aidan hutchinson – Page 5

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.

Five things to watch as Lions, seeking 4th straight win, face the Bengals

Looking for their fourth straight win, the Lions are heavily favored against the Bengals at Cincinnati.

After a rough start at Green Bay in the opener, coach Dan Campbell loves the resiliency of the team.

“ We don’t get caught up in things that don’t relate to us or have any bearing on what we control, if you will. Man, our guys stay locked in on what it takes to win a game, and/or why you didn’t play well, and it really is as simple as that,’’ Campbell said, admitting it’s not an easy thing to do.

Critics, fans, social media — it’s all out there.

“So I think, man, that’s hard to do. But I think our guys are pretty locked in, pretty disciplined. They come in this building, and they barricade themselves in and they look at it for what it is, ‘The most important thing is what my teammates and what my coaches are saying, and this is where we have to get better and where I can get better,’’’ Campbell said. “And that small little – that one little step, that one little hand placement, man, the release. That makes all the difference, not the, ‘Are you good enough anymore?’ You don’t get caught up in all that. We have a very resilient bunch, and the core of our team is very strong, it’s very strong.”

The Lions (3-1) are coming off a 34-10 win at Cleveland while the Bengals (2-2) were routed 28-3 at Denver last week.

Five things to watch:

ONE: The Lions defensive backs could have their hands full with Bengals’ wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Plus they’ll be juggling the lineup with D.J. Reed out for at least the next four games. “We know these two receivers are really good, they’re looking for those matchups, they feel if they can get a one-on-one that’s where the ball’s going and why wouldn’t it,’’ Campbell said. “We’re going to have to do a good job of disrupting those guys as much as we can and try to limit what they can do but also not let them tear us up in the run game.’’

TWO: After concentrating on details and more practice this week, it’s expected that Jared Goff and Jameson Williams will be back on the same page. “I think (Williams) bounced back right away because look at what he did after in the game. He continued to block his butt off during the game. We hit him on that one third-down play. So, he bounced back the next play, that’s what I think,’’ offensive coordinator John Morton said. “And then the way he practices, listen, there’s no problem with Jamo. And there’s going to be times where we’re going to ask him to step up and he’ll do it. We’ve got the utmost confidence in him. But I would say right to the next play and that’s what he did. I think that’s where he’s grown. Didn’t faze him, so.”

THREE: Aidan Hutchinson and the defensive line continue to dominate. Hutchinson has a sack in each of the last three games and four overall. He’s not out there alone. Edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad has stepped up big-time: “”I think we’re pretty safe to say that Muhammad is a guy opposite Hutch, not just another guy we’re throwing out there. But he’s been tremendous,’’ defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. “I mean, you’ve literally seen Muhammad line up at the nose, the three, the edge, and hasn’t batted an eye. He’s gotten in the run game in there, it hasn’t just been pass rush. I’ve seen him drop a knee and anchor. I mean, just anything you’ve asked that guy to do. …. Head down, he’s been a grinder since day one ever since I’ve met him.”

FOUR: Cincinnati’s 32nd ranked total offense will need to find a way to break through Detroit’s defense which is ranked 12th. Remember Joe Burrow is out with turf toe and Jake Browning is the starting QB. Browning has thrown three touchdowns and five interceptions in the first four games while being sacked seven times. ee

FIVE: Special teams have contributed big-time especially in Sunday’s win over the Browns when Kalif Raymond ran a punt back for a touchdown and Jake Bates kicked two field goals. With the rule changes, special teams have taken on a more important role this season. “I love the fact that special teams is having a bigger impact. It obviously makes our jobs more important, it makes our role more important, it makes really all the players playing those plays’ jobs more important. I think it helps everybody,’’ special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said. “I think I said in the offseason or training camp, the returner position’s going to be more important, both kick and punt. Kickoff return, you have to have two guys back there, you can’t just have one. So that makes that more important on the roster – how many guys you have, who they are. So I would say overall it’s outstanding. I love it. Puts more pressure on me too, but that’s why you do it, so it’s fun.”

PREDICTION: Lions 35, Bengals 10

UP NEXT: Lions at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12.

Five reasons the Lions topped the Browns for third straight win

The Detroit Lions could have had all the excuses in their pocket – short work week after a Monday night game, coming off a huge win in Baltimore, playing against the NFL’s top defense in the Browns. It was all there. But, if you haven’t noticed, this team is wired differently.

It certainly showed in the 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Ford Field. It marked the Lions third straight win.

“We knew going into this game our defense was going to need to set the tone and special teams. Offensively we’d be smart, find our spots and, for the most part, that’s the way the day went,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “Those three takeaways, (Kalif Raymond) on the punt return (TD) and offensively we were able to turn those three takeaways into 17 points which is huge.’’

Aidan Hutchinson sacked QB Joe Flacco twice, Flacco was intercepted twice and the Browns lost a fumble.

Take away the punt return touchdown and the Lions’ offense scored 27 points against a tough defense, but they had too many penalties and missed opportunities.

“We can be so much better certainly offensively —defense played outstanding. That is a good defense. They present a lot of problems,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said. But he admitted many little things could have been better and pointed the finger at himself on many of them including the two false start penalties.

While Detroit’s defense allowed a touchdown on the Browns’ opening drive, they held them to just a field goal for the remainder of the game.

Five of the reasons the Lions won:

ONE: The Browns’ top-rated rushing defense had not faced a team with a running game like Detroit’s which finished with 109 rushing yards. The longest run the Browns had allowed in the first three games was 11 yards. Jahmyr Gibbs gashed them for a 24-yard scamper early in the second quarter and a 22-yarder late in the third. Gibbs finished with 15 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown, along with 2 catches for six yards. David Montgomery had nine carries for 12 yards.

TWO: Jared Goff was solid under pressure except for his one interception – an underthrown pass intended for Jameson Williams. Goff took the blame for that, saying he made a bad decision. He targeted Williams eight times but they could not connect until there was 11:10 left when Wiliams caught a 27-yard pass on a third-and-9 play. Williams finished with two catches for 40 yards. Once again – you may have heard this before – WR Amon-Ra St. Brown came up big on the biggest plays including a 2-yard receiving touchdown where he was wide open in the end zone and late in the game a 8-yard touchdown catch. He has six touchdowns in the last three games.

THREE: The Lions offensive line stood up against Myles Garrett and Cleveland’s defensive line. Goff was not sacked at all. He was hurried and pressured which may explain why it wasn’t his best game statistically. But he made enough plays when needed. Goff finished 16 of 27, 168 yards, 2 TDs and one interception. Goff said they had a plan facing Garrett and credited tackles Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, along with the whole line, for doing the dirty work to protect him.

FOUR: Flacco was intercepted twice with D.J. Reed and Kerby Joseph ah coming up with the big plays. He was pressured often and sacked three times – two of them by Aidan Hutchinson who has had sacks in three straight games. “Just another big performance by him today. What everybody sees – the quarterback hits, the sacks, the takeaways, all big things that are right in front of your face,’’ Campbell said. “The guy plays the run too. He can do all of that stuff that gets you all the glory but he does all the dirty work. He plays with his hair on fire, he doesn’t take plays off, he’s relentless, he’s aggressive, he’s violent, he’s smart, he’s disciplined. It’s good to see him back playing at a high level. It’s good to have him back period.’’

FIVE: Detroit’s special teams came up big, highlighted by Kalif Raymond’s 65-yard punt return for a touchdown to give them a 27-10 cushion early in the fourth. “He’s amazing. He’s one of those heartbeat guys for us,’’ Goff said. Campbell echoed Goff’s praise. “I don’t know if I can say enough great things about Lif. He’s such a stud,’’ Campbell said. “…He was aggressive, he trusted our guys. He was fearless the whole game.’’

UP NEXT: Lions (3-1) at Cincinnati Bengals , 4:25 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5.