Tag: Anthony Richardson

Five reasons the Lions continued their win streak by dropping Colts, 24-6

The Colts continuously shot themselves in the foot, and the Lions took advantage in a 24-6 win on Sunday in Indianapolis. Detroit (10-1) has now won 10 games in  back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history.

It marked their ninth straight win and a 10-1 start to the season which ties the 1934 Lions for best start in franchise history. 

The records fall like dominos each week.

While praise has been heaped on Jared Goff and the offense from the get-go the defense continues to shine. The Lions have allowed just 12 points — four field goals — in their last 10 quarters. 

“We asked a lot of our defense today and they did a great job,’’ coach Dan Campbell said.

The Lions took a 14-6 lead at the half and added another touchdown in the third quarter followed by a 56-yard field goal by Jake Bates.

Campbell once they were able to get the lead they were able to keep the Colts at arm’s length which was the goal.

The Lions once again elevated their road warrior status, earning a perfect 6-0 road record this season. In 2022, Campbell’s second season, the Lions were 0-11-1 on the road with him as coach. Since then they are 16-5.  “If you can win on the road you’re normally a pretty darn good team,’’ Campbell said.

Five reasons why Lions won:

ONE: The Colts moved the ball downfield on their first two possessions, but the Lions red zone defense is tough and forced the Colts to settle for field goals. Campbell said typically good red zone teams can run the ball. “We’re really good at shutting down the run,’’ Campbell said. The Colts were 0-for-2 in the red zone, while the Lions were a solid 3-of-4. QB Anthony Richardson started off solidly and was effective running the ball, but he had seven straight incompletions in the second half. 

TWO: Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery once again powered the offense combining for 172 scrimmage yards. Gibbs (21 carries, 90 yards) scored a pair of rushing touchdowns while Montgomery (8 carries, 37 yards) had one. Both are a double threat. Montgomery had three catches for 36 yards while Gibbs had three catches for 9 yards. Montgomery went out late with a shoulder injury “We have two bell cows and it’s rare,’’ Goff said. “We do, we have two guys you can hand the ball to a ton. One goes down for a little bit, the other guy steps up. It will happen both ways throughout the year. We’re lucky to have both of them and they do a helluva job.’’ They are the first running back duo in NFL history to each rush for 10-plus TDs in consecutive seasons.

THREE: Jared Goff was Jared Goff. He completed 26 of 36 passes for 269 yards with zero touchdowns or interceptions. Sacked three times, Goff remained patient and threw the ball away when he had to. 

FOUR: Remember the old days – prior to Campbell’s arrival – when the Lions would often kill themselves with penalties and lost so many games because of it. The Colts hurt themselves with 10 penalties for 75 yards, several of the whistles negated plays that had gained good yardage. Again, credit the Lions defense.

FIVE:  The Lions defense adjusted following the loss of Alex Anzalone and cornerback Terrion Arnold. The Colts targeted Kindle Vildor, who filled in for Arnole, often. He struggled a bit but the defense was able to handle business. “It’s honestly just the next man in and no excuses, we have a great room and guys who push each other every day,’’ said Jack Campbell who called the plays in Anzalone’s absence. Arnold was questionable for the game so he may be ready to play on Thursday. 

INJURIES: Dan Campbell didn’t have specifics on injuries to Carlton Davis (knee), Montgomery (shoulder), Kalif Raymond (foot) and Taylor Decker (knee and ankle). Decker was able to return to the game but was pulled out again. They have only four days to heal until Thanksgiving.

UP NEXT: Chicago Bears (4-7) at Lions (10-1) at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday at Ford Field.

Lions look to keep winning road record perfect as they face Colts

The Lions hit the road yet again on Sunday, this time to face the Indianapolis Colts. While the comforts of Ford Field are welcome, the Lions (9-1) are perfect on the road this season.

“I think our guys do a good job of honing in on the game in front of you and I do think there’s – I think we like being on the road too. We love home, you get your home crowd, and believe me, we’re all about that,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. 

“But there’s also something about the challenge of going on the road and it’s just you. It’s just us and when you do something good, you don’t hear anything until our fans start going. But that’s kind of what you’re shooting for. ‘Man, let’s go make a play that shuts this whole place down and gets it quiet in here.’ So, I just think there’s a little bit of a mindset about it. We appreciate that and we like the challenge of it,’’ the coach added.

It does help that Lions fans travel well too but the players certainly have the right mindset to succeed on the road. 

“I would say most of our guys – when you get in these tight moments, two things happen. You either crack or you want it, you want every bit of it. You want the ball in your hand, you want to be, ‘Run this ball behind me, I’m a D-tackle, try to run it at me. I’m the corner, I got one-on-one, I hope you throw it out here my way.’ And I think we – that’s our guys,’’ Campbell said. “We embrace that.”

The Colts, who have lost three of their last four, are coming off a 28-27 win over the Jets while the Lions have won eight straight and have won three games by 35 or more points this year, establishing a new team record.

Five things to watch:

ONE: The Lions defense has been forced to make adjustments without key players most of the season. Now Alex Anzalone is out with a broken forearm. Look for Jack Campbell to step in and call the plays. While Malcolm Rodriguez will play a key role. “It’s good to get Rodrigo back because he does, he gives us a lot of flexibility. He can play the WILL, he can play the SAM out in space, he’s been playing kind of that big nickel, and so having him back it does, it relieves a lot of pressure there,’’ Campbell said. “… He’s got a nose for the football, he’s aggressive and he just, he has production back there so it’s big getting him back.”

TWO: Colts QB Anthony Richardson, who has thrown seven interceptions, only one in his last four starts. He’s had issues this season but had a good game in the win over the Jets last week. “They’ve really opened up Richardson, so he’s got the ability to throw it downfield, he’s strong, he’s big, he can run, and these receivers are dangerous and, obviously, the back (Jonathan Taylor),’’ Campbell said. The Colts passing offense ranked 21st with just 202.2 yards per game (compared to 242.5 for Lions). Richardson will be up against the Lions safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, a tough task for any QB.

THREE: Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, along with running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, have all scored at least 9 touchdowns this season. It’s the second time in NFL history that a trio of teammates have all produced nine scrimmage TDs through the first 10 games of a season. Also, they shattered another record with the most games with a TD scored by a trio in NFL history. These Lions have gone eight games while several teams have seven games.

FOUR: Jared Goff. What can you say? He bounced back from a strange game in Houston with a perfect passer rating in blasting the Jaguars. Goff has shown more movement in the pocket which is something he’s always working on.  “I think when you get a lot of clean pockets, it makes it easier when there is a little bit of mess to avoid that because it’s so obviously different,’’ Goff said. “Our O-line is so dang good and I’m back there pretty scot-free a lot of times so that when a guy does get through, I can tell the difference on that and I’m able to react to it, as opposed to – when you look around the League, some of these guys are having to move on almost every drop back and that becomes hard.”

FIVE:  Za’Darius Smith expects to see more reps at the Colts after playing in his first game with the Lions last Sunday. The NFL veteran is known for his violent hands — DC Aaron Glenn calls them his superpower. He’s also been sharing his years of wisdom with his younger teammates.

“You saw it last – what, the week that he didn’t play with (Josh) Paschal, he was in there coaching him. And he does that on an everyday basis, so when you have a guy of that magnitude that’s willing to take what he has and give it to somebody else, it’s always a good thing, and he wants to do that anyway,’’ Glenn said.

LIONS INJURY UPDATE: CB Ennis Rakestraw (hamstring) is out; CB Terrion Arnold (groin) and CB Emmanuel Moseley (pectoral) are questionable.

COLTS INJURY UPDATE: T Bernhard Raimann (knee) is out; DE Tyquan Lewis (elbow) is questionable.

PREDICTION: Lions 42, Colts 17