Tag: Jahmyr Gibbs

Five things to watch as Lions, seeking 4th straight win, face the Bengals

Looking for their fourth straight win, the Lions are heavily favored against the Bengals at Cincinnati.

After a rough start at Green Bay in the opener, coach Dan Campbell loves the resiliency of the team.

“ We don’t get caught up in things that don’t relate to us or have any bearing on what we control, if you will. Man, our guys stay locked in on what it takes to win a game, and/or why you didn’t play well, and it really is as simple as that,’’ Campbell said, admitting it’s not an easy thing to do.

Critics, fans, social media — it’s all out there.

“So I think, man, that’s hard to do. But I think our guys are pretty locked in, pretty disciplined. They come in this building, and they barricade themselves in and they look at it for what it is, ‘The most important thing is what my teammates and what my coaches are saying, and this is where we have to get better and where I can get better,’’’ Campbell said. “And that small little – that one little step, that one little hand placement, man, the release. That makes all the difference, not the, ‘Are you good enough anymore?’ You don’t get caught up in all that. We have a very resilient bunch, and the core of our team is very strong, it’s very strong.”

The Lions (3-1)  are coming off a 34-10 win at Cleveland while the Bengals (2-2) were routed 28-3 at Denver last week.

Five things to watch:

ONE: The Lions defensive backs could have their hands full with Bengals’ wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Plus they’ll be juggling the lineup with D.J. Reed out for at least the next four games. “We know these two receivers are really good, they’re looking for those matchups, they feel if they can get a one-on-one that’s where the ball’s going and why wouldn’t it,’’ Campbell said. “We’re going to have to do a good job of disrupting those guys as much as we can and try to limit what they can do but also not let them tear us up in the run game.’’

TWO: After concentrating on details and more practice this week, it’s expected that Jared Goff and Jameson Williams will be back on the same page. “I think (Williams) bounced back right away because look at what he did after in the game. He continued to block his butt off during the game. We hit him on that one third-down play. So, he bounced back the next play, that’s what I think,’’ offensive coordinator John Morton said. “And then the way he practices, listen, there’s no problem with Jamo. And there’s going to be times where we’re going to ask him to step up and he’ll do it. We’ve got the utmost confidence in him. But I would say right to the next play and that’s what he did. I think that’s where he’s grown. Didn’t faze him, so.”

THREE: Aidan Hutchinson and the defensive line continue to dominate. Hutchinson has a sack in each of the last three games and four overall. He’s not out there alone. Edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad has stepped up big-time: “”I think we’re pretty safe to say that Muhammad is a guy opposite Hutch, not just another guy we’re throwing out there. But he’s been tremendous,’’ defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. “I mean, you’ve literally seen Muhammad line up at the nose, the three, the edge, and hasn’t batted an eye. He’s gotten in the run game in there, it hasn’t just been pass rush. I’ve seen him drop a knee and anchor. I mean, just anything you’ve asked that guy to do. …. Head down, he’s been a grinder since day one ever since I’ve met him.”

FOUR:  Cincinnati’s 32nd ranked total offense will need to find a way to break through Detroit’s defense which is ranked 12th. Remember Joe Burrow is out with turf toe and Jake Browning is the starting QB. Browning has thrown three touchdowns and five interceptions in the first four games while being sacked seven times. ee

FIVE: Special teams have contributed big-time especially in Sunday’s win over the Browns when Kalif Raymond ran a punt back for a touchdown and Jake Bates kicked two field goals. With the rule changes, special teams have taken on a more important role this season. “I love the fact that special teams is having a bigger impact. It obviously makes our jobs more important, it makes our role more important, it makes really all the players playing those plays’ jobs more important. I think it helps everybody,’’ special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said. “I think I said in the offseason or training camp, the returner position’s going to be more important, both kick and punt. Kickoff return, you have to have two guys back there, you can’t just have one. So that makes that more important on the roster – how many guys you have, who they are. So I would say overall it’s outstanding. I love it. Puts more pressure on me too, but that’s why you do it, so it’s fun.”

PREDICTION: Lions 35, Bengals 10

UP NEXT: Lions at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12.

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 things to watch as the Lions face the Browns and their top-rated defense

Coach Dan Campbell thinks the Cleveland Browns’ defense is the best the Lions have faced so far this season.

The Browns (1-2) are coming off a big comeback win against the Packers, while the Lions (2-1) decidedly beat the Ravens on Monday night. The two teams meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.

Both must guard against a letdown after big wins.

“What we talk about is our standards. We have to play to what we – the way we practice, the way we prepare, the way we play, it’s about our standards. Nothing else matters,’’ Campbell said.”And we’re very aware of what’s coming in here. That’s a big win those guys got. They had to fight their way back to get that W and they did everything right at the end of the game to get it done. And they willed that to happen, so they’ve got the fight in them.’’

The Browns overall defense and rushing defense are both rated tops in the NFL.

“This defense, I’ve already mentioned, I think is the best that we will have faced. Green Bay was damn good, but this defense is really good,’’ Campbell said. “So, we’ve got our hands full over there. And offensively, they’re going to ball control, (AB Joe) Flacco’s seen every look you could see, they’re going to lean on (RB Quinshon Judkins) the rookie. And so, we know what’s coming in here.”

Five things to watch:

ONE: Cutting through DE Myles Garrett and the Browns defense has allowed just 290 yards per game. Cleveland is also top ranked in rushing defense giving up just 57.3 yards per game. Impressive numbers but something will have to give since the Lions have the League’s third-best total offense with 394.3 yards per game and tied for second with 34.3 points per game. Detroit’s numbers might be higher if they had issues in  the opening loss at Green Bay. “They’re sound, they play hard, they rush hard. Obviously Myles (Garrett) is a big part of that,’’ Goff said about the Browns defense. “They’re good in the backend too, they’re really good in the backend. They’re good at every spot and that’s what these good defenses typically are. And they’re no different.”

TWO: As always, winning in the trenches will be key. Detroit’s offensive line has improved each week with rookie right guard Tate Ratledge coming on strong. “Yeah, it’s been great. And it’s just reps, it really is. For any of these young guys, it’s just more reps he gets, the better he’s going to be. And I think he’s played great,’’ Goff said of Ratledge. Last week the defense sacked Lamar Jackson seven times. Seven. Something for Joe Flacco and the Browns’ offensive line to think about.

THREE:  The Lions offensive versatility can’t be underrated. “With the personnel that we have we can pretty much do anything we want. There’s a lot of weapons, you saw the different personnel grouping and all the different formations,’’ offensive coordinator John Morton said. “We’re all trying to create mismatches, that’s the way I was taught.’’

FOUR: Look for Amik Robertson to take more snaps at corner instead of Terrion Arnold. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said he’s not down on Arnold, calling him a very young player (he’s 22) who is going through growing pains. “Amik has always earned his keep with me,’’ defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. Joe Flacco has thrown just two touchdowns against four interceptions. 

FIVE: Good starts are key on both sides of the ball. The Lions scored on their opening drive in Baltimore but the defense gave up a touchdown on the Ravens’ opening drive. That’s not good enough for Sheppard. “I want to start the game with a 3-and-out,’’ he said.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Browns 17

UP NEXT: Lions at Cincinnati Bengals, 4:25 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5.