Tag: Ford Field

Lions expect a more motivated Brian Branch on Sunday vs. Vikings

ALLEN PARK — It’s been two long weeks since Lions safety Brian Branch has played. First he served a one-week suspension following a melee after the loss at the Chiefs. Then the Lions had the bye week.

Branch is back on the practice field prepping to face the Vikings on Sunday at Ford Field.

“It’s great. BB he’s got two weeks off, he’s got fresh legs, he’s ready to go, a great little bye week in the middle. I’m excited,’’ defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said on Tuesday. “BB is one of the guys on our defense who is the heart and the soul and the tonesetter. I can’t wait to have him back.’’

A motivated Branch feels the same way.

“I feel like it’s another chip on my shoulder that they just added,’’ Branch said. “I also want to apologize for that and it’s something I don’t condone and it’ll never happen again. It definitely added another chip to my shoulder.’’

When asked if the suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct was merited, he hesitated before saying he’s dealt with the consequences and is moving on, learning to control his emotions after the whistle.

“Coach tells me all the time they’re going to pick at me during the play or try to get me to get out of my shell to retaliate,’’ Branch said. “But he said, still play with the fire just learn how to not retaliate and play between the whistles.’’

Jim O’Neil, Lions defensive assistant/safeties coach, expects to see a more motivated Branch.

“I’m really excited to see how he takes the field on Sunday when he comes out of the tunnel,’’ O’Neil said. “It’s great to have him back — he’s one of my all-time favorite people, all-time favorite players that I’ve ever coached. I love his competitive spirit, I’m excited to get him back out there.’’

Branch admitted that he couldn’t even watch the Lions beat the Bucs.

“Just watching them I guess just made me like just miss being out there, that’s something that’s hard,’’ Branch said. “I’ll be eager to get out there.’’

UP NEXT: Vikings (3-4) at Lions (5-2), 1 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.

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.

Five Lions standouts from 24-17 preseason loss to Miami Dolphins

DETROIT — After the Lions dominated the Dolphins in two days of joint practices this week, the Dolphins showed up in their 24-17 preseason win at Ford Field on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams sat their starters, relying on second-and-third team players vying to make the roster cut.

“We had an opportunity to win at the end and we just weren’t able to finish out,’’ coach Dan Campbell said.
“You want to know you’re playing complementary football, it’s a big deal with me … As long as one of your units is keeping you alive you can weather the storm then we hit the rough patch in the fourth quarter,’’ he added.

The Lions led 14-7 at the half after touchdown throws from Kyle Allen to rookies Jackson Meeks and Isaac TeSlaa. Detroit was mostly shut out in the second half with Hendon Hooker at quarterback, although Jake Bates kicked a third-quarter field goal

“A lot of guys made some plays when they had the opportunity,’’ Campbell said. “Really the story for us as far as the loss is there were way too many penalties.’’

It’s an issue that will be on next week’s to-do list. The Lions had 13 penalties costing them 86 yards while the Dolphins had 9 for 60 yards.

Five Lions’ standouts in Saturday’s loss in no particular order:

ONE: Rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa, the home state kid who grew up a Lions fan, has gotten off to a quick start, proving the NFL isn’t too big for him. A third-round pick out of Arkansas, he has turned heads in training camp and did so again on Saturday finishing with 4 catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. It was his second TD in the last 2 games. In the first two preseason contests he had four catches for 64 yards. “(TeSlaa) continues to grow. (Jackson) Meeks has grown every day, every competitive setting he’s taken a step up and TeSlaa is the same way,’’ ‘Campbell said. “TeSlaa is continuing to grow, he’s getting more confident and he’s making more plays. Every time those (plays) happen you gain trust in those players.’’

TWO: Rookie WR Jackson Meeks, an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse, also had his second touchdown catch in the past 2 games to open Detroit’s scoring against the Dolphins. He hauled down a 11-yard TD catch on a fourth-and-7 play from Kyle Allen. He also provided a spark  in the fourth quarter with three catches for 36 yards. Overall he had seven receptions for 93 yards.

THREE: LB Grant Stuard, who was drafted with the final pick in the 2021 draft by Tampa Bay has also played with the Colts. He is easy to see on the field with his long mane hanging down his back. If that doesn’t give you a clue, just look for him near the ball on defense or special teams. Credit him for four solo tackles against the Dolphins, a forced fumble  and two kick returns for a total of 50 yards.

FOUR: Veteran QB Kyle Allen didn’t need Saturday’s game to tighten his grip on being the No. 2 quarterback, but his performance could not hurt. He played every offensive snap in the first half, completing 14 of 17 for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Late in the second quarter, he headed the Lions two-minute drill that ended with an 18-yard touchdown catch to TeSlaa to give the Lions a 14-7 lead. 

Afterward Campbell noted that Allen is playing better than Hendon Hooker (who played in the second half.) “So I would say right now if you’re saying if you had to go in with a 2 right now who would you trust more, yeah I would use Kyle more because he’s proven more these past two games. We’re still going to coach Hooker up,’’ Campbell said.

FIVE: RB Sione Vaki, a second-year player, saw most of his action on special teams in 16 games in 2024. Along with his five rushes for 30 yards on Saturday, he forced a fumble on a punt. 

NEXT UP: The Lions (1-2) wrap up preseason action on Saturday, Aug. 23, against the Texans at 1 p.m. at Ford Field.