DETROIT — The Detroit Lions bounced back on Sunday from a devastating loss the previous week at the hands of NFL referee Brad Allen.
They took their lead from coach Dan Campbell who said they would move forward and not drop their shoulders and dwell on the loss at the Cowboys.
The Lions played tough in a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings to boost their record to 12-5 and prepare them for a playoff game against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams at 8 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.
“After what we did last week – it was a tough loss – and we come in this week, mentally locked in, ready to roll, right mindset,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “It was a back-and-forth game, but I thought all three phases complemented each other and really came out to finish the season off the right way and get a win.’’
The Lions took an early 7-0 lead and never fell behind.
The win meant that throughout the season, the Lions never lost back-to-back games
“We bounced back, I feel like that’s one of our qualities, that’s one of the things about us that I think makes this group special is that it is a resilient group, they’re able to overcome adversity, snap back and they’ve done that again,’’ Campbell said. “You’ve got to have the right players. We have the right players and the right coaches.”
Five main reasons the Lions won:
1. Once again the defense was fired up and was led by Aidan Hutchinson who didn’t take a play off. Vikings QB Nick Mullens was sacked four times, twice by Hutchinson who has five sacks in the last two games and 10.5 for the season. “We’re getting to the quarterback, we’ve been getting to him for 3 or 4 weeks. (Hutchinson is ) a guy who’s relentless, but he works his craft, he’s got a quick first step, he’s an explosive athlete but he constantly is working his hands, his body, his lean and his torque,’’ Campbell said. “Every day he gets a little better.’’ Hutchinson produced his fifth career game with 2.0-or-more sacks, passing DE Ezekiel Ansah (4) for the most 2.0-sack games by a Lions player through two-career seasons.
2. Jared Goff led an efficient passing game. No interceptions, no fumbles. He finished 23 of 32 for 320 yards and two touchdowns including a 70-yard scoring play to Amon-Ra St. Brown. He got protection, was only sacked once. After a three-and-out opening series, the Lions scored touchdowns on the next two drives with their savvy combination of rushing and passing.
3. The secondary got a boost from the return of veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson who had not played since he tore his pec in Week 2. He intercepted Mullens late in the game, had four tackles and a pass defense. The unit still has much work to do. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson could not be contained and finished with a dozen catches for 192 yards and a touchdown. He had 141 yards against the Lions two weeks ago.
4. No turnovers by the Lions. Campbell has preached this all season and they seem to be improving.
5. When officials announced No. 70, Dan Skipper, eligible, the crowd roared. The offensive lineman has found a measure of celebrity after the referee’s bad call at Dallas last week. In the third quarter, Skipper caught a 4-yard pass which drew more applause. Campbell emphasized this week that they had moved on from the debacle at Dallas. This was a team that looked like it had an eye on the future.
INJURY UPDATE
Tight end Sam LaPorta left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return. “It’s probably not as bad as it looked, but it’s not good news,’’ Campbell said. “We’ll know more (Monday). I know it looked awful, it’s not as bad as that. But it doesn’t mean it looks good in the immediate here to have him for a game.’’
Campbell said it’s about the same situation for WR/returner Kalif Raymond who also left with a knee injury.
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