aidan hutchinson – Page 13

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.

Five things to watch as Lions face winless Panthers; also my prediction

Injury list is long; Branch is out, St. Brown doubtful

Riding a two-game win streak, coach Dan Campbell wants his Lions to stay humble and hungry as they face the Carolina Panthers, a team still looking for its first win.

Detroit (3-1) is coming off another big road win at Green Bay while the Panthers lost their fourth straight, 21-13, against the Vikings.

For the Lions, it’s all about focus and not riding the roller-coaster.

“There’ll be teams that will rise, there’ll be teams that’ll fall, but as long as we just handle our business each week, no different than what we did. We went out to Green Bay and we looked like a hungry team, we looked focused on the details, we played together, we played violent and we made the plays that were there,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “We played complementary football and I think as long as we keep that as the focus and not about who you’re playing, who do they have up, what are the injuries, what is the weather, what – forget that, man. This is another opponent who’s dying for a win.’’

The Lions still have bad memories of last season when the Panthers beat them, 37-23, on Dec. 24 to snap a three-game win streak and put a dent in their playoff chances.

Five things to watch:

1. The Lions’ defense ranks first in the NFL at stopping the run, allowing just 243 rushing yards in four games. That must continue against the Panthers’ running backs Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard. “It goes back to last year where we had a huge emphasis on stopping the run. We truly believe that you stop the run, you make a team one-dimensional, you’ve kind of got a stop on them,’’ linebacker Derrick Barnes said. “… That’s been the main focus and we’re doing a better job this year than last year.’’

2. While Jared Goff’s streak of 383 throws without an interception was exceptional, it was not going to last. Now he’s thrown one interception in each of the last three games. There is no panic. Following each pick, he’s come back with a touchdown drive on the next play. “Nobody wants those (interceptions), we don’t but I don’t feel like he’s pressing. He’ll tell you, he made an error, made a mistake. He’s falling away in the pocket and makes an ill-advised throw, his eyes are on the receiver and best part about it was he didn’t get frazzled,’’ Campbell said. “… But what I want more than anything is I don’t want him to go into a shell or start panicking. And he’s not …” Goff has completed 69.5 percent of his passes with six touchdowns.

3. Continue to press the quarterback. The Lions defense has 13 sacks in four games – 12 of them in the last two games. Campbell said it’s another lesson of what happens when everyone does his job and stays unselfish. “And it’s really everybody’s in on it. And we’re getting a lot of production and the more we get inside like out of (Alim McNeill) Mac for example, the more you really see Hutch (Aidan Hutchinson) shine. It’s taking stress off of some of these other guys and vice versa,’’ the coach said. “You see Charles (Harris), you see Barnes, you see Alex (Anzalone), you see (Jack) Campbell, so they’re all playing off of each other, but they’re all doing their job and it’s important.”

4. Don’t expect miracles from wide receiver Jameson Williams. Fans are hungry to see what the speedster adds to this offense. First of all, there’s a chance he might be inactive depending on how he practiced this week. Also, he will be eased into the offense.He played just six games last season and one preseason game this year before he pulled a hamstring and was sidelined until his suspension kicked in. “We know our offense and putting him back in the mix, how much further we can go,’’ said Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El. “I always make sure everyone understands the humbleness part of it. It’s not that he’s the fix-all, be-all. But he brings a different element that us and many other teams don’t have in terms of speed and the way he runs down the field.’’

5. Even though the Panthers (0-4) are winless, the Lions can not go on cruise control and expect to win the game. Detroit is a 9-point favorite but that doesn’t mean much either. “Look, we talk about it all the time and we’ve lived it. We’ve been there, we know what that’s like. There’s enough of us who’ve been here and know what it’s like when you’re trying to find that win. You’ve lost a few and you’re doing everything you can as players and as coaches to find a way to get that first one. So, we expect their best shot,’’ Campbell said. “Those guys are over there preparing. … And we’re in a race to improve with everybody in this League, and the ones who can improve the fastest are the ones that begin to make a rise in October. So, it goes without saying if you don’t show up and you play sloppy football, you turn the ball over, you don’t get takeaways, you’re not where you’re supposed to be, your odds of losing go way up.”

INJURY UPDATE

The Lions will be missing CB Brian Branch (ankle) and FB Jason Cabinda (knee). WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, who injured his abdomen in the Packers’ win, is ranked as doubtful along with TE James Mitchell (hamstring).

RB Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) appeared on the injury report for the first time this week on Friday. He’s listed as questionable along with Taylor Decker, WR Josh Reynolds, S Kerby Joseph, LB Julian Okwara and G Halapoultivaati Vaitai. CB Emmanuel Moseley (knee/hamstring) is expected to make his LIons’ debut in some capacity.

PREDICTION: Lions 31, Panthers 13. The Lions’ defense is playing too well for the Panthers to pull another upset.

Five reasons why the Lions won a physical battle with the Falcons, 20-6

DETROIT — After a disappointing loss the week before, the Detroit Lions bounced back behind a violent defense and a smooth and rhythmic offense, to beat the Atlanta Falcons, 20-6, at Ford Field on Sunday.

“We played a physical, violent game. Our defense was outstanding. AG (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) did a helluva job and we looked like a hungry, hungry team. We looked like a hungry violent defense,’’ coach Dan Campbell said.

That’s his favored style, If not biting kneecaps, at least playing with a violent edge.

“We got takeaways, tackles, TFLs, guys were flying around the football, good coverage and we were around the quarterback a lot. I was proud of those guys,’’ Campbell said.

When they needed it most on offense, quarterback Jared Goff ran in from 3 yards out for a touchdown to give them a 20-3 lead in the fourth quarter.

That was a called play — not a scramble — that Goff performed to perfection.

“Those always are going to mean more to Goff because he still thinks he’s a running quarterback,’’ Campbell said with his tongue planted in his cheek. “He doesn’t want anybody to forget that.’’

Funny stuff, but the touchdown was critical.

Here are five reasons the Lions (2-1) beat the Falcons:

1. The pass rush which seemed anemic (at best) in the loss a week ago, was running at full throttle. They finished with seven sacks by six different guys. Adrian Hutchinson, who hadn’t had a sack in the first two games, downed Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder twice in the fourth quarter. Hutchinson said he needed mental toughness to hang in there on Sunday. Even though he didn’t have a sack yet, he had pressures and Campbell never lost faith. “Any time Hutch rushes I think he’s going to get there, it’s the nature of the way he rushes, he’s high motor, he’s got craft about what he does, he’s not a one-trick pony,’’ Campbell said. “He’s got a couple of different moves and he’s got ability.’’ Others with sacks were rookie Jack Campbell, Charles Harris, Alim McNeill, Derrick Barnes and Benito Jones who got the sack party started.

2. No surprise that Jared Goff played well again, throwing one touchdown pass and running in for the other. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 243 yards. He also threw an interception at the end of the third quarter with the Lions holding onto a 13-3 lead. “That’s about as bad as I’ve thrown a ball in my career, just straight missed him,’’ Goff said. “How do I respond on the next drive, the next play, to be as best as I can. That’s where I think you’re truly judged.’’ In the fourth quarter, on Detroit’s next series, Goff led a seven-play touchdown drive. He responded and it helped seal the win.

3. The Falcons (2-1) averaged 170.5 rushing yards in their first two games. So there was little doubt about their game plan. Except they couldn’t break the Lions’ defense and finished with just 44 rushing yards. Highly touted Bijan Robinson had 10 carries for 33 yards. “I’m surprised they got away from it more. I thought, especially in the second half, get back to, that’s their foundation, that balanced run game,’’ Hutchinson said. “… I thought we did a good job stopping the runs we got, but not the game I expected.’’

4. Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs got his big chance with David Montgomery sidelined. Gibbs carried 17 times for 80 yards, including four catches for 37 yards in the final touchdown drive. “We also knew it was going to take a while, we had to hang in there, have patience about it. I thought as the game went on, particularly there late, Gibbs started going,’’ Campbell said. “He started to find a little bit of his rhythm. He just needs … When the light really comes on, it’s going to come on. I could feel toward the end a couple of those runs, those back-to-back runs where you feel like here he goes, he’s starting to feel this. He’ll only get better with time and with reps.’’

5. Three more rookies – cornerback Brian Branch, linebacker Jack Campbell and tight end Sam LaPorta – continued to look like NFL playmakers in just their third game. Branch finished with a team-high 11 tackles, three TFLs and two pass defenses. He’s tough and violent, Campbell’s kind of guy. “He’s making big plays in critical moments as opposed to the other way,’’ Campbell said. “The more he plays the better he gets and the more he understands what we’re trying to do with him.’’ It’s kind of the same for LaPorta who has developed trust with Goff. He was wide open on a 45-yard touchdown that gave the LIons a 10-3 edge. “He’s a stud man. He does a great job. We had that play rigged up all week, we knew he liked it, he ran a great route and was able to throw it to him wide open,’’ Goff said. LaPorta is the only rookie tight end in the NFL to catch at least 5 passes in each of his first three games. Campbell had five tackles, one sack, one TFL and one quarterback hit.

NEXT UP: The Lions (2-1) at the Green Bay Packers (2-1) on Thursday, Sept. 28. The Packers edged the Saints, 18-17, on Sunday. It will be the third game in 12 days for both teams.