aidan hutchinson – Page 12

Five things to watch as Lions face Vikings in regular season finale; plus injury update, prediction

It was just two weeks ago that the Lions beat the Vikings on Christmas eve. It seems longer.

That game clinched the NFC North title for Detroit. It was a huge deal.

Sunday’s rematch at 1 p.m. at Ford Field is another big deal for the Lions (11-5). While the Vikings (7-9), who have lost five of the last six, are just going home afterward, the Lions still have an outside shot at the No. 2 seed in the NFL playoffs. They need a win over Minnesota along with losses by the Cowboys and Eagles.

“You’d love to finish the season with a win, regardless of what’s in front of us after that,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said. “You want to head into the postseason with some momentum, and again, division opponent. They’re a tough team and it’ll be tough.”

You may have heard that the Lions are coming off a loss at Dallas in which they were robbed by referee Brad Allen who screwed up by not calling Taylor Decker eligible for the 2-point conversion. Fans are not over it and neither are many around the NFL who just don’t want to see any team lose in that fashion again. However, the Lions have to be over it. They’re taking their mindset from coach Dan Campbell who said he is full of controlled fury. He’s moved on and so have they.

Five things to watch:

1. While his sack numbers haven’t been as high as last year, Aidan Hutchinson has been getting pressures and getting close. At the Cowboys, he sacked Dak Prescott three times. Hutchinson could be on a roll. “You do all the hard work that you do and especially the way he plays, I mean he just, he’s relentless. He gives everything he’s got to win the rep every time and to almost, and almost, and almost get there and then you get there, and then you get there, and then you get there,’’ Campbell said. “I think that’s pretty satisfying, and I think it’s just – he’s always going to want more, but it makes you want to get more and every time you’re able to beat a double team or to beat a one-on-one a little bit faster, your confidence goes up and you gain experience doing it.” Collectively in the last game against the Vikings, the Lions collectively sacked QB Nick Mullens four times.

2. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson ate up the Lions defense two weeks ago. Expect some adjustments in the Lions’ secondary with the return of veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Jefferson had six catches for 141 yards and a touchdown in that Lions win on Dec. 24. “He’s a difference-maker. He’s a dynamic player and we’ve got our hands full,’’ Campbell said. “But I do like our guys, man our guys are – I always believed they accept the challenge and they’re ready to go.”

3. The defense has been on a roll with takeaways — six in the last two games — which is crucial heading into the playoffs. “I just felt like that was the last little element there for us, defensively, and they’re on the come now. They’re showing up and we’re playing aggressive-style football,’’ Campbell said. “We’re going after the football, we’re getting after the quarterback. Everybody’s doing their responsibility and then our safeties are getting hands on the ball and when they do, they’re making the plays on them. So, and then just – there again, being able to get to the quarterback and get it out of his hand is showing up. So, I want to believe that’s here to stay. My history says it does.”

4. Keep the run game moving. In the first matchup, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 146 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. While running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said the win is the thing, each of the guys could reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. Montgomery is at 975 yards while Gibbs has 915.

5. Look for a few changes on the field with DT Alim McNeill possibly returning. FB Jason Cabinda is expected back. What you will not see is Campbell and the coaching staff getting a look at some of the younger guys for the future. Winning this game is the only thing, getting young players reps will have to wait.

INJURIES: WR Jameson Williams (ankle), TE Brock Wright (hip) and LB James Houston (ankle) are out; DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson (pectoral), DT Benito Jones (illness) and DT Alim McNeill (knee) are questionable.

PREDICTION: Lions 31, Vikings 17. It could be a bigger differential since the Lions still have hopes of a No. 2 seed and the Vikings are done.

Detroit Lions stay calm, come back from 12-point deficit to beat Bears, 31-26

DETROIT — While there is no easy explanation for Detroit Lions’ two-touchdown comeback for a 31-26 win over the Chicago Bears, coach Dan Campbell said when the pressure went up, their heart rate leveled out.

No one appeared frazzled, no one shrugged his shoulders. Instead the Lions, who are 8-2 for the first time since 1962, went calmly about their business. They weren’t playing well with four turnovers and the defense struggling to contain Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Didn’t matter.

With 4:15 left, they were down 26-14 and there was no doubt in their minds that they still had a chance.

“As long as we have the ability to get a stop and we’ve got three timeouts, we can do anything. We had three timeouts and we were close,’’ Campbell said. “They’re sitting there with the lead, they’re going to do what they need to do to hold that and not do something too aggressive, if we could just find a way to get a stop I felt pretty good about where we were going to be at.’’

Before the final defensive play when Aidan Hutchinson strip-sacked Fields for a safety, Campbell said he had a few words for the defense.

“I remember him saying something like you’ve got to love this -hit,’’ linebacker Alex Anzalone said. “When you see a head coach, and you know he’s an offensive-minded head coach, when you see him come out and see him do stuff, alright let’s go. It’s fun to play for him. It’s the most fun I’ve had playing football probably in my whole career.’’

Turns out winning is fun.

The Lions are still atop the NFC North and are 2-0 in division games. They face the Green Bay Packers (4-6) on Thanksgiving at Ford Field.

Five reasons the Lions won:

1. Jared Goff will be the first to tell you he didn’t play his best game with three interceptions. One ball was tipped, on another Sam LaPorta ran into a defender, but on the third he threw it right at the defender. That all won’t be remembered as much as this two-minute drives. One ended the first half, giving the Lions a 14-10 halftime lead. Then with 3:29 left he hit Jameson Wlliams on a 32-yard touchdown pass to get within 5 points. Then he drove the offense down the field ending with a David Montgomery TD run and a 2-point conversion to take a 29-26 lead with 29 seconds left. “Here’s what we know about Goff, at the very least he’s going to be mentally tough and physically tough,’’ Campbell said. “You can bank on that. Today he showed his resiliency.’’

2. For three and a half quarters, the defense struggled to stop Fields and the Bears offense. But with the game on the line, they came through big-time. With 2:59 left the Bears got the ball with a 26-21 lead. The Lions defense needed a stop for a chance to win and they got it, forcing a three-and-out. “We just embody our head coach, we feed off him, we feed off what he preaches to us, we’ve all bought in to how we operate and how we go about doing things,’’ Anzalone said. “At the end of the day we know we’re always in the fight with the talent we have on our team and the want-to we have on our team. It really starts top down.’’

3. Aidan Hutchinson’s strip sack for a safety with 29 seconds left, sealed the win. It was huge. “That to me, those are the moments we are built for. That’s how we have to think,’’ Campbell said.

4. Running back David Montgomery lined up against his former team for the first time since signing with Detroit. He tried to downplay the matchup earlier in the week. He was all in. On the final game-winning drive Montgomery had two catches for 22 yards and three runs for 23 yards, including the 1-yard TD run to win the game. “What you see is what you get with David. He’s steady, he’s reliable, he’s explosive,’’ Campbell said. “He can help you in pass game, run game protection. If there’s anything I say I wish we could’ve gotten him the ball more. He was huge for us on those last couple of drives.’’ Montgomery finished with a dozen carries for 76 yards and 2 catches for 22 yards.

5. Wide receiver Jameson Williams had two huge plays. He made a beauty of a catch for 12 yards on a third-and-1 just before the half. That allowed the drive, which resulted in a touchdown, to continue. Then in the fourth quarter, Williams’ 32-yard touchdown catch got the Lions within 5 points. Both were key plays in the win and showed the trust that the coaches have in Williams. “He’s part of the herd. He’s been accepted and the way he works and the way he goes and blocks, and he’s starting to run some pretty good routes and making some catches,’’ Campbell said. “A lot of guys are starting to trust him and that’s been earned.’’

Next up: Green Bay Packers (4-6) at Lions (8-2), 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Lions defeated the Packers, 34-20, at Green Bay in Week 4.

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.