Tag: New Orleans saints

Detroit Lions add edge rusher Marcus Davenport to help boost defense

He knew Dan Campbell while with the Saints

ALLEN PARK — Edge rusher Marcus Davenport knows Lions coach Dan Campbell from their days with the New Orleans Saints. It may be what helped to steer him in the direction of Detroit.

Davenport signed a one-year deal with the Lions this week that has a maximum value of $10.5 million with a base of $6.5 million.

He described his game as violent and physical.

“But that’s even something I want to change. I want to adapt, I want to learn. I was told recently that there’s a lot of young guys that can learn from me and my first thought was we’ve got a lot of guys I can learn from,’’ said Davenport who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round in 2018 and played there for the last five seasons. Last year he signed a one-year deal with the Vikings, but his season ended when he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 6.

Davenport recalled a story about Campbell from the Covid era when he was elevated to interim coach while coach Sean Payton was ill.

“He gave a speech. I remember it was the first time in a long time somebody gave a speech and my heart was ‘Yeah! That’s what we’re doing!’ I just remember his energy. I don’t want to say not many people have the same kind of passion, but it takes someone that was there to actually understand,’’ Davenport said at a Thursday press conference. “To be able to see him in this position I’d like to be able to help with that.”

The speech?

“It wasn’t like biting knee caps, it was something along the lines that we have grit, that’s the message I took away. Grit, he was being serious,’’ said Davenport who is 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds.

While he knew Campbell, he did his due diligence to learn about Lions GM Brad Holmes.

“He told me something nice, it made me smile,’’ Davenport said. “He said, ‘I watched your games and we can tell you’re one of those guys that really appreciates the game and puts it out there. You’re a physical player.’ He even said in the limited games you played,’’ Davenport said. “After hearing that it helped me feel like I made the right decision. It’s always nice to have some belief especially when I haven’t been able to prove everybody right.’’

Davenport, 27, also knows linebacker Alex Anzalone, a leader on the Lions defense, from their days with the Saints.

“Yeah you know he’s an alpha now. He’s always been a good dude, I didn’t expect nothing less,’’ Davenport said. I’m just happy to see him running around making plays and getting excited.’’

Five things to watch as the Lions attempt to bounce back against the Broncos

The playoffs in sight for both teams, the Denver Broncos visit the Detroit Lions on Saturday night at Ford Field.

The Lions (9-4) are coming off a loss at Chicago, while the Broncos (7-6) have won six of seven, including Sunday’s 24-7 win over the Chargers.

This game was moved to primetime for what’s on the line and it should be intense especially with the two coaches going head to head. Lions coach Dan Campbell played for Denver’s Sean Payton and was an assistant to him while with the New Orleans Saints. To say more is on the line is an understatement between the two coaches who know each other so well.

Campbell doesn’t think it’s an advantage for either one. He said it evens out.

“I think he has a pretty good idea about what we want to do and our process, just like I do his being in there. And so, look, he’s not going to shy away from being who they are and what has gotten him to this point,’’ Campbell said. “They’re going to lean on those. However, he’s going to have the wrinkles, he always does. And I just – I bring it back, man he is – in this profession, in games, he’s a stone-cold killer. So, that’s why I say – he’s going to be looking for it. And we’re going to be prepared for it. But we think very much the same way, so we’re looking forward to this. 

“This is going to be an outstanding matchup. This is a good team. They’re playing really good football. They’re playing smart, clean football. And that’s why they’re winning,’’ Campbell added.

Five things to watch:

1. While not all of the offensive woes are the fault of quarterback Jared Goff, he needs to play a clean, error-free game to get the offense rolling like it was early in the season. With losses in two of the last three games, the offense has sputtered. “I wish there was one thing you can put your finger on, but there’s not. It’s just plain execution and doing what we’re supposed to do, and it starts with me leading that charge and getting us back on track,’’ Goff said.

2. The Broncos excel at takeaways which has been an issue for the Lions who are not good at it. “We emphasize it, we drill it. Unfortunately, over the last four weeks we haven’t done a good enough job with our ball security, and we know this team is feast or famine,’’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “When they get the takeaways, they capitalize on it and they’re winning ball games because of it. And so, we’re highly aware of it. We’ve got to do a better job protecting the ball this week than we have the last four games. They aren’t just good in their takeaways, I think the other thing that stands out to me the last eight weeks, they’re the No. 1 third-down defense in the NFL. So, they’re doing a great job stopping offenses when they get them into that situation, so we’ve got to be on point here on third down this week.”

3. Lions offense and defense need to play a solid third quarter. The Lions have outscored opponents in every quarter except the third where it’s not even close. Opposing teams have 84 third-quarter points against the Lions, while Detroit has scored just 46 points in that stretch. “It’s frustrating as much as it is for everyone else, it’s very frustrating for us,’’ Goff said. “And we’re very aware of it and we know we have to continue to be aware of it and continue to try to find ways to be more productive in the third quarter and that’s everybody and I wish there was one thing that, again, that you could point to as the reason why, or one thing that fixes it, but there isn’t. It’s just plain execution, it’s plain focus, it’s plain doing our jobs a little bit more consistently in that quarter.”

4. The defense could have its hands full with quarterback Russell Wilson who can run the ball when needed. “I know he picks his chances when he does want to run and you really see it on third down and in the red zone, which most quarterbacks do anyway. But he has that ability to escape. I mean they have some read-zone plays in there for him which I would utilize his legs too,’’ Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “He’s not just a statue back there. He’s able to make some plays with his legs and you see that happen in the games.” Wilson has thrown 23 touchdowns against just eight interceptions, but four of the eight picks have come in the last two games. 

5. The offensive line, which looks to be healthy once again, has to protect Goff. The Broncos sacked Chargers quarterbacks six times last week. Ragnow has missed the last two games which has affected the line’s performance. He’s expected to return.

INJURIES: LT Taylor Decker (back), DT Benito Jones (neck), FC Frank Ragnow (knee, back, toe) and WR Josh Reynolds (back) are all questionable.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Broncos 24.

Lions bounce back and edge Saints in a nail-biter; 5 reasons they held on to win

After taking what seemed like a commanding 21-0 lead midway through the first quarter, the Detroit Lions opened the door and let the Saints back in.

It was edge-of-the-seat time late in the fourth quarter, before the Lions held on for a 33-28 win at the Superdome when Jared Goff connected with Josh Reynolds for 12 yards to convert on third-and-9 with 1:09 left.

The Lions jump to 9-3 and remain atop the NFC North. They were coming off a tough Thanksgiving loss to the Packers and once again showed their resilience. They have not had back-to-back losses in 13 months.

“I think the teams that are able to respond after you lose a tough one, to me, it’s not easy to gain confidence in losses, but I think you have to be able to do that. You understand your own errors, you understand what you have to clean up and then you don’t want to lose that way again or  like that again or from that again,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “We bounced back, I’m not surprised knowing the guys we have, the coaches in that locker room, the players we have. I’m not surprised.’’

That 21-0 lead in the first quarter set the pace early.

“We had some things that we wanted to do particularly offensively and defensively for that matter, and we had a good feel of it, they made some adjustments which we thought they would. Then it comes down to one player here, one player there, we’re an inch away from breaking another one. It was a chess game going on … 

Five reasons the Lions won:

1. A strong start was huge – a touchdown on the first drive on a 2-yard run by David Montgomery, then an interception by Brian Branch led to a Sam LaPorta touchdown and then a third TD, a 25-yard catch by Amon-Ra St. Brown. The 21-point lead with 7 minutes left in the first quarter was huge especially because the Saints defense was stingy after that quarter. “We had some things that we wanted to do particularly offensively and defensively for that matter, and we had a good feel of it. They made some adjustments which we thought they would,’’ Campbell said. “Then it comes down to one player here, one player there, we’re an inch away from breaking another one. It was a chess game going on.’’ The coach said they ran the ball intentionally on the first five snaps to re-establish confidence on the offensive line which was coming off a shaky game.

2. All week, and actually for two weeks, the Lions have wanted to cut down on turnovers and have the defense create them. Bingo. Derek Carr was intercepted by Branch on his first snap. And then later Tracy Walker recovered a snap fumble. The Lions have work to do but Jared Goff did not throw an interception and the offense did not give the ball away.

3. Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta had a career day with nine catches (on nine targets) for 140 yards and a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, on the Lions final drive, he caught the ball on a third-and-7 to keep the drive going and the ball away from the Saints who were just down 5 points. He became the first tight end in NFL history to produce 55 receptions, 550 yards and 6 touchdowns through 12-career games.

4. Goff controlled the game and made timely plays. He wasn’t perfect and he has certainly played better but when the Saints were breathing down their throats he remained poised and in control. On the final drive, when they had to hold onto the ball, Goff converted a third-and-7 with a pass to LaPorta and then a third-and-9 with a pass to Josh Reynolds. “That’s our guy, that’s what he does, the line was protecting well today,’’ Campbell said. “LaPorta, to be honest I feel like we were getting separation. LaPorta was showing up and Reynolds made a heck of a catch in the critical moments our offense finished it out for us.’’Goff  finished 16 of 25 for 213 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions set a single-season record by producing 325-plus total net yards for the 12th-straight game and Goff obviously has played a major role in that. 

5. The defense made a few key plays, but they have plenty of work to do after giving up too many explosive plays. Defensive lineman Bruce Irvin in his first game with the Lions had a big-time sack. Romeo Okwara had another. They looked tough early in the game but faded and let the Saints back in. It was a win and that’s all good, but much work to do especially on defense. 

BONUS: Wide receiver Jameson Williams had a highlight touchdown on a reverse end-around early in the fourth quarter. His speed was on full display and he dove into the end zone for a nice flourish. “It’s something that’s been in the laboratory cooking for a while, it felt like it was the right time to call it up,’’ Campbell said. “He executed it great, the thing was well blacked, he did a great job keeping his eyes on it, the rest was up to him. It was pure gasoline around the edge, it was a heck of a play.’’

INJURY UPDATE: Center Frank Ragnow left in the second quarter with a knee injury and didn’t return. Campbell said he won’t have more information until Monday.

NEXT UP: Lions (9-3) at Chicago Bears (4-8), 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10. The Bears will be coming off a bye. The Lions won their first matchup 31-16 on Nov. 19.