Tag: aidan hutchinson

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.

Five things to watch as Lions open at home against Seahawks

ALLEN PARK — Coming off the big win at the Kansas City Chiefs, the Detroit Lions expect a loud, raucous crowd on Sunday at Ford Field in the home opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

“I’m expecting it to be loud. I’m expecting – I know what Arrowhead is and it was loud. I expect it to be louder than that, I really do. I just know our fans and it’s going to be – it’ll be to the point where you can’t hear yourself think, so, for them anyway,’’ coach Dan Campbell said.

Since immediately after the win, the mantra is “That’s one.” Now onto the next. 

Quarterback Jared Goff said they plan to build off the momentum.

“You’ve got to keep finding ways to win and keep playing well and practicing well and fixing our mistakes, and there were plenty of them in that game, and finding ways to win,’’ Goff said.  “And I think that’s what we’ve done well over this little stretch where we’ve been winning. It’s just late in the fourth quarter, making plays, need guys stepping up. We had a rookie make a pick-6 the other day, stuff like that helps you win and we’ve got to keep doing it.”

The Seahawks have beaten the Lions two straight years — 48-45 in 2022 and 51-29 in 2021.

“We remember and really two years in a row, they’ve beaten us two years in a row and yeah, we remember and want to get our shot back, but they’ll be ready,’’ Goff said. “They’re coming off a loss and have a lot to play for as well, so we’ll be ready for a good fight.”

Seattle (0-1) is coming off a 30-13 loss to Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. 

“I thought they held their own for a while and it got to the point where I think after the injuries, they got a little bit behind the offensive injuries and the defense had gotten a little bit worn down, but this team always presents problems,’’ Campbell said. “It’s been a thorn in our side for two years and so, we know what’s going to be coming in here. We’re going to assume the best out of them and they got after us pretty good last year, real good, so that’s something we won’t forget.”

Five things to watch:

1.  Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn knows Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and expected him to run the ball early and often. “That’s his background, that’s who he is. … We’re going to have to commit to stopping the run because they will run you out of the stadium if you don’t,’’ Glenn said. “We also have to be able to stop the explosive passes. They have receivers who can take you down.” Running back Kenneth Walker rushed for 64 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry last week.

2. While the offense played well enough in Week 1, one emphasis will be on third-down conversions after converting just 5 of 15 third-down attempts. “We did have chances, some of those short yardage, call it 2-6 (yard) area, we weren’t very good,’’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “I think we were 2 of 7 for the game, we should be over 50 percent based on what we’re aiming for. …  It’s something that L.A. did really well last week against these guys. They didn’t run the ball particularly well but they were able to stay on the field on third down and they had some explosive plays out of it. We need to be better there.’’

3. While the Lions did not sack Patrick Mahomes, he was pressured with 17 hurries and 7 quarterback hits. The discipline showed and that leads Glenn to believe that sacks will come. “I thought Hutch (Aidan Hutchinson) really played his ass off as far as being disciplined and he had a couple shots at the quarterback along with (James) Houston, he had a couple shots as well,’’ Glenn said. “… I’m proud of the way our guys, the discipline as far as how we rushed them. Sometimes sacks can be overrated.I like sacks, I do. Everybody does, the discipline is what I like more because that carries over into the next couple weeks on how you have to rush the quarterback. Those sacks are going to come.’’

4. Expect to see more of rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs who was solid in his debut. Campbell said he didn’t want to put too much on him in the opener so veteran David Montgomery got more touches. Neither disappointed. They must keep it up against the Seahawks’ defense. “We will get Gibbs going as he gets more comfortable. We always have plays tagged for him going into the game but we feel really strongly about David as well. That whole combination, that 1-2 punch is good for us,’’ Johnson said.

5. The fake punt at Kansas City helped set the tone for the game. The Lions are 7 of 8 on fake punt attempts since Dave Fipp was hired as special teams coordinator in 2021. Not only do these fakes make an immediate difference, but opponents have to always be thinking about the possibility on every punt.  “Coach Campbell is incredible with that stuff, I’ve said that every time we run one of these things. Really the players are the guys who go out and execute it,’’ Fipp said. “… Ultimately it’s those guys out there making plays and the head coach having the confidence in those guys to call them. It’s been good.’’

KEEP AN EYE ON: Left tackle Taylor Decker (ankle) is doubtful so the O-line will be adjusted if he’s out.

PREDICTION:  Lions 31, Seahawks 17.  Detroit is the better team and with the home crowd cheering them on, can’t see them laying an egg.