Green Bay Packers – Page 21

Five things to watch as the Lions host Packers; plus prediction

When the NFL schedule makers scheduled the Green Bay Packers at the Lions this week, it could have been a key NFC North matchup. Well after seven games, not so much.

The Packers (3-5) are tied with the Bears in the division while the Lions (1-6) are once again hanging out in the basement.

Detroit traded away tight end T.J. Hockenson this week but they insist winning each week is still the goal. Coach Dan Campbell, whose record is 4-19-1, insists the team is close. And, by the way, he doesn’t believe this team is cursed.

“No, I don’t man. I do not, I can’t go there. I’m not going to allow myself to go there because I just feel like for me as a coach, or for us as players, that’s an excuse,’’ Campbell said. “And I think you create your own vibe, your own mojo, you create your own energy. And I think the more you buy into that, believe that, that’s what you become, so no, I’m not buying that.”

Five things to watch as the Lions host the Packers:

1.Can the defense regroup after a coaching shakeup cost defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant his job. The defense is dead last in the NFL ratings. Miami’s TuaTagovailoa had his way with the Lions passing for 382 yards. Not one of his passing attempts was thrown into tight coverage where there was a defender within one yard or less of the receiver at the time of completion on incompletion, according to Zebra Technology. That is one atrocious stat. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said the focus is to win now. “I think every decision that’s made is made to win. Period. Some guys might not understand that, but it’s made to win,’’ Glenn said. “If it’s in the future, but every decision’s meant to be made to win right now. I know that’s how I look at it.’’

2. Aaron Rodgers has been inconsistent but he is completing 66.4 percent of his passes and has thrown just four interceptions against 13 touchdowns. He is always dangerous. “Well, they still have that guy (Rodgers), so as long as you have that guy you have a chance,’’ Glenn said.

3. Speaking of quarterbacks, Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes in the first half against the Dolphins, but couldn’t get the offense on track in the second half due to penalties and drops. He never found a rhythm with just three second-half possessions and he said the issues were mostly self-inflicted. “That’s kind of the frustrating part. I wish I could say, ‘Yeah, the defense came out and did something we weren’t expecting and it kind of caught us off guard.’ And that hasn’t been the case,’’ Goff said. “It’s been self-inflicted, and for a variety of reasons, but this past week unfortunately, it was some penalties. I think though, with that being said, how can we – like every team is going to have a bad drive here or there. They’re going to have penalties, they’re going to have turnovers. How do we put it away and move on and get back to what we do quicker the next drive, respond? And I think that’s kind of where the emphasis is put, less on, ‘Hey guys, let’s avoid mistakes,’ more on, ‘Hey, let’s respond after them.’”

4. The offense will regroup in a fashion to make up for the absence of Hockenson who had 26 catches for 395 yards and three touchdowns. Look for tight ends Brock Wright and James Mitchell to be more involved and the wide receivers too. Campbell said he was honest with the team about the trade. “I told them that what I have to judge is, well, where does his production go now? And I have to feel OK with that production going to (WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown, (WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf, (WR Josh) Reynolds, (RB D’Andre) Swift, another carry for (Lions RB) Jamaal (Williams) and the other tight ends. And I feel OK with that,’’ Campbell said.

5. After trading the top tight end and firing an assistant coach, the Lions have to remain focused. Campbell said he was straight with them about Hockenson, calling it a business decision. It was a tough call to fire Pleasant but obviously he thought it was necessary. The organization hasn’t given up for the season even though it may look like it from afar. With straight talk and solid leadership within the team, they have to keep playing like it matters. It will be obvious if they don’t.

INS and OUTS: Injuries continue to be an issue. Four are out: CB Chase Lucas. S Ifeatu Melifonwu, T Matt Nelson and CB A.J. Parker. WR Josh Reynolds (back) is doubtful while LT Taylor Decker (groin), DE Charles Harris (groin), D’Andre Swift (ankle/shoulder) and Brock Wright (concussion protocol) are questionable.

(PREDICTION: Packers 35, Lions 21.)

Five things to know about Lions win over Packers and the season’s finish

In a season opened with eight straight losses, new coach Dan Campbell made his share of mistakes. He’ll be happy to share that with you.

The most remarkable achievement may have been keeping the players in every game, keeping them focused and not allowing their shoulder to sink.

It’s not a little thing for a coach to be able to inject such an attitude.

Perhaps Sunday’s 37-30 win over the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field was a perfect example of this never-say-die attitude.

The Lions really didn’t have anything to play for other than pride, but you wouldn’t know that And, yes, the Packers who are the NFC North champs, played some of their backups in the second half, but still it was a good solid win for the Lions who finished 3-3 in their final six and 3-13-1 overall.

“When you’re where we’re at, when you get late in the season and you don’t have wins, it’s not easy for guys to continue to put their best foot forward, continue to come to work, continue to grind,’’ Campbell said. “Our guys did that. They knew what we are trying to build.

“For us it was what we said on Day One. We’re looking for a gritty team, guys that are resilient, guys willing to lay it on the line, you’re not going to feel 100% those guys that are 80-90% they can still produce and give it their all,’’ Campbell added.

“I do feel like all the way through this season, those guys never lost hope and I think that’s important, that there is hope,’’ the coach said.

They also seem to feed off his aggressiveness. Fourth down? In many cases, he went for it. On Sunday, he used two trick plays to score touchdowns. Whatever it takes.

Five things to know:

1. Quarterback Jared Goff took plenty of flack in the first half of the season. Some of it was deserved, some not. But he never threw up his hands, he never quit. “What I respect about him is he hung in there and he was resilient, but yet accountable to his own performance,’’ Campbell said. “Collectively we knew we all had to get better. He never wavered, he was there everyday, he was ready to go, he was upbeat, he wanted to be better and in turn has made us all better.’’ Goff admitted there were rocky times and he’s proud of the way he and his teammates handled it. “To finish the season the way we did is a testament to not giving up in those situations,’’ Goff said.

2. Despite an incredible number of injuries the defense was fairly consistent. They had a few bad games and awful quarters but they improved under defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as the season wore on. In Sunday’s win Tracy Walker and C.J. Moore intercepted quarterback Jordan Love at key points in the second half. Moore’s interception with a few seconds remaining sealed the win. Campbell mentioned the way the team played complementary football in Sunday’s win. It was key.

3. A star emerged in rookie wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, a fourth-round pick. He set a Lions record for yardage for rookie wide receivers with his first catch on Sunday. He admitted he knew exactly how many yards he needed, Nothing wrong with that. He set an NFL record a week ago for a rookie wide receiver catching at least eight passes in eight straight games. He extended that to nine games on Sunday. Campbell said, “He’s better than gold.” Goff reminded that St. Brown’s name translates to Sun God. He finished with 8 catches for 109 yards on Sunday and for the season the rookie had 90 catches for 911 yards and five touchdowns

4. The offensive line was battered all season. On Sunday, guard Jonah Jackson had to move over to center after Evan Brown went out. Jackson and Goff took about five snaps on the sideline and went for it. That’s just how the season went and still for the most part, the line did its job. Guard Penei Sewell spent training camp learning the right guard position then had to move to the left side when Taylor Decker was injured. This line should be one of the Lions’ strengths in the future.

5. Goff said Sunday’s win and the way the Lions finished the season 3-3 should be a good springboard for next season. The players who are on the roster now, know what to expect from Campbell and he knows how to push the right buttons. While a 3-13-1 record could draw many an eye roll, dig a little deeper and the future for this bunch looks a little brighter.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)

Five keys in the Lions’ 31-24 loss to Packers

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions, in their second game under interim head coach Darrell Bevell, hung with the Packers in the first half but then couldn’t get Green Bay’s offense off the field in the third quarter.

When it was over, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers beat the Lions 31-24 in a late matinee game on Sunday at Ford Field.

“We were going up against against one of the best quarterbacks to ever do it in this league,’’ Bevell said. “To be able to be in it at the end of the game with one possession to determine it. I was really proud of the guys and how they fought, they finished all the way to the end.’’

Quarterback Matthew Stafford wasn’t able to finish the game after getting crunched in the ribs in the fourth quarter. Bevell said it was too early to know if Stafford will have to miss a game or more. The quarterback was getting X-rays after the game.

“Matthew Stafford is as tough as they come, he’s a huge competitor, I know he’s going to want to be out with his team, it’s going to have to be pretty drastic for him not to be in there,’’ Bevell said.

Five key plays in the game:

1. Tied 14-14 at the half, the Packers had the first possession in the third. Talk about total domination for one quarter. In the third, they led in time of possession 13:49 to 1:21. In the third and into the fourth, Green Bay had two scoring drives. One was 14 plays, 75 yards eating up 8:49. The other was a dozen plays for 79 yards taking 7:49 off the clock. “That’s not how I wanted to start the second half, they came out, went on a long drive, when that happens on the offensive side of the ball we need to respond and do a good job of giving our defense a time to rest,’’ Bevell said. “We didn’t do that. We went three-and-out put them back out there and I think they had another long drive. Fortunately for us we were able to get it settled but that was a big swing in the game.

2. Aaron Rodgers was, well, Aaron Rodgers. He completed his first 10 pass attempts and finished with three passing touchdowns and 290 yards. He was never sacked and the Lions’ defense recorded one quarterback hit. He also carried the ball six times for 13 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown scamper. He’s 37 but his age certainly isn’t showing.

3. In the first half, Stafford was methodical in two scoring drives. One ending with a 1-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Hockenson and the second a 3-yard run by D’Andre Swift. It was a solid start for the Lions against a good Packers defense. “It doesn’t surprise me, I’m proud of this team. Like I said at the beginning of this thing, these guys are ready to fight, they want to continue to play week-in and week-out,’’ Bevell said. “As you saw they were in it untilt he tend. We’re going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in our division but also in the NFC. I couldn’t be happier for these guys and the way they played.’’

4. Quarterback Chase Daniel, in for an injured Stafford, ran in from 4 yards out for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter but it was negated by a holding call on Matt Nelson. It definitely would have closed the game with 2:03 remaining. The Lions had to settle for a field goal. It’s uncertain if it could’ve been the difference in the result. Certainly there is a chance of that.

5. Yes it was a loss, so Bevell is 1-1 as head coach. It was a tough assignment against one of the best offenses in the NFL. The Packers beat the Lions 42-21in Week 2. Here’s the thing, Bevell had them ready to play. On the Packers first possession, they scored on a 56-yard touchdown toss to Davante Adams capping a three-play drive. It looked like it was going to be a long day in Detroit, but the defense hung in there and the offense found a rhythm (and the magic of a screen pass).

BONUS: The Packers held the edge in rushing yards, 120-51. … Green Bay was whistled for a dozen penalties (68 yards) while Detroit had 4 for 30 yards. … Final time of possession was 35:30 for the Packers and 24”30 for the Lions … Stafford threw for 203 yards in the first half and 41 in the second. … Danny Amendola had six catches for 66 yards. … Cornerback Darryl Roberts led the Lions’ defense with 7 tackles.

Up next: Lions (5-8) at Titans (9-4). Tennessee dropped the Jaguars, 31-10, on Sunday.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)