Category: NFL

Detroit Lions injuries mount with 4 of top 5 cornerbacks sidelined

ALLEN PARK — After just five games — four straight wins — injuries are mounting for the Lions, especially in the secondary with four of the top five cornerbacks out.

The latest is Terrion Arnold. Coach Dan Campbell said on Monday that he’ll be out for a long time with a shoulder injury. He did not know if his injury is season-ending.

Arnold started in Sunday’s 37-24 win at Cincinnati and finished with a tackle and two defended passes.

“I just thought he was very competitive, I thought he was calm, he was cool, and I thought this was one of the better games he’s played in a while,’’ Campbell said. “I thought he was really good. We put a lot on him and I thought he answered the bell.’’

Now he’s out along with corner D.J. Reed who is on injured reserve after a hamstring injury in Week 4.

Cornerback Khalil Dorsey showed up on the injury report last week with a wrist injury and did not play Sunday. He also will be out for a while.

In August the Lions lost CB Ennis Rakestraw for the season due to a shoulder injury.

Campbell compared it to the run of defensive injuries last season except then it was front-end guys, now it’s the secondary.

“The front end was last year — the D-line, we got hit at linebacker. Now we’re pretty good there now it’s on the back end,’’ Campbell said. “You tweak a couple things and the front has got to get there a little quicker and our DBs get up there to challenge and compete. We’ll adjust, we’ll adapt, we’ll move on.’’

Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin saw more action Sunday and likely will moving forward.

“I thought (Ya-Sin) did a good job yesterday. He did exactly what we asked him to do. The plan was good and he executed well in that plan,’’ Campbell said. “Here’s what you love about Rock, he plays fearless, he’s not afraid, he doesn’t care who he’s going against, he’s aggressive, he’ll challenge at the release points, he challenges at the catch point, he’ll run up, he’ll tackle, he’ll hit. That’s all you can ask for, that’s what we’re looking for.’’

Like coaches everywhere Campbell is all about the next man up. They practice that way, giving backups reps at their positions. No excuses, no head-hanging.

“This train doesn’t stop for anybody, it doesn’t matter who it is or what it is,’’ Campbell said. “We have to go, nobody cares, nobody is going to feel sorry for you. You put your best 22 out there – offense, defense and special teams. You’ve got to find a way to win the game. You use all three phases to do it and we will use all three phases to do it.’’

NEXT UP: Lions (4-1) at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12)

Lions QB Jared Goff continues to put up big numbers in 4 straight wins

ALLEN PARK — Jared Goff isn’t flashy. He doesn’t grab headlines. He just wins.

While the NFL is full of quarterback issues, the only issue in Detroit is whether Goff gets enough appreciation.

After Sunday’s 37-24 win at the Bengals, Goff joins  Peyton Manning (2013) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to accumulate at least 12 touchdown passes, a 75.0 percent completion rate and a 120.0 passer rating through the first five games of any season. 

That’s elite company.

That’s not all.

In Sunday’s win Goff completed 19-of-23 passes (82.6%) for 258 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 153.0 passer rating. He tied an NFL record by producing his sixth-straight road game with a completion percentage of at least 70.0% (20 attempts per game minimum). 

“Goff is playing at a high level, very efficient,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. “We put a lot on his plate, he’s getting us in the right play.’’

After four straight wins, his numbers have risen above the rest. He only has one game (win at Browns) where his completion percentage was less than 71 percent. He’s had a pair of games where he completed more than 82 percent of his passes – Sunday in win at Bengals and win at Bears in Week 2.

In the last four games he has a 73.6 percent completion rate (third in NFL), 240.5 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns against just one interception. 

He was playing without starting left tackle Taylor Decker in Cincinnati and got sacked four times but it did not seem to affect his game. At all.

Lions offensive coordinator John Morton worked with Goff in 2022 when he was the Lions senior offensive assistant. He said since then everything has changed.

“I mean the communication — RCE (recognize, communicate, execute) that we always talk about – he’s just been phenomenal. Game planning me and him, just talking, the accuracy that he’s had, handling checks at the line. All that, just everything, he’s just so much better at,’’Morton said. “And he’s played a while, so he’s comfortable in this offense and where we’re at. And that’s good for a quarterback because you want him to go out there and not think about a lot of stuff. But he’s got in some great checks and we’ve capitalized on it.’’

UP NEXT: Lions (4-1) at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. on Sunday.

Five reasons the Lions topped the Bengals for 4th straight win

It was smooth sailing for the Lions in Cincinnati, until the Bengals offense found a bit of life in the second half.

Down 28-3, the Bengals came back in the second half scoring 14 straight points on two touchdown passes from Jake Browning to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Then another touchdown late in the fourth on a pass to Tee Higgins.

It wasn’t enough. The Lions won their fourth straight game with a 37-24 victory in Cincinnati late Sunday afternoon. In all four wins the Lions have scored 34 or more points.

“That’s a good win. We’ll take that. Do we have things to clean up, was it perfect? No, it wasn’t. But man we did what we needed to do,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “I thought our guys were ready to compete, we fought. Once again we played complementary football. That’s what great teams do. We always find a way. I thought our defense came out hot, they set the tone for the game.’’

Campbell preaches complementary football every week and they provided it for him agains Sunday.

“When we need help the offense responds, we go all the way down the field, flush it out and open it back up again,’’ Campbell said. “I’m proud of the guys, that’s a good win.’’

Five reasons the Lions won:

ONE: Turnovers. “When you really start getting good at them, you start hunting for them. Our guys are hunting for them, they become contagious,’’ Campbell said. “This is the first time since I’ve been here that we’re getting them in bunches early in the year.’’ Bengals QB Jake Browning was intercepted three times, and the Lions scored following two of those. Credit Amik Robertson, Kerby Joseph and Alex Anzalone with interceptions. Linebacker Derrick Barnes sealed the win with a sack and safety with less than 2 minutes left. The defense came out on fire and made Browning’s life miserable early. Aidan Hutchinson’s strip sack early in the fourth was recovered by the Bengals. Hutchinson also had a safety negated on a penalty and was pressuring Browning all day.  

TWO: Jared Goff was sacked twice in the first half. One was a sack-fumble, recovered by the Bengals. It wasn’t all on Giovanni Manu, who was starting in place of the injured Taylor Decker, at left tackle, but Decker was missed. Campbell said Manu had ups and downs in his first NFL start. Goff had gone 3 straight games without being sacked. But credit the Bengals defense for sacking him twice more in the second half. Goff led the offense to a 14-3 half-time lead and after the Bengals closed the gap to 28-17, Goff led a five-minute drive resulting in a 12-yard touchdown pass to rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa. Goff finished 19-23 for 258 yards and three touchdowns. 

THREE: RB Jahmyr Gibbs scored on a 20-yard pass play from Goff. He is the first Lions player to produce four rushing TDs and one receiving TD through the first five games of a season since Jahvid Best in 2010. Gibbs has scored a TD in six-straight games against AFC opponents. He had 12 carries for 54 yards and two catches for 33 yards.

FOUR: RB David Montgomery was playing in his hometown of Cincinnati where he was a quarterback in high school. He’s still got the arm. On a wildcat play from the 3-yard line, he tossed a touchdown pass to Brock Wright. He also ran in from the 8-yard line to score. Sunday marked the 14th time that teammates had reached the endzone in the same game. All in all, a good homecoming. He finished with 18 carries for 65 yards. Campbell called Montgomery one of the team’s heartbeat guys, saying everyone respects him and roots for him.

FIVE:  The Lions defense was solid in the first quarter. They let up on the Bengals’ last drive of the first half which resulted in a field goal. However, Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase and Browning connected for a pair of touchdowns in the second half. With just three minutes left, Browning connected with Tee Higgins for a touchdown. 

BY THE NUMBERS: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown had 8 catches for 200 yards. He has passed Brett Perriman (5,244) for the fourth-most receiving yards in franchise history. .… TE Sam LaPorta caught 5 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. … It was the 14th time that Montgomery and Gibbs have each reached the endzone in the same game. … Goff has tied an NFL record by completing 70 percent of his passes in six-straight road games. … LB Jack Campbell led defense with 11 tackles and a forced fumble.

UP NEXT: Lions (4-1) at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. on Sunday, Oct 12.  The Chiefs (2-2) play the Jaguars (3-1) on Monday night football.