Ben Johnson – Lions Lowdown

Lions finish with winning record after huge win over Packers at Lambeau

It was not at all surprising that the Lions played the Green Bay Packers like everything depended on a win. Detroit knew when it took the field there was no chance they could earn a playoff berth after the Seahawks beat the Rams in overtime, but they played like it was their Super Bowl.

The Lions ended up with a 20-16 win at Green Bay on Sunday night to knock the Packers out of the postseason.

“It was a great win, I was proud of our guys, they played their ass off, they were ready for this game,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “They wanted to prove something and they did that. This team has hung in there all year long, it’s a special group. The hard part of this is it’s over for this season because it is a special group. If you’ve got to go down, and it’s the last one for the season, what a better way to go than that for 2022.’’

The final play perfectly captured their season. It was a fourth-and-1 at the Packers’ 15-yard line with 1:15 on the clock. A field goal would have given the Packers too much time to go down the field and possibly win.

Like he’s done all season, Campbell trusted his offense and went for the win on fourth down.

Boom – Jared Goff to D.J. Chark for 4 yards, the first down and the win. Detroit was 2-for-2 on fourth-down plays in the win.

Campbell said he wanted to put the game in Goff’s hands. “Let’s let Goff finish this out for us … We believe in Goff,’’ Campbell said.

The Lions finished the season 9-8, their first winning season since 2017. They also finished 5-1 in NFC North games while the Packers were 3-3 in division games.

It wasn’t a miracle, it was hard work and it paid off.

Five of the many reasons the Lions won:

1. Safety Kerby Joseph intercepted Aaron Rodgers on third-and-10 with 3:37 left in the fourth quarter. Goff and the Lions took over and made enough plays to keep the ball out of Rodgers’ hands for the rest of the game. Joseph also had an interception earlier in the game, but it was negated by a holding call.

2. Jared Goff had better numbers in games this season, but certainly he came through when he needed to on Sunday night. He finished the season with nine straight games without an interception or what he called a “great little streak.” Against the Packers he was 23 of 34 for 224 yards with no interceptions. “(This team has) a lot of toughness, this team is built to handle adversity and we showed it tonight .This team would never win in these conditions on the road at Lambeau and we came in and did it,’’ Goff said.

3. Aaron Rodgers had trouble with the Lions defense in Detroit on Nov. 6 when the Lions prevailed 15-9. That day he was intercepted three times. Sunday he made a few big plays but not quite enough. He was sacked twice by Aidan Hutchinson and pressured start to finish by the young defensive group. “It verified what I thought. It wasn’t too big for them,’’ Campbell said. “They went out and played ball. Certainly at an NFL level, but they looked like kids again.’’

4. Running back Jamaal Williams scored a pair of rushing touchdowns to surpass Barry Sanders for the franchise single season mark. Sanders finished with 16 in 1991. Williams has 17 this season. Plus he hit the 1,000-yard mark in the win. “Everybody is happy for Jamaal. He’s the ultimate team guy,’’ Campbell said. The coach has repeatedly talked about Williams’ consistency throughout the season.

5. Dan Campbell and his coordinators (Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn and Dave Fipp) had the guys prepared physically and mentally. They knew they couldn’t get into the playoffs during pre-game warmups, but it didn’t matter. Campbell said they were unfazed. They played physical football just like they do in every game, in every circumstance. Campbell never, ever gave up on these guys even when they were 1-6. At that point he was continually asked why he saw improvement in his team when they weren’t winning and he continually said he saw it coming. Now we know those were not empty words.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)

Five things to watch as Lions battle Packers in prime time with playoff berth on the line

Slowly but surely, win after win since Nov. 6, the Detroit Lions have forced the NFL to acknowledge that this is a young competitive team.

Many NFL fans around the country fell in love with the Lions through their appearance on HBO’s Hard Knocks showing the fire and desire that starts with coach Dan Campbell and a team that has bought into everything he says.

With the flex move to Sunday night football, a nationally televised game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the NFL is giving a big nod to GM Brad Holmes, Campbell and the whole bunch.

Campbell has embraced it and, not surprisingly, the team has too.

“These opportunities don’t always come around, and I think you go through these things in life, and you don’t always know what they’re going to be, but one day you’re going to look back and say, ‘Man, you had these special moments that you were able to be a part of.’ And I try to tell those guys you just don’t know when those are going to come up or what it’s going to mean, but I know this, when you’re done playing, you miss the hell out of it,’’ Campbell said. “And this will be one of those moments I believe they’ll always remember, this group, this team.”

A win over the Packers and a Rams’ win over the Seahawks, will get Detroit into the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.

When they take the field, the Lions will know the results of the Rams-Seahawks matchup. They’ll know if a win will get them into the playoffs or just give them a huge opportunity to knock the Packers out of the playoffs.

If the Seahawks win, don’t expect a letdown from the Lions. They are built to win, they have pride and it will send a good message to the Packers and the NFL. Plus, they want to end the season with a winning record.

Five things to watch:

1. The Lions defense found a way to tame Aaron Rodgers in Detroit’s Nov. 6 15-9 win over the Packers. They intercepted him three times and held him to just one touchdown. Even a Hall of Famer like Rodgers can be stopped. While he might be a better player than he was two months ago, there is no doubt the Lions rookie defensemen are much improved. “The guy is a hell of a player, and so it doesn’t matter if it’s Sunday night, Sunday afternoon, you’re playing for playoffs, it’s the first game of the year. Like to me, he’s a handful no matter when you play him,’’ Dan Campbell said. “I just don’t see anything different. I see an outstanding quarterback who has played and had an outstanding career, and I would anticipate he’s going to play one of his best games again.’’

2. It will be key for the Lions’ secondary to play a disciplined game. “I think that’s – that’s one of the key points for us is we’ve got to really hone in on this game plan. And man, we have to apply our rules and we’ve got to know them in and out and no matter what any and all eye candy that can be thrown at us, we don’t – you don’t take the cheese, man,’’ Campbell said. “Just stay true to your rules because that will, that’ll be big. That and then on offense, communication, we’re on the road we’re not going to be able to hear, it’ll be loud which is always a key when you’re on the road as an offense. Those are the big things, so confusion cannot be part of our game plan.”

3. One big reason for seven wins in the last nine games is that Jared Goff has been on fire. He’s gone eight games without an interception. So far he’s thrown 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Since the first of December he leads the NFL with a 113.0 passer rating and is tied for first with a dozen passing touchdowns. Perhaps most importantly for this game, Goff has playoff experience. “It does help because there again, this – the intensity of this game will go up. It will be played like a playoff game because it is win and get in or you don’t win and you go home one way or another, and so that’s – they’re looking at it that way, we’re looking at it that way,’’ Campbell said. “And so, I think out of all positions you want your quarterback to have been there and felt that a little bit. Of all of them he needs to make sure that his emotions are always on an even plane, and he can think through things like he has all year.’’

4. While there had been a stretch where the Lions’ run game was underperforming, they had their most productive rushing effort in the win over the Bears on New Year’s Day with 265 total rushing yards. Jamaal Williams (144 yards) and D’Andre Swift (78 yards rushing, 117 all-purpose yards) were key with three touchdowns between them. Williams, who is 6 yards shy of 1,000, needs just one more rushing touchdown to tie Barry Sanders for most rushing touchdowns in a season with 16. It’s not lost on Williams or his teammates. “We think extremely highly of him, he’s been consistent for us as a runner and just really happy to see that run game pick up again last week. It was a lot easier as a play-caller to call that game,’’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “But for him there’s no doubt, I’m sure 1,000 means a lot. That’s certainly the most he’s had in his career, and then against his former team, I’m sure that would mean something to him.’’

5. Does Ben Johnson have more tricks in his playbook that we haven’t seen? Perhaps. “Are you trying to get me to call a quarterback sneak? I called one for you last week. There you go, there we go. No, every week we look at opportunities that we could have to attack the defense, so this week’s no different than any other week,’’ Johnson said. “But no, we feel like we might have some shots here or there, and we’ll see if we can dial them up at the right time.”

(Prediction: Lions 31, Packers 27. Detroit is playing with confidence and is 3-2 in outdoor games. After a 1-6 start, the Lions want to prove themselves to a prime time audience.)

Five things to watch as Lions look to bounce back against Bears; plus prediction

While the Chicago Bears have lost eight straight, they aren’t a team that can be overlooked. That’s the word that coach Dan Campbell preached this week.

The Lions (7-8) are still clinging to a playoff dream and need a win against the Bears (3-12) on Sunday at Ford Field to keep that dream alive.The Bears were torched by the Bills, 35-13, on Christmas eve and have lost 11 of their last 12.

“This is the Buffalo Bills as far as we’re concerned,’’ Campbell said.

In their first matchup, Detroit eked out a 31-30 win over the Bears at Chicago on Nov. 13. The Lions are coming off a brutal 37-23 loss at Carolina.

“I know these coaches, and I know these players and I know what they’re made of, and I just go back to the fact that this team is assembled for a reason. So, there is nothing that would tell me that these guys won’t bounce back,’’ Campbell said.

Five things to watch:

1. Find a way to stop quarterback Justin Fields. In their first meeting, Fields had 13 carries for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 67-yard scamper late in the game. He also passed for 167 yards, two touchdowns and one interceptions. “He is the X-factor for that team, and it shows all over the tape,’’ LIons defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “The No. 1 thing that we’ve learned (from the first matchup) is how strong this player is, and we had him wrapped up a couple times in that game. We missed a tackle on him, and listen, he’s an athletic player. He’s going to make some plays. I mean, that’s just the crux. He’s going to do that. The things that we have to do is be able to eliminate the big plays that he’s able to make, and he made a couple of plays against us. So, we have to do everything in our power to be able to stop those plays, and I’m not just talking about him running. I’m talking about him passing the ball also.”

2. Along with stopping Fields, overall the defense has to stop the run. They were pathetic against the Panthers, allowing 320 rushing yards (240 in the first half). They knew Carolina was going to run and yet they looked unprepared. And even after the Panthers got off to a fast start with their ground game, the defense didn’t appear to have any answers. They have to prove they are better than how they played that game.

3. Lions have to find the same run game they had going early in the season. It’s been a struggle of late. In the loss at Carolina they managed just 45 rushing yards averaging 2.6 yards per carry. That won’t cut it. “So, we’re not even getting our guys back to the line scrimmage and allowing our backs to potentially break tackles or get on the post safety and that’s where early in the year those guys were so dangerous because they were making guys miss at the second and third levels and getting these 50-yard runs,’’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “And it takes everybody, it’s not just the O-line, tight ends play a big role in it, our receivers got to continue to do some dirty work and us as coaches we’ve got to look in the mirror as well and making sure we’re putting our guys in the right positions because I can tell you right now there’s a few times over the last couple of weeks we’re not putting our guys in good spots. So, we’re addressing that and we’ll make sure that we are sound and giving them a chance.”

4. Jared Goff has gone seven straight games (5-2) without throwing an interception and it’s not because he’s playing it safe. He’s found success with the deep ball. ”I felt like he’s been capable of making any throw, second level or deep, and like I said, it really comes down to us getting past the guys. Do we like the matchup on the outside or we feel confident we’re going to get over the top of safeties? And then, like I said, the more reps we get with these wideouts, and see them come down and make a contested catch, the more trust he has to go ahead and pull that trigger,’’ Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “I would say he probably could have done it a little bit more last game too. There were a couple other opportunities, so we’re continuing to encourage him to do that, and really start some practice for us where we’re getting in that groove.”

5. No one can say if rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams will have a bigger role against the Bears. In his three games Williams has had just one catch. He was on the field for 11 offensive snaps against the Panthers. He’s building trust with Goff but there’s a ton of competition for the ball. “We try to work in all of our playmakers. He’s certainly in that group, but I think D.J. (Chark)’s shown that he’s going to make big plays for us. (Amon-Ra) St. Brown has been our most consistent player over the course of the season. We’d be getting a lot of criticism if we’re not giving him the touches,’’ Johnson said. “Our backs are really good players when the ball’s in their hands, so I mean we have a lot of talent spread out. Each week, guys have plays in the gameplan, and it’s a matter of whether the situation, the defense allows us to get it to our primary receiver or not. So, no, I don’t think we’re pressing to force the ball to anybody. We’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing, and if that means he gets a 100-yard game this week, then great, but I’d like all of our skill players to have that because really, honestly, they’re dangerous like that. All of them are.’’

(Prediction: Lions 35, Bears 21)