football – Lions Lowdown

Five reasons the Lions pulled off a 44-30 win over the Cowboys

DETROIT — After a disappointing loss to the Packers on Thanksgiving, the Lions bounced back in a huge way with a 44-30 win over the Cowboys on Thursday night at Ford Field.

With the victory, the Lions (8-5) kept their playoff chances alive. The Cowboys (6-6-1) had their three-game win streak snapped and saw their playoff hopes dwindle.

In the last three years Detroit is now 15-0 following a loss.

“The intensity, the urgency. The guys don’t ever get frazzled, they don’t get panicked, they just go to work,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “They did it again.’’

The Lions never fell behind, leading 20-9 at the half and keeping their foot on the gas.

They played complementary football with the offense scoring 44 points, the defense coming up with big plays when it mattered most including forcing three turnovers and special teams pitched in too. Jake Bates kicked three field goals (another was blocked) and kick returners gave the offense good field position throughout and the opposite for Dallas.

“Everything was big and the guys really stepped up. We did, we played complementary football that above all is what really makes a difference,’’ Campbell said. “That’s what good teams do. It doesn’t matter how good your offense or defense is if you’re not able to help each other out when you need it with one of the phases it makes it tough and we were able to do that.’’

Five reasons the Lions won:

ONE: The offensive line helped give Goff more protection than he had a week ago. They weren’t perfect – Trystan Colon and rookie MIles Frazier alternated at left guard in place of the injured Kayode Awosika. Dan Skipper provided much help as the sixth lineman. Having Amon-Ra St. Brown back was huge (6 catches 92 yards). “St. Brown is what we are, where he goes, we go,’’ Campbell said. He wasn’t sure St. Brown’s ankle would be well enough to play until Wednesday. Goff was 25 of 34 for 309 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked just once.

TWO: Running back Jahmyr Gibbs ran for three touchdowns while David Montgomery added another. The Dallas defense just didn’t have an answer for them. Gibbs converted a third-and-8 in the third when he caught the ball near the sideline, stopped and deked DaRon Bland out of his cleats to get extra yards for first down. It was a thing of beauty. Gibbs had 7 catches for 77 yards and a dozen runs for 43 yards, while Montgomery ran 6 times for 60 yards and had one 13-yard catch.

THREE: The defense came up with big plays when needed. First snap of third quarter Derrick Barnes intercepted Dak Prescott and two plays later Goff connected with rookie Isaac TeSlaa for a 12-yard touchdown. Prescott passed for 376 yards and a touchdown, threw a pair of interceptions and was sacked five times. Al-Quadin Muhammad sacked Prescott three times.

FOUR: The Lions were 3 of 8 on third downs, but often they were moving the ball so well they didn’t get to third down. Campbell opted for field goals on a few drives instead of going for the TD on fourth down. No fourth-down attempts.

FIVE: Play calling on both sides was more effective. Jameson Williams finished with 7 catches for 96 yards. It was an all-around better effort. The Lions looked more like the team from weeks ago when they were ranked as one of the best in the NFL. “We challenged a number of our guys and they really showed up for us. That team (Dallas) is hot – it was a hot team coming in here. That’s a potent offense,’’ Campbell said. “Was it perfect? No. We still have some stuff that wasn’t good.’’

NEXT UP: Lions at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Growth of Lions WR Jameson Williams could be key in playoffs

A big smile spread across Jameson Williams’ face when asked about reaching 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time. He made it by 1 yard late in the big win over the Vikings.

“It meant a lot, shoutout to my coaching staff for forcing that on me. I appreciate them a lot, it was huge to me and my people and my goals,’’ Williams said on Wednesday. “But I’m past that though, we’ve got three games left, I’m trying to focus on trying to get something on my fingers.”

By something, he means a Super Bowl ring.

The 1,000-yard mark was another milestone for the 2022 first-round pick who stumbled a bit out of the gate with an NFL suspension in each of his first two seasons — one for gambling, the other for using performance-enhancing drugs.

He has grown. It’s evident on the field and even when answering questions from the media.

Coach Dan Campbell used the word “love” four times in a reply on Thursday about his sense of pride in the wide receiver best known as Jamo.

“I’ve got a lot of pride with him. You know he’s one of those guys, man I love that kid. He’s had to endure a lot. Look, some of it is his own doing and he knows that. That’s what I appreciate, it took him a minute to buy into what we’re doing. He can be a little hard-headed and it’s also why you love him, it’s why I love him,’’ Campbell said.

“But he’s learned along the way and he’s grown. What is the best thing he’s done? When he dropped the armor, he endeared himself to his teammates. He became part of the team, that took place last year, towards the end of last year. He could start to feel it and it’s only gotten better and better and better. Every one of these that’s happened, he’s grown he’s learning from it. I love where he’s at, I really do, I’m proud of him,’’ the coach added.

Campbell has been patient and honest with the 23-year-old Williams along the way.The coach also credits the support Williams has had from coaches, staff and teammates.

Along with his 1,001 receiving yards, this season he had three touchdown catches in the last four games and overall had seven receiving and one rushing touchdown

In the heart-breaking NFC Championship loss at San Francisco last January, Williams had a 42-yard rushing touchdown early and a 3-yard touchdown reception late.

All eyes were on him and the Lions. It will be the same on Saturday night in the divisional round against the Washington Commanders.
“We all have the same mindset, we don’t look at it like we’re the No. 1 seed or we’re the best team. We still practice and play like we mean it, we still try to go out there and get a win and play hard for our brothers next to us,’’ Williams said. “… We’ve still got that grittiness. It’s playoffs, you’ve got to go out and get a win or you’ll be on the couch.’’

(UP NEXT: Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions, 8 p.m. on Saturday at Ford Field.)

Five things to watch as Lions face Vikings in NFC North road game

Patience is key for Detroit; also injury updates, prediction

Composure and patience are two words Lions coach Dan Campbell is preaching heading into the Lions’ first divisional game of the season at Minnesota. The undefeated Vikings have a head start in the NFC North, with a 1-0 record after beating the Packers at Green Bay.

“They’re playing really well, so are we. We’re on the road, they’ve already got a division win on the road at Green Bay, this is big, this is a real big game,’’ Campbell said. “That’s the way you have to approach it.”

Campbell found a common denominator between all five teams that they beat.

“They lose their composure and communication is not there and things start going sour and it snowballs and it gets worse. Nobody has taken them down to the wire really, I know the Jets game there was an opportunity there,’’ Campbell said. “But that’s what we have to do we have to take this thing to the fourth quarter and make it a game. If we don’t do that it’s going to be hard, you’re going to be running uphill. That’s the focus here – keep your composure, communicate and then you’ve got to battle.

While the Lions beat the Vikings twice last year, traditionally road games in Minneapolis have spelled trouble for Detroit.

“It’s a loud environment, as you know they play pretty good at home as most teams do, it just goes back to everything else,’’ Campbell said. “We’ve got a pretty veteran team particularly offensively. That’s where you’re put under fire. Our defense isn’t getting all of that. I feel like we’ll be able to keep our composure, keep our head about us and then it’s about being patient, we’ve got to be patient on offense, it’s hard to say but that’s what you’ve got to do.’’

Five things to watch:

ONE: The Vikings’ blitzing defense has improved in the second year under coordinator Brian Flores. The Lions can’t count on their success from last year over the Vikings.

“They don’t make it easy and that’s part of this defense. They’re trying to stress you out, they’re trying to strain you, the clock’s running, this game we’ll be on the road, and they’ve – it’s worked. They’ve gotten on some people,’’ Campbell said. “They’ve gotten on all these offenses and they’ve been able to play their game. Offense, defense, and really because of the defense because they’ve gotten up. These multiple score games, they’re up two scores, they’re up three scores early, and you are out of your offense so fast that you can’t – now you’re totally playing into their hands.”

TWO: Campbell said the Vikings’ 13 takeaways are fueling the team right now. It isn’t lost on the Lions who had five takeaways (3 interceptions, 2 fumble recovered) in the 47-9 win at Dallas. Jared Goff is keenly aware. “That’s typically going to be the difference in a game and those guys have been thriving off of it. So yeah, we’ve got to do a good job taking care of it and, like I said, they are extremely ball-aware, they’re trying to take it away, you can tell, and we’ve got to be even more aware this week,’’ Goff said. The Lions have a 4/10 ratio of giveaway/takeaways.

THREE: No one player can step in and fill the shoes of edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson who broke his leg on Sunday. Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator, said he puts together a plan each week that is about the players not just the scheme. “I say this every week, we do everything we can to put the players in the best position that we can to where it shows their strengths, and it limits their weaknesses. So, that’s what we plan to do and that’s my job. Even when we had Aidan. We moved Aidan around to put him in position so he can be successful too,’’ Glenn said.

“So, that’s my job and that’s the fun part about being a coordinator is being able to do that week in and week out. It’s also a tough job because you also have guys on the other side of the ball that you have to make sure you take care of. But I’m excited about the guys that we have. Those guys are going to go out there and play well,’’ Glenn added. The Lions added Isaiah Thomas from the Bengals’ practice squad this week but won’t make a big trade unless it’s the perfect deal for them.

FOUR: Ben Johnson’s trick-play bag is not empty even though he went to it often against the Cowboys. The offensive coordinator won’t be afraid to go there against the Vikings. “We’re not just calling plays to call plays because we think they look cool. It’s really by design and intent and then our guys carry it the rest of the way,’’ Johnson said. Along with the skill on the offense, Johnson’s creativity is another reason they are so successful at scoring. “This game’s been around for a long time and our challenge as a coaching staff, and I say it to the offensive staff quite a bit, is we can run a million different types of plays and because of that, I don’t like to run the same one twice. I don’t like to do it within a game, I don’t like to do it within a season,’’ Johnson said. “We certainly do have some staples that I will repeat at times, but we’re charged with let’s have a little creativity.’’

FIVE: Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs now want to be known as Sonic & Knuckles (like the video game). Hey, call them what they want. Between them they’ve scored 10 touchdowns in the first five games. Six rushing for Montgomery and three rushing and one passing for Gibbs. Montgomery’s eight consecutive games with a rushing TD is a Lions franchise record and he’s tied for most consecutive games with rushing TD active NFL streaks with Rams’ Kyren Williams. Only Baltimore’s Derrick Henry has more rushing TDs this season with 8. With 13 touchdowns in 20 career games, Gibbs ranks third in franchise history behind Barry Sanders and Sims who each had 18.

LIONS INJURY UPDATE: G Christian Mahogany (illness) is out; CB Carlton Davis III (quad) and G Kevin Zeitler (groin) are questionable.

VIKINGS INJURY UPDATE: TE T.J. Hockenson (knee) LB Blake Cashman (toe) and CB Akayleb Evans (hip) are out; OLB Pat Jones II (shoulder), RB Aaron Jones (hamstring), G Dalton Risner (back) and DL Harrison Phillips (shoulder) are questionable.

PREDICTION: Lions 31, Vikings 28