Malcolm Rodriguez – Lions Lowdown

In big moments, the Lions stepped up in the 34-27 OT win over the Giants

Five reasons Detroit was able to fight back and win

DETROIT — Jahmyr Gibbs’ 69-yard touchdown run on the Lions’ first snap of overtime gave Detroit its first lead of the game. Aidan Hutchinson’s sack of Giants quarterback Jameis Winston on fourth-and-5 in the next series, sealed the 34-27 win for Detroit.

It was the first lead of Sunday’s game for the Lions.

“They played hard — they threw the kitchen sink at us, we knew they would, that’s what the tape said,’’ coach Dan Campbell said of the 2-10 Giants who have not won a road game this season.

“I’m proud of the guys. We hung in there, we fought, we felt our next series would be the one we were going to get the upper hand and we did,’’ Campbell said. “It’s not easy to hang in a game like that where there are things that aren’t going perfect. But at the end of the day when we needed it most, guys showed up. It wasn’t perfect, there are things to clean up, certainly it came down to the wire, we had to win in overtime, I’ll take that win, it’s a good win.’’

It’s a short week with the Packers coming to Ford Field on Thanksgiving.

Gibbs’ overtime touchdown was one of three he had — two rushing, one receiving. Overall the running back amassed 264 yards (219 rushing).

“Gibbs, he’s electric. When he found a crease he was going to the house. This was not about first downs or picking up a few yards. This guy was going to the house, he’s got the juice to make it happen,’’ Campbell said. “He’s a difference maker. He bailed us out today in a big way.’’

It was another bounce-back win for the Lions who haven’t lost two straight since October 2022. They’re now 7-4 and still in the thick of a division race.

Campbell said he never knows what this type of win can do.

“Sometimes it’s just important to remind yourself what we’re all capable of, even when the chips are down, and things get hard, you don’t ever forget how to dig in one more time, find how to lean on each other and do your job,’’ Campbell said. “Anytime you can get a win like this, that’s a good thing. That very easily a number of times could have gone the other way and we all know it, but it didn’t. We made the plays we needed to make.’’

Five of the reasons the Lions won:

ONE: Again, Jahmyr Gibbs. He averaged 14.6 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns. Electric is the perfect adjective. “That dude is as huge as they come in the league, he’s making his claim across the league as one of the best players regardless of position,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said. “We’re lucky to have him, he’s so electric and to do that, to supplement some of the struggles we were having is awesome.’’

TWO: The offensive line also came up big – they were a key reason Gibbs was able to find creases and break free. Four of them are struggling with injuries, but it didn’t seem to affect them. “Those guys are a rare breed. They’re battling right now through some stuff. They don’t want your sympathy; they’re just going to put their head down and work,’’ Goff said. “I’m proud of those guys, thankful for them laying it on the line for me and the backs every week.’’

THREE: Hutchinson’s sack to win in overtime was huge and it was the first sack of Jameis Winston in the game. Hutchinson also had six quarterback hits and six tackles. The Giants finished with 517 yards of offense, so it’s not like the Lions shut them down, they just came up big when it mattered. Late in the fourth quarter the Giants were stopped on fourth-and-6 at Detroit’s 6-yard line. On the next drive the Lions’ Jake Bates kicked a 59-yard field goal to tie the game and send it to OT. “That’s what gave us a chance. … That changed the whole game with that stop,’’ Campbell said. “Defense once again stepped up for us.’’

FOUR: Jared Goff said there are plays he’d like back but there were some huge moments for the quarterback. After the Red Zone stop in the fourth quarter, Goff got the ball at Detroit’s 6-yard line with just 2:54 on the clock and down 27-24. Goff ran the 2-minute offense effectively so Bates could tie the game. The quarterback finished 28 of 42 for 279 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and he was sacked three times. Campbell credited him with coming up big when they needed it.

FIVE: Special teams also came up big. Bates’ 59-yard field goal to send the game to overtime was the standout. “That was a big kick, that was big time,’’ Campbell said. “He’s clutch when we need him most. He goes out there and makes the kick for us. That’s not an easy kick.’’ Punter Jack Fox pinned the Giants inside their 18-yard line 7 times and of that four were inside the 10. On the opening kickoff, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, playing in his first game in nearly a year, tackled the returner.

UP NEXT: Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) face the Lions (7-4) at 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving at Ford Field. The Packers beat the Vikings, 23-6, on Sunday.

Lions snap Thanksgiving losing streak in 23-20 win over the Bears

DETROIT — It was a win that tasted good, literally. After the Lions edged the Chicago Bears, 23-20, quarterback Jared Goff and a few of his teammates got to eat from the CBS victory turkey.

“In your NFL career you have these bucket lists, holding the Lombardi is obviously No. 1, but eating the turkey after the Thanksgiving win is up there too,’’ Goff said. “That’s something I’ll never forget. It was actually pretty good, the stuffing was good.’’

It wasn’t a typical win for the Lions who have been blowing out opponents this season. Didn’t matter to the Lions who have started a season 11-1 for the first time in franchise history.

It was their 10th straight win and third in the division. That’s what matters.

“Ultimately that was a good win against an opponent that has fought every week. This is the third game in a row – division game – that those guys have brought it over there,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “We did what we had to do to win, we’ll clean up the other stuff that cost us some points. I’m not worried about that, but I will take this W and I’m not going to lose sleep over it.’’

The Lions dominated the first half and took a 16-0 lead into the locker room. Then the tables turned and the Bears found some offensive juice in the second half.

Detroit never lost the lead, but early in the fourth quarter a touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Keenan Allen tightened up the score to 23-13. Then a 31-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Moore with 5:36 left put the Bears within 3 points, 23-20.

Questionable clock management at the end – the Bears still had a timeout left – and all of a sudden, it was over and the Lions won. It was the sixth straight loss for the Bears (4-8).

Five reasons the Lions won:

ONE: The Lions defense in the first half held the Bears to just 53 yards, two first downs and zero points. Already decimated by injury, defensive linemen Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike were injured and out of the game. Still the defense found a way to just hold on. Campbell loved the way Za’Darius Smith, D.J. Reader and Al-Qaudin Muhammad stepped up on the line.

TWO: The dynamic RB duo did not disappoint. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 228 scrimmage yards. They were especially effective in the first half when the Lions had 144 rushing yards. No touchdowns for either one. Gibbs fumbled – an uncharacteristic move – and lost the ball on the Bears’ 6-yard line in the second quarter. A touchdown there would have changed the game.

THREE: Jared Goff had a solid day, but the Lions were just 2-of-5 in the red zone. In the first half they were forced to settle for three field goals when they stalled out inside the 20. “It wasn’t our best performance in the red zone, we’ve got to do better. We’ll learn from it,’’ said Goff who was 21 of 34 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and a 100.2 rating.

FOUR: Tight end Sam LaPorta caught a pair of touchdown passes. “I feel like this is the healthiest he’s been in a while during the season. He’s in good shape and he really brings it. Sometimes, I don’t want to say you take it for granted, but you forget all that he does for us. He really helps us in the run game as well as what you see in the pass game. …He makes the offense better,’’ Campbell said.

FIVE: Perhaps WR Jameson Williams will mostly be remembered for hurdling over Kevin Byard on a 15-yard run in the third quarter. It was an amazing leap that blew up Twitter, but not surprising when you consider Williams won two state championships in the 300-yard hurdles in hIgh school. However, in the fourth quarter, Williams caught a 3-yard pass and then was penalized for taunting which cost the Lions 15 yards. It was not a smart move and Williams knew it. “That’s already cleaned up. We’re good. As a matter of fact, Jamo got in front of the team a minute ago, unsolicited, and wanted to apologize to his teammates,’’ Campbell said. “That’s big, man. It’s all good.’’ Williams finished with five catches for 28 yards and two runs for 18 yards.

INJURIES: Campbell said he is most concerned with the knee injury to LB Malcolm Rodriguez but he offered no specifics. … Defensive linemen Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) also left the game with injuries, but the coach doesn’t think they are as serious. … CB Emmanuel Moseley, who was expected to be active, tweaked something in pre-game so was held out.

UP NEXT: Green Bay Packers at Lions, 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5.

Six Lions score TDs, as Detroit rolls over Titans 52-14, improves record to 6-1

DETROIT — It didn’t matter that the Tennessee Titans had only managed one win, the Detroit Lions were primed for a battle on Sunday. When it was over — heck even at the half — there was no doubt the Lions were not overlooking the Titans (1-6).

In the end, it was a solid 52-14 butt-kicking on Sunday at Ford Field. It’s the first time since 1956, the Lions have started a season 6-1.

“We did come out to fight and that’s what we expect. I felt that we were going to be ready and it’s like I told them, that’s what champions do,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “You come out, you don’t care what time of day it is, what the records are, what the surface is, you come out and handle your business and we did that.’’

Six different players scored touchdowns. Jared Goff threw for just 85 yards and three touchdowns. “I’ll take it,’’ Goff said.

Special teams was huge with a Kalif Raymond punt return for a touchdown and other solid returns. And the defense came up with huge plays.

“We did not play our cleanest ball, we really didn’t. However when you have four takeaways on defense and you’re 5-for-5 in the red zone and you have the returns that our special teams unit had – punt return and kick return – you can get a lot of production, things sway your way,’’ Campbell said.

The coach regularly talks about complementary football with all three units playing key roles. That’s exactly what happened against the Titans.

Detroit was not looking to break franchise records, Campbell had them prepared to fight and win.

“It’s really just about the one that’s in front of us. I don’t feel like we’re going for the next record. We’re just playing ball, we’re trying to play as clean as we can, we’re trying to be as productive as we can,’’ Campbell said. “The players they’re urgent about it, accountable to it and they want more.’’

Five of the reasons the Lions won:

ONE: Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator, is the best in the business. The Titans had only won one game, but their defense had played well. Obviously Johnson just picked it apart. He didn’t need Jared Goff to be a superhero, he had plenty of options and used them. Backup QB Hendon Hooker got valuable playing experience in the fourth quarter. Six different players scored touchdowns. “Ben, he can draw up anything for anybody. He puts us in the best position every week. It’s so cool he’ll talk about something over and over in a week and coverages and what we’re expecting. You get to the game and it’s like this is exactly what he said it’s going to be,’’ WR/returner Kalif Raymond said. Detroit was without WR Jameson Williams, who was suspended by the NFL, but they have enough depth on offense to score 52 points without him.

TWO: Can’t imagine that many teams have had better field position all day. Kahil Dorsey had a 72-yard kickoff return and Kalif Raymond had 5 punt returns for 190 yards including a 90-yard touchdown return. Those short drives set up well for the Lions and they made the most of them, going 5-of-5 in the red zone. Give special teams coordinator Dave Fipp a game ball too. He had his group ready like he always does.

THREE: Campbell pointed out early in the week that turnovers had been an issue for the Titans. The Lions took advantage of that weakness. QB Mason Rudolph was intercepted twice in the first half. And in the second half two Titans’ fumbles were recovered by the Lions. Detroit has had 10 takeaways in the last three games. Campbell said it’s something they emphasize by doing a takeaway circuit everyday in practice. “The interceptions will come and if the ball carrier is loose with it naturally those will, but the ones you have to work on are the punchouts — the attention to it, find it, locate it,hit it, get it out, grabbing the front of the ball, pulling, stripping,’’ Campbell said, adding it’s contagious. Kerby Joseph and Trevor Nowaske intercepted quarterback Mason Rudolph while Amik Robertsn forced a fumble that was recovered by Carlton Davis in the third. Then in the fourth, Robertson again forced a fumble which was recovered by Isaiah Thomas.

FOUR: Running back Jahmyr Gibbs broke loose for a 70-yard touchdown scamper early in the game and he was just getting started. He and David Montgomery continued to work their rushing magic. They finished with a combined 160 rushing yards. As an added dimension, Montgomery threw a touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta late in the first half to give the Lions a 35-14 edge at the half. Goff said they’d been working on that play for a few years and it was the right time to use it. Montgomery also opened the scoring on a 7-yard rushing touchdown.

FIVE: The Lions banged-up defense hung in there after they got off to a bit of a slow start. The game was tied 14-14 early in the second quarter and then they held the Titans scoreless the rest of the way. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez injured an ankle early and could not return. Like his linebacker teammates he’s a Swiss Army knife kind of guy and was missed. The defense came up with a huge goal-line stand late in the first half. They still miss Aidan Hutchinson and could definitely use some pass rush help before next Sunday. (Hutchinson was watching the game from a Ford Field suite and got the biggest applause of the day when he was shown on the jumbo-tron.)

UP NEXT: Detroit Lions (6-1) at Green Bay Packers (5-2), 4:25 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3.