Tag: minnesota vikings

Lions expect a more motivated Brian Branch on Sunday vs. Vikings

ALLEN PARK — It’s been two long weeks since Lions safety Brian Branch has played. First he served a one-week suspension following a melee after the loss at the Chiefs. Then the Lions had the bye week.

Branch is back on the practice field prepping to face the Vikings on Sunday at Ford Field.

“It’s great. BB he’s got two weeks off, he’s got fresh legs, he’s ready to go, a great little bye week in the middle. I’m excited,’’ defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said on Tuesday. “BB is one of the guys on our defense who is the heart and the soul and the tonesetter. I can’t wait to have him back.’’

A motivated Branch feels the same way.

“I feel like it’s another chip on my shoulder that they just added,’’ Branch said. “I also want to apologize for that and it’s something I don’t condone and it’ll never happen again. It definitely added another chip to my shoulder.’’

When asked if the suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct was merited, he hesitated before saying he’s dealt with the consequences and is moving on, learning to control his emotions after the whistle.

“Coach tells me all the time they’re going to pick at me during the play or try to get me to get out of my shell to retaliate,’’ Branch said. “But he said, still play with the fire just learn how to not retaliate and play between the whistles.’’

Jim O’Neil, Lions defensive assistant/safeties coach, expects to see a more motivated Branch.

“I’m really excited to see how he takes the field on Sunday when he comes out of the tunnel,’’ O’Neil said. “It’s great to have him back — he’s one of my all-time favorite people, all-time favorite players that I’ve ever coached. I love his competitive spirit, I’m excited to get him back out there.’’

Branch admitted that he couldn’t even watch the Lions beat the Bucs.

“Just watching them I guess just made me like just miss being out there, that’s something that’s hard,’’ Branch said. “I’ll be eager to get out there.’’

UP NEXT: Vikings (3-4) at Lions (5-2), 1 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.

Bears at Lions: Five things to watch as both seek first win; plus prediction

The NFL schedule makers have already made the Lions’ season interesting and it’s only Week 2. Teams from the NFC North, widely considered the best division, have been pitted against each other early.

The Lions (0-1), coming off a loss to the Packers, hope to get back on track Sunday when they face the Chicago Bears (0-1) in the home opener. Last week the Bears (0-1) lost to the Vikings (1-0) and on Thursday night the Packers jumped out to a 2-0 start, defeating the Commanders.

Lions coach Dan Campbell doesn’t think the early results put extra pressure on his team.

“Anything to where we’re forced to compete is a good thing,’’ Campbell said. “And I love that, man. And we already knew what we were coming into this year with this division. It’s a tough division, man.’’

The Lions’ offense struggled against the Packers while the defense had its moments.

Still, Campbell is concerned about his bunch, not the other three division rivals.

“At some point, every team’s going to hit adversity whether it’s early, it’s in the middle of the season, it’s late. And it’s just about playing your best football by the end of the year,’’ Campbell said. “And so, we can’t worry about the Packers. We can’t worry about Minnesota. We worry about ourselves first, and then Chicago because they’re the next opponent.”

Five things to watch against the Bears:

ONE: Left tackle Taylor Decker did not practice all week with a shoulder injury. On Friday, Campbell couldn’t say whether he will play on Sunday but clarified that Decker wants to play

“He’s got a little bit something here, so we’re just trying to buy him some time here to where he feels better. A lot of it, too, is the luxury of – Decker’s played a lot of football. And so, he’ll be ready as long as it feels right,’’ Campbell said. “But yeah, we feel good right now. And there again, we still have another day here and we’ll see. So, I can’t give you a definitive yes, but that’s where it’s at.”

TWO: Decker’s absence would be especially tough because the offensive line had communication issues last week which was part of the reason the run game averaged a lousy 2.1 yards per carry. When the Lions can’t run the ball, the offense struggles to move the ball. If he’s out, Giovanni Manu would get the call at tackle. Manu has not started an NFL game. 

THREE: Look for rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa get more involved. He made a beauty of a catch late in the Packers’ loss. He took just 3 offensive snaps because he had missed a day of practice leading up to the game. He has practiced each day this week. “I think his catching ability is big time, I’ve said that before, but he’s smart and he’s tough,’’ offensive coordinator John Morton said. “He didn’t have a lot of plays in the game but he came in, that was an unbelievable catch. So, his role will be expanded. He will help us.”

FOUR: While much is made of Ben Johnson’s move to Chicago as head coach, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is a powerhouse. “Somebody asked me this the other day. They play hard, they’re smart, they’re disciplined, they’re aggressive, they’re tough. I mean, I think I stated it all,’’ Campbell said. “He’s an outstanding coach, man. He does it right, he knows how to teach, he knows how to communicate, and he knows how to put those players in position to have success, man. He finds one-on-ones.”

FIVE: The Lions’ pass rush needs to improve. They did not sack Jordan Love at all. “They were nudging, chipping all day and getting the ball out. They weren’t going to allow it. Go back with your stopwatch and turn on the pass plays, they weren’t going to allow it. But more importantly I thought – I want to give credit to our guys for not letting this guy out of the pocket,’’ defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. “That’s things that we’ve struggled with in years past. Jordan Love has burned us in years past with his legs. He had one run, I think, for four yards. So, I want to look at the positives in that. Yeah, we could’ve done things and things like that, but we had a specific gameplan and for the most part, the guys went out and executed the gameplan. And I just gave you the stats. That should’ve been a dominant outing on Sunday, and it will be moving forward.” Bears’ QB Caleb Johnson’s mobility will provide a different type of challenge.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Bears 24

UP NEXT: Lions at Ravens, 8:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22.

Lions Dan Campbell: ‘We’re in the middle of the circus, man, and it’s about time to perform’

Five things to watch as the Lions host the Commanders

A year ago, the Detroit Lions won a pair of playoff games and ended their 32-season drought without a postseason win.

It was good, but it wasn’t enough. In fact “it takes more” became the motto for this season. Mottos don’t win games, but they can plant the seeds. Thriving is mutual and that is what the Lions have accomplished with a second straight NFC North title, a 15-2 record and the No. 1 seed.

It all leads up to Saturday night when the heavily-favored Lions host the Washington Commanders in the NFL divisional round.

The bull’s-eye has been on the Lions for every game this season so it’s not new. Coach Dan Campbell does not feel a difference of expectations.

“I look at it as like, I know who we are, I know what we’re about, I know how we have to prepare, I respect the opponent, and now it’s time to go to work, that’s how I look at it,’’ Campbell said. “I don’t look at anything else, I don’t think of, ‘What if it doesn’t, what if the –‘ The what ifs, man, I couldn’t sleep at night if I lived that way, there’s no freaking way. So, no, I don’t think of that. 

“We’re the one seed, we earned the one seed, we’ve got a good opponent coming in and we’re going to be ready to play. That’s how I look at it,’’ the coach added.

With the turnaround from a 3-13-1 season in 2022, the Lions may not exactly be America’s team now, but they are in the conversation.  Under Campbell the Lions are 11-2 in primetime games. The networks love them and the ratings that come along with them. 

While there may be extra attention it’s nothing the Lions cannot handle.

“We’ve had attention for four years here. I mean, there’s been more stuff that’s been made out, that’s been built one way, we’ve been so good, we’ve been so bad, we’re a laughingstock, now we’re great, and it’s just been this rollercoaster of ups and downs, and it’s the next week of it, you know what I mean?’’ Campbell said. 

“And so, this is nothing new that we’re in, this is nothing new for me, for the coaches, for the players. We’re in the middle of the circus, man, and it’s about time to perform, that’s the world we’re in,’’ the coach added.

Five things to watch:

ONE: Jayden Daniels’ poise for a rookie quarterback has turned heads all season. He’s thrown 25 touchdowns against just nine interceptions and he’s the team’s leading rusher. Obviously, mobile quarterbacks can present issues. “He is dangerous. He’s dangerous, he poses a major threat. He does not play the position like a rookie quarterback. He’s composed, he understands how to progress, he sees the field well, he can buy time with his legs, he’s a dangerous runner, he’s smart, you can tell he understands how to run that offense, what they’re asking him to do, and then he’s got weapons,’’ Campbell said.

TWO: Run the ball and run it some more. Running back David Montgomery will return from a knee injury with no pitch count. He’s ready to roll and help exploit Washington’s porous rushing defense which gives up 137.5 yards per game. He said stakes are high each game but there’s a certain vibe this week. “We’ve got guys in the locker room who take this personal, they take their job very serious. Everybody is locked in — you can see it, you can feel it, you can smell it. I’m just happy to be a part of it,’’ Montgomery said.

THREE: Ball possession will be key. The Commanders are good at it, so are the Lions who ‘edged’ the Vikings 36:12 to 23:48 in time of possession in the win that clinched the No. 1 seed.  In the 23-20 wildcard win at Tampa last week, the Commanders held the ball 35:26 to Tampa’s 24:34. “Certainly to possess the ball is big, that’s what Washington does a good job of, watching them, I mean, they possess the ball, they finish the game out’’ Campbell said. “They were able to do that, get first downs, and so that’s big, and to be able to run the ball is what helps you do that. So yeah, that’s a big part of it.”

FOUR: Expect Jared Goff to have a good day against the Commanders’ man coverage. He excels when that’s the case and Washington is big on it. Goff never takes any team lightly. “They’re good, they’re young, they’re feisty. I think the whole team is young and hungry and we’re aware of that and we have to come out and be ready to go,’’ Goff said.

FIVE: Get points on the board early and keep piling them on. The Lions have outscored opponents 103-84 in the fourth quarter all season and 54-29 in the last five games. They finish, it’s why they’ve only lost two games. Keep in mind, the ‘’Cardiac Commanders’’ excel at finishing too. Their last five games were all won by a total of 17 points, They’ve outscored opponents 64-28 in the fourth quarter of those last five games. Daniels excels in clutch situations with a 117.3 passer rating when tied or down by eight points or fewer in the fourth quarter or overtime.

UP NEXT: The Lions/Commanders winner will face the winner of Rams/Eagles (Sunday at 3 p.m.) in the NFC Championship game at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, at Ford Field.