who was 21 of 34 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and a 100.2 rating.

FOUR: Tight end Sam LaPorta caught a pair of touchdown passes. “I feel like this is the healthiest he’s been in a while during the season. He’s in good shape and he really brings it. Sometimes, I don’t want to say you take it for granted, but you forget all that he does for us. He really helps us in the run game as well as what you see in the pass game. …He makes the offense better,’’ Campbell said.

FIVE: Perhaps WR Jameson Williams will mostly be remembered for hurdling over Kevin Byard on a 15-yard run in the third quarter. It was an amazing leap that blew up Twitter, but not surprising when you consider Williams won two state championships in the 300-yard hurdles in hIgh school. However, in the fourth quarter, Williams caught a 3-yard pass and then was penalized for taunting which cost the Lions 15 yards. It was not a smart move and Williams knew it. “That’s already cleaned up. We’re good. As a matter of fact, Jamo got in front of the team a minute ago, unsolicited, and wanted to apologize to his teammates,’’ Campbell said. “That’s big, man. It’s all good.’’ Williams finished with five catches for 28 yards and two runs for 18 yards.

INJURIES: Campbell said he is most concerned with the knee injury to LB Malcolm Rodriguez but he offered no specifics. … Defensive linemen Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) also left the game with injuries, but the coach doesn’t think they are as serious. … CB Emmanuel Moseley, who was expected to be active, tweaked something in pre-game so was held out.

UP NEXT: Green Bay Packers at Lions, 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5.