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Five things to watch as Lions face Bucs at Tampa Bay; plus, prediction

With a 4-1 record, good enough to lead the NFC North, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell admitted this week that the team is having fun.

“You’re putting in the world and it’s paying dividends,’’ Campbell said.

The Lions are blowing up a few franchise records and not just winning games, but winning them convincingly. They’ve outscored their opponents 96-50 in the last three games. All wins, by the way. It’s the first time since 1997 that the Lions have won three straight games by 14 or more points.

The Lions have produced at least 350 total net yards in each of the first five games of the season for the second time in team history and the first since 1954.

They cannot let the foot off the pedal with Bucs (3-1) coming up on Sunday at Tampa Bay at 4:25 p.m. (The game was flexed from its original time of 1 p.m.)

“Tampa is playing good football right now, 3-1. I’ve coached with (Bucs coach) Todd Bowles at Miami, known him a long time. I think he’s an excellent coach. He’s doing a great job out there,’’ Campbell said. “Playing good defense, they’re committed to the run on offense. Baker (Mayfield)’s playing good football. They’re plus-seven in the turnover ratio, which has been big for them. They’re converting on third down. Defensively, they’re stingy in the red zone, so we’ve got our hands full.’’

Five things to watch:

1. Stopping the run has been a key to the defense. They’ve allowed a measly 342 yards through five games in team history since at least 1932. They can’t let up against Tampa Bay RB Rachaad White, the top rusher with 206 yards, averaging 3.3 yards per carry.

2. On the other side, Lions RB David Montgomery has been carrying the load and showing no signs of letting up. He’s the first Lions to rush for 100 yards and a touchdown in consecutive games since 2004. “He’s a stud. He’s a stud. He’s fit in just perfectly with us and does such a great job every day,’’ Jared Goff said. “And obviously, you guys see him on gameday, the stuff he does, but his leadership, his ability both in the run and the pass, his attention to detail in protection I think is pretty special for a running back.’’

3. Getting pressure on the quarterback is another key to the defense’s success. Defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson has 35 quarterback pressures in first five games which is tops in the NFL. They’ll have their hands full with Baker Mayfield who is the Bucs’ second leading rusher.

4. Jared Goff may be playing the best football of his career. He has total control of the offense, completing 69.8 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He’ll need his offensive line to come up big again against NT Vita Vea. “He’s one of the best players at his position in the League and can move the pocket, can push the pocket, can play well in the run game as well,’’ Goff said. “But yeah, he can get in the backfield and cause some problems.” Of course Goff has got a few good weapons like Amon-Ra St. Brown (who could play this week), WR Josh Reynolds who has stepped up this season and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta who is playing like a veteran with 25 catches for 289 yards and three touchdowns.

5. The Lions must play with the intensity that they’ve displayed in these first five games. This should not be an issue with Dan Campbell leading them. “I mean any time you win, it’s fun. It makes everything a little bit lighter. There’s a little more peace to it in the moment. … You want to just continue to try to stack them up and get better than you were and so it’s a good thing right now,’’ the coach said.

PREDICTION: Lions 31, Bucs 28. Tampa is coming off their bye so they’ve had more time to prepare. However, Detroit is on such a roll just can’t see a Lions’ loss.

Lions Dan Campbell’s recipe for success involves physicality with a dose of creativity

ALLEN PARK — From Day One, Lions coach Dan Campbell drew up a plan for a tough and physical team. Throw in a pinch of creativity and start stacking the wins.

Not only have the Lions opened a few eyes around the NFL with a 4-1 record, they’re also a team that’s getting a reputation as being fun to watch.

In Sunday’s 42-24 win over the Panthers, center Frank Ragnow direct-snapped the ball to running back David Montgomery through the legs of quarterback Jared Goff and it was good for 10 yards and a first down. Goff on a reverse flea flicker found a wide-open Sam LaPorta for a touchdown.

Going for it on fourth down is nothing unusual. Fake punt? Dial it up. Campbell and his coordinators thrive on creativity.

“I just think for our players they’re so used to, that’s who we are. They understand that’s part of our identity. We’ll always be known, in my opinion, as a tough team. We should be a tough, physical team – offense, defense, special teams,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Monday.

“If you’re just tough and you’re just physical and you have no creativity you’re not going to do anything with it, you’ll bang away,” he added.

Campbell said he watched the 49ers’ 42-10 win over Dallas on Sunday night and credited Mike Shanahan with doing an “unbelievable job.”

“Those guys are physical, tough and very creative in the run and pass game. That’s what makes them so difficult and they play outstanding defense,’’ Campbell said.

He said his guys have gotten used to the sprinkling of unusual plays.

“If we’re going to go for it on fourth, nobody is batting an eye, there’s not pressure. This is a part of what we do, this is just another play for us to convert,’’ Campbell said.

“When we dial up some of the plays that we dial up, a little bit of the smoke and mirror plays, our guys know we’ve repped them enough that they’ve figured out, give them multiple looks, keep repping and they’ve done it enough to where they’ll make it right,’’ Campbell said.

After the win, Goff said they worked on the direct snap all week. The ball never hit his legs on the way back to Montgomery, the issue was the timing. Obviously they got that down.

The plays are effective and the players enjoy them.

“You’ve got to make it work, or they won’t call them again. Just being able to be creative and do some of the cool things that Ben (Johnson) has. I’ve never really seen some of the things he calls and how he calls it,’’ Montgomery said. “It’s fun, really fun. I’m excited to get some more of those in too.”

Campbell knows the guys enjoy running the plays.

“They have a good time when they’re able to do something a little bit out of the norm. They enjoy it. I know it’s a lot of eye candy out there,’’ Campbell said. “(Physicality) is always going to be the heart of because that’s what sets up all the other stuff.’’

INJURY UPDATE: CB Emmanuel Moseley, who was in Sunday’s game for two snaps, tore his ACL and is out for the season. He had been rehabbing from ACL surgery on his other knee which delayed his season debut until Sunday.

UP NEXT: Lions (4-1) at Tampa Bay Bucs (3-1), 4:25 p.m. on Sunday. Game was flexed from orignal time of 1 p.m.

Detroit Lions take care of business against Panthers; 5 reasons for 42-24 win

DETROIT — Each week it’s a different challenge and for the fourth time in five weeks, the Detroit Lions stepped up and finished with a win. The Carolina Panthers were no match for the Lions in Detroit’s 42-24 win at Ford Field on Sunday.

The Lions (4-1), and in first place in the NFC North, were coming off a big win at the Green Bay Packers while the struggling Panthers (0-5) were looking for their first win.

“I’m not worried about the opponents you can see eye to eye, cause I believe we can compete with anybody and beat anybody in this league,’’ coach Dan Campbell said afterward. “It’s the ones you don’t see coming.’’

These Lions seem to be up for the challenge. And while Campbell deflected a question about whether they have taken on his personality, it is clear that they have.

“You tell your team (your) just concerns and you talk about it and your team tells you, ‘Coach ,freaking relax’ and they did that today,’’ Campbell said. “They came out and set the tone for the game and really never let off the gas.’’

They jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, were up 28-10 at the half and added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the win.

These Lions are 12-3 since last Halloween. The 42 points was the most they had scored since a 48-45 loss to Seattle on Oct 2, 2022.

Five reasons the Lions won:

1. Turns out the turnover battle was no battle at all. The Lions’ defense forced a fumble which resulted in a touchdown pass to WR Josh Reynolds 10 plays later. Also DE Aidan Hutchinson reached in and made a one-handed interception of Bryce Young which led to a touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta four plays later. And CB Jerry Jacobs picked off Young on a first-and-10 at Carolina’s own 23. Next play Goff threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to LaPorta. Seems like a trend. “To come away with three takeaways and turn that into 21 points offensively, that’s complementary football. Just an outstanding job by those players,’’ Campbell said. “They don’t care who we play, it’s competition and they show up.’’ The Lions’ offense did not turn the ball over.

2. Quarterback Jared Goff continues his stellar play. He completed 20 of 28 passes (a few were dropped) for 236 yards, three passing touchdowns, one rushing score and zero interceptions. “There’s always more Goff can give and that’s a great thing because he is playing at a high level right now. I love where his confidence is at,’’ Campbell said. “We came out saying we wanted to throw the ball early in this game and he was on fire. We have a tremendous amount of confidence in him.’’

3. DE Aidan Hutchinson grabbed his first interception of the season and it was a one-handed beauty. He also had a sack, two TFLs, a quarterback hit, a pass defense and three tackles. Just another Sunday.

4. Running back David Montgomery fits the Lions like a glove – Campbell’s words not mine. While Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) was inactive, Montgomery took most of the rushing load and averaged 5.7 yards per carry for 109 yards and a touchdown. His kookiest play was a direct snap from Frank Ragnow that went between the legs of Goff to Montgomery on a third-and-6. Goff said they practiced it all week to get the timing down. It worked. Montgomery ran up the gut for 10 yards and a first down and two plays later Goff scored on a one-yard quarterback keeper. RB Craig Reynolds got work in the fourth quarter and scored his first career touchdown on a five-yard run.

5. The Lions were missing two key starters in WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (abdomen) and DB Brian Branch (ankle). No problem. Others stepped up. “We’ve been doing it for three years. I guess at some point you get better at it,’’ Campbell said. “This is something we talked about after ‘21. We have to assume we’re going to lose a significant amount of our starters in the year. That’s the assumption, now what do we do with the guys we have on this roster, how do we utilize them and have enough to produce against the opponent.’’ It’s a puzzle they seemed to have solved at least for the first five games.

BY THE NUMBERS: Sunday was LT Taylor Decker’s 100th start. He got emotional talking about the support he’s had from his family and how much he appreciates the fans. … Rookie TE Sam LaPorta scored on a pair of touchdowns. He finished with four catches for 47 yards. … WR Josh Reynolds stepped up in absence of St. Brown with four catches for 79 yards and one TD. … WR Jameson Williams saw his first action this season after a four-game gambling suspension. He dropped the first ball that Goff sent his way. He had two catches for 2 yards. Campbell said he just wanted to get Williams on the field and acclimated. He said he was not disappointed. … The Lions finished with 377 net yards. It is the first time since 1954 that the Lions have had more than 350 net yards in each of the first five games. … LB Alex Anzalone finished with a team-high 11 tackles. He also had two quarterback hits and was a force throughout. … CB Jerry Jacobs intercepted Young, his third interception in five games.

UP NEXT: Lions (4-1) at Tampa Bay Bucs (3-1). The Bucs had a bye on Sunday.