Jonah Jackson – Lions Lowdown

Lions notes: Dan Campbell on Goff’s fourth quarter, eardrums and Jackson’s knee

ALLEN PARK — Through 14 wins and even the five losses, Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been the coolest guy in the building when the temperature rises and the game is on the line.

It was never more apparent than in the Divisional Round win, 31-23, over the Buccaneers on Sunday at Ford Field, especially in the fourth quarter.

The game was tied at 17-17 to start the final 15 minutes. That’s when Goff draped a Superman cape across his shoulders and went 11-of-12 for 131 yards including a spectacular 9-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown.

“It’s the way he’s made. I think that’s one of those traits that I believe he learned over time. Look I don’t know, maybe from his father maybe it started there, just his experience, his time playing the game at a high level in big games, understanding what’s coming next,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. “He does do a great job. He does stay calm, he does stay cool. He knows even if it feels a little shaky, a little rocky, it will smooth out and we keep playing ball.’’

The coach said it’s one of the reasons Goff had that remarkable display in the fourth quarter.

“He can hang in there, he’ll get in a rhythm, he’ll start finding some throws and get hot for us,’’ Campbell said.

The Lions will need the same poise from Goff when they play at the 49ers in the NFC Championship game at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Goff is the third quarterback in franchise history to win multiple playoff games, joining QBs Tobin Rote (1957) and Bobby Layne (1953, 1952).

Zach Ertz signed

Veteran tight end Zach Ertz was signed to the Lions practice squad on Monday to fill the gap after tight end Brock Wright broke his forearm in Sunday’s win over the Bucs.

Ertz, 33, played for Lions tight ends coach Steve Heiden while they were with the Arizona Cardinals. So there is familiarity.

Ertz started seven games for the Cardinals in this 2023 season and then was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 24 and waived on Nov. 30.

He was drafted in the second round in 2013 by the Philadelphia Eagles and played there until he was traded to the Cardinals in October 2021.

In his career he played 151 games with 113 starts. He has 709 catches for 7,434 yards and 46 touchdowns. He has played in eight postseason games with 36 receptions for 381 yards and two touchdowns.

Eardrum check

The fans came through big-time at both playoff games at Ford Field. It, of course, has not gone unnoticed.

“The eardrums were just banging. The only thing I thought is, I would get a blown-out eardrum, we’ll work on that next year,’’ Campbell said.

The crowd and the noise was his vision, where he wanted to go.

“For all the Lions fans, this was the whole idea,’’ Campbell said. “I know everybody’s been dying for it for so long. This is the point because of what we just saw in those last two playoff games.

“The environment in there is better than any you’re going to find in the NFL, back-to-back weeks.

Injury update

Guard Jonah Jackson underwent surgery for a minor meniscus tear in his knee, per an ESPN.com report. He’s expected to miss the NFC Championship game on Sunday at the 49ers.

However, Campbell said there’s a chance he might be able to play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11 if the Lions beat the 49ers. He said it depends on how quickly it heals. “The timeline could be there,’’ Campbell said.

Five things to watch as Lions face Commanders; plus prediction

The second week in the NFL can’t produce a must-win game. However the Lions need a win over the Commanders to get to 1-1. When losses snowball it’s never a good thing, ask any Lions fan.

The Lions played in front of a raucous and loud crowd in their opening loss to the Eagles. They want to keep the fans in the game and winning is a surefire way to accomplish that.

Coach Dan Campbell said he’s not talking about winning to the team.

“I’m talking about playing better, and let’s clean up our details. Because if we do, that winning is a byproduct of that. That’s got to be our sole focus, and so man, let’s just play better than we played last week,’’ Campbell said. “To a man, let’s coach better. I’ve got to coach better, our coordinators have got to coach better, the position coaches, and the player’s got to play better. And if we’ll just – everyone of us get a little bit better and clean up these issues, and the same issues that have bitten us or bit us last week, they don’t show up again, we’ll be that much better. That’s all we’ve got to worry about.”

Here are five things to watch as the favored Lions (0-1) face the Commanders (1-0):

1. The offensive line injury woes continue. Center Frank Ragnow (groin) has been ruled out and likely will be replaced by Evan Brown. Left guard Jonah Jackson (finger) was downgraded to doubtful on Saturday. And remember, starting right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai (back) was placed on IR before the opener. He was replaced by Logan Stenberg who had a rough first series but calmed down. Stenberg could line up at right guard again or shift to left guard. It’s likely Drew Forbes, who has been with the Lions for two weeks, will start at one of the guard spots. Campbell said the rash of O-line injuries changes what they do a bit. “Just the style at which we need to play and you just – you will have to shift the burden a little bit, other places of the load to other places on our team, which is OK. It’s what we got to do. It’s what we’re charged with,’’ Campbell said. Last season the five O-line starters never played together in one of the 17 games due to injuries.

2. In his second game in this new offense, quarterback Jared Goff needs to step up. The offense seemed to find a rhythm in the second half on Sunday against the Eagles when the Lions scored three touchdowns.There was plenty to like last week.Goff threw both of his touchdowns on third downs. “I think the stuff that we loved was we scored every time we got in the red zone and we were really efficient on third down. And typically those numbers are resulting in wins and ultimately, this one didn’t,’’ Goff said this week. “But I think if we can continue that trend, it’ll be good for us.”

3. The defense struggled more than the offense giving up 38 points to the Eagles. Of course Washington quarterback Carson Wentz is not as mobile as Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts which should make a huge difference. Rookie Aidan Hutchinson is expected to take another step in his development (he wasn’t bad in his debut, but perhaps more was expected). Cornerback Jeff Okudah, coming back from a torn Achilles in the opener a year ago, impressed, finishing second in tackles with 10.

4. Running back D’Andre Swift sparked the offense against the Eagles with 144 of the Lions 181 rushing yards. Swift (ankle) is on the injury report and listed as questionable, but should be able to go. Will he be 100 percent? Not likely. Still the Lions need to be able to count on the running attack. “It’s helpful for any passing attack. I think it’s a quarterback’s best friend when you can have that and have the play-action off of it and the keeper’s stuff off of it, the roll outs and whatnot,’’ Goff said. “So, it’s super helpful and it’s fun to watch Swift take off too..” If Swift is gimpy, Jamaal Williams can help pick up the slack.

5. Perhaps you’ve heard this from previous seasons and coaches, the Lions need to finish. This team is better than last year’s bunch but there’s a long way to go. The Lions were down 17 points in the third quarter on Sunday, but the comeback came up 3 points short. It’s all in the details.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Commanders 21. The Lions know this is a big home game against a beatable opponent.

Detroit Lions draft DT Jashon Cornell from Ohio State in 7th round

Jashon Cornell became the third Ohio State Buckeye drafted by the Lions in this 2020 draft.

The Lions selected the defensive tackle in the seventh round with the 235th overall pick.

“I’ve been talking to the Lions for a while. I was really excited to get that phone call,’’ Cornell said in a conference call on Saturday.

Cornell was the top-ranked recruit in Minnesota after high school and chose Ohio State from more than 30 scholarship offers.

Back then he was best buddies with Lions offensive lineman Frank Ragnow. They would travel to high school camps all over the country together.

At Ohio State, he broke through as a senior starter earning all Big Ten honors. He lined up both inside and outside, but seemed to find a comfort level inside as a senior.

The other Buckeyes drafted by the Lions this weekend include CB Jeff Okudah (first round) and G Jonah Jackson (third round).

“Jeff Okudah is a franchise player. He’s going to be – the things that Jeff can do as a defensive back – being able to come in as a freshman and being able to watch Jeff grow, he was able to showcase his ability as one of the best defensive backs in the country,’’ Cornell said. “He came to practice every day, he showed out. Jeff Okudah is going to be a great player for the Lions. Jonah, me and Jonah go at it for 12 weeks out of the year for every year since Jonah (came in) you know, we always had our battles in practice. It’s going to be good to go back up there in Detroit, and be able to compete with Jonah each day at practice and stuff.”

He thinks having college teammates might help in his transition to the NFL.

“One thing we do at Ohio State is treat everything as if it’s an NFL team. That’s one thing that makes it different from most teams and most players that we’ve been through all the rough patches and we know about the grind and being able to compete at a high level – that’s one thing we did every Saturday,’’ Cornell said. “I think that’s one thing we can transition to Detroit, us Buckeyes can come in bring that competitive factor, that championship mentality that we have at Ohio State. I think that’s one thing we can bring to Detroit as Buckeyes.”

Detroit Lions 2020 draft picks

First round — CB Jeff Okudah (3rd overall), Ohio State

Second round — RB D’Andre Swift (35th overall) Georgia

Third round — LB Julian Okwara (67th overall) Notre Dame

Third round — G Jonah Jackson (85th overall) Ohio State

Fourth round — G Logan Stenberg (121st overall) Kentucky

Fifth round — WR Quintez Cephus (166th overall) Wisconsin

Fifth round — RB Jason Huntley (172nd overall) New Mexico State

Sixth round — DT John Penisini (197th overall) Utah

Seventh round — DT Jashon Cornell (235th overall) Ohio State