Tag: jared goff

Five reasons the Lions bounced back, dominated the Bears, 34-17

dominating 34-17 win at the Chicago Bears. Turns out that reports that the sky was falling were unfounded.  The win set the franchise record for 13 wins in a season.

With two games remaining, the Lions (13-2) still control their own destiny. Win out — at the 49ers and at home to the Vikings — and they earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed. 

The Lions, who are a perfect 7-0 on the road, were coming off a 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills, just their first loss since September which made this game seem that much more important. They haven’t lost back-to-back games since October 2022.

“As I told them, the two most important things to me were I wanted to see us play Detroit football and I wanted to win. That was it, I gave no other stipulations,’’ coach Dan Campbell said.

He has preached resilience since Day One and it has stuck.

“We’ve got a group of guys that we all feel the same way. We don’t go in the tank, we don’t lack confidence, and you know I think just collectively, I gravitate to people who are like me in that manner and between coaches and players, we have a group that is that way,’’ Campbell said. “They’re very resilient and they get aggravated if they lose and want to clean it up.’’

He repeatedly said there is much to work on after the win which he says every week, but he did have a smile on his face. It seemed to get wider when he was informed the Eagles, now 12-3, lost to the Commanders.

“It takes a special group of guys to emotionally and physically and psychologically bounce back after a tough loss especially when you haven’t lost in a while, go out and win on the road again,’’ Campbell said.

 “I told the guys I did know that was a team record, a franchise record 13 wins has never been done. I told them one day we’ll be able to look back and enjoy that, but not yet, it’s not the time. We’ve got our work cut out for us,’’ Campbell added.

It was the ninth straight loss for the Bears who the Lions also beat on Thanksgiving.

Five of the main reasons the Lions beat the Bears:

ONE: The Lions offense got off to a fast start taking a 20-0 early lead and holding a halftime edge of 27-14. They scored on their first five possessions and didn’t punt until there were 5 minutes left in the game. In the previous week’s loss to the Bills, they fell behind early and could not catch up. So a quick start was at the top of the to-do list for a win. Check. 

TWO: With David Montgomery out, RB Jahmyr Gibbs carried the load in the run game which had struggled in the past few weeks. Not on Sunday. Detroit finished with 145 rushing yards and Gibbs had 109 of them, including a rushing touchdown. “That was somewhat his first taste of taking on more of the load,’’ Campbell said. “It was good.” Running the ball was key to taking time off the clock. Gibbs has produced 100-plus scrimmage yards in nine games this season. This is the most by a Lions RB since Barry Sanders in 1997. 

THREE: Wide receiver Jameson Williams’ 82-yard touchdown catch again proved that his speed makes him nearly impossible to stop. Of course, it was an amazing pass by Goff too. Williams got off to a rough start with a taunting penalty in the first quarter. Same thing happened when the Lions beat the Bears on Thanksgiving and Williams apologized to his teammates for the bonehead move. On Sunday, Campbell had a talk with him on the sideline but kept him in the game. He had five catches for 143 yards. “I love where he’s at right now,’’ Campbell said. Goff said his connection with Williams continues to grow. “He’s obviously one of the best deep threats in our league. Even when it’s not perfect, and I think keven those two, last week and this one, wasn’t the perfect look for him to make that play today and finish in the end zone. That’s what he’s capable of and there’ll be more of that, hopefully,’’ Goff said.

FOUR: The Lions defense had not had a takeaway in four games and then they had two in the first half. Bears’ WR Rome Odunze fumbled both times with Josh Paschal recovering the first and Jack Campbell the second. The offense responded with scores on both. Bears QB Caleb Williams found more of a rhythm in the second half, but the Lions defense only allowed one field goal in the second half.

FIVE: Jared Goff can never be overlooked. With the defense playing next-man-up football, much was expected from the offense. Goff delivered. Again. He completed 23 of 32 attempts for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Plus he should be in the running for an Oscar for his fake stumble before connecting with Sam LaPorta for a 21-yard touchdown pass. It was a play they had worked on all last week. Goff has now produced 41-career 300-yard passing games, tying Dan Marino and Matt Ryan for the second-most 300-yard games through nine seasons in NFL history. And Goff is the third QB with a 13-plus win season for multiple franchises in NFL history. He joins Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

UP NEXT: Lions (13-2)  at 49ers, 8:15 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 30.

Five things to watch as Lions face Bears; plus injury updates, prediction

Despite a few reports to the contrary, the sky has not fallen for the Lions following a 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills. 

Coming up on the short side is just a new phenomena for Detroit which hadn’t lost a game since September.

Heading to play the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, the Lions look to keep alive their streak on no back-to-back losses in more than two years.The last time they lost two straight was in October 2022.

It hasn’t happened by accident. 

“You have to identify the issues and you have to attack the next preparation for the opponent, there’s got to be a level of urgency that is extremely high and you have to want to get that taste out of your mouth so bad, the taste of losing, that you’ll do anything it takes to prep yourself and you’re going to play at the highest level that you played all season,’’ coach Dan Campbell said.

He explained that the magic combination includes mindset, preparation and work ethic.

“It’s really that simple. It’s not anything else – I know this, you overreact on one, that’s not good either,’’ Campbell said.

While the Ford Field atmosphere is among the best in the NFL, the Lions have not lost a road game yet this season.

“Our job is to go play football and that’s what we’re going to continue to do. We lost two games, we have a chance to win out and accomplish everything that we want to accomplish,’’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “So why should we sit back and wallow and think that the sky is falling? It’s dumb.”

Five things to watch:

ONE: Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams  threw three touchdown passes in the second half of their first matchup which the Lions won, 23-20. Glenn said the key is to disguise coverages better because Williams is still learning to read defenses.  “I think he’s playing really good football, and he just continues to get better. He’s taken a few hits, but he just continues to stand in there and push the ball down the field,’’ Campbell said. “He’s mobile, as we know, he can break contain, he keeps his eyes downfield. So, he’s a young quarterback in this League that is really continuing to improve and he’s got plenty of weapons.

TWO: The Lions defense has struggled with all the injuries and that includes a lack of takeaways. While the Bears are winless in their last eight games, in that stretch Williams has not thrown an interception. For the season he has 17 touchdowns and just five picks. “We have really a couple game drought of takeaways right now and that’s got to be a part of our identity. So, we have to get back to what we do and the way that we play because that’s how you give yourself the best opportunity to get takeaways. So, to be able to put some pressure on him and try to force him into making some decisions that are ill-advised, that’s big and that’s big for any opponent that you go against,’’ Campbell said.

THREE: With RB David Montgomery out with a knee injury, Jahmyr Gibbs is expected to carry a heavier load. He’ll have help from either Jermar Jefferson, Craig Reynolds or Sione Vaki. “(Gibbs) brings the explosive element, he’s getting better in the pass game, and then you see what he’s able to do in the run game, so we have a ton of confidence,’’ Campbell said. “I think for him it’s going to be, we’ve got to use and maximize the reps that we have for him, and be careful that we don’t give him too much. Last week the Lions had a season-low 48 rushing yards. Improving that number is an emphasis against the Bears. 

FOUR: In the loss to the Bills, the Lions were down 14-0 in the first quarter. The offense managed just one first down in their first two possessions. So a quick start is another emphasis this week. “Coming from behind, it’s not impossible, but it’s hard. I think we put ourselves behind the eight ball a little bit, so yeah, starting fast and making sure we can get a lead is always great, obviously,’’ Goff said. “But yeah, you just want to keep that game close and stay in it until the very end, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish it off.”

FIVE: It’s a rare outdoor game for the Lions. They’ve been preparing for playing at Soldier Field by holding practices outdoors this week. “It brings a different level of juice to those guys outside. The bigs love it, we’ve got a lot of skill guys out there that are running around that enjoy it too,’’ Campbell said. “But yeah, I think that it fits us very well and I think it’ll be good for us out there.” Goff said he looks forward to playing at Lambeau and Soldier Field every season. The forecast calls for a high of 31 with partly cloudy skies. Not bad for Chicago in December..

LIONS INJURY UPDATE: RB David Montgomery (knee) and LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (neck) are out; DB Brian Branch (calf), G Graham Glasgow (knee) and S Ifeatu Melifonwu (hand) are questionable.

BEARS INJURY UPDATE: OL Ryan Bates (concussion) is out; RB Travis Homer (hamstring) is doubtful; DB Jaylon Johnson (illness), DL Gervon Dexter Sr. (knee), OL Teven Jenkins (calf) and OL Braxton Jones (concussion) are questionable.

PREDICTION: Lions 35, ,Bears 27.

Lions Dan Campbell remains optimistic: ‘We write our own story’

ALLEN PARK — Dan Campbell’s message, coming off just the Lions’ second loss of the season, was simple, direct and very Campbell-esque.

“Look, nobody writes our story, we’re the only ones who write our own story. We have the pen, there’s a lot of football left and I think we’re looking forward to this,’’ Campbell said on Wednesday. “So you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go back to basics.’’

The Lions (12-2) started preparing for Sunday’s matchup at the Chicago Bears (4-10), following Sunday’s 48-42 loss to the Bills. During the loss, defensive lineman Alim McNeill and safety Carlton Davis III were injured and lost for the season. No other NFL team has sustained so many losses on defense. 

Still no one can convince Campbell that the sky is falling. 

“I don’t believe it. We’ve got plenty here. I’ll tell you what, when we come out of a game and everything that we said we had to do, including our identity, we do that for 60 minutes and we lose a game, I’ll stand up here and tell you, ‘You know what, we just don’t have enough.’ Until that happens, you’re not going to hear me anything about what we have or don’t have, can we do this. We’ve got plenty here on the whole roster – we’ve got plenty on defense.’’

His belief in his squad is unwavering and genuine. And the fact he believes in them gives them more confidence.

“It’s funny, it’s relative because adversity two years ago was different than adversity right now. Watching him stand in the storm at 1-6, and 3-13 (in 2021) whatever, that’s for me what makes his words mean so much more now when we’re 12-2, facing our first loss in the last 12 weeks,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said. 

“If that’s our adversity right now, we’ll be just fine, we’ll handle it, we’ll move on. I think when he stands in front of the room people listen and the way we handle adversity as a team has been pretty good,’’ Goff added.

It is not just the mindset that is key to getting back on track.

“What’s interesting, there are two things that unfold. One is the loss, right? When you haven’t lost since September. So there’s the loss element and then there’s the injury element. Everything gets compacted, you really need to address both and that’s what we did,’’ Campbell said.

First they have to go back to work and reposition themselves to play Sunday and learn from what happened against the Bills. 

“And the other is to not lose confidence in the fact that we still have really good players here on defense and we have good coaches,’’ Campbell said. “We can play any way we need to play from that standpoint, as well as offense and special teams and still win games.’’

“It’s my job to alleviate stress in some areas and just balance the buoy, if you will, and we’ll do that,’’ the coach added.

This bunch is in an unusual position after winning 11 straight games. They’re still atop the NFC North where they are the only team without a division loss. Chicago is 0-4, Green Bay is 1-3 and Minnesota is 3-1.

Yes, it was a bad loss but the season is far from over. They’ve qualified for the playoffs but would love that No. 1 seed.

“That’s why our guys are so good, we’ve got a good group of guys, they don’t like losing,’’ Campbell said. “They don’t lose confidence, they get more aggravated like I do. We want to fix it, we don’t want to lose any more. That’s the plan.’’

INJURY UPDATE: Running back David Montgomery was getting a third opinion on his injured knee. Campbell said they are in a waiting mode with him so have not placed him on injured reserve. The coach sees it as a good sign. Initially, it was thought Montgomery might be out for the season. … Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu was back at practice, opening his window to get back in action after being on injured reserve since he injured his hand in Week 3. … Six players didn’t practice to get some rest on Wednesday. The injured sitting out were DB Brian Branch (calf), G Graham Glasgow (knee) and Montgomery.