NFC North – Page 2 – Lions Lowdown

Five things to watch as Lions face the Vikings; plus injury update, prediction

Fresh off the bye week, the Lions enter a crucial stretch of the season, starting with the division-rival Vikings on Sunday at Ford Field.

The Lions (5-2) hold second place in the NFC North behind the Packers (5-1-1) and ahead of the Bears (4-3) and Minnesota ((3-4). The Vikings have lost two straight and three of the last four with Carson Wentz at quarterback.

Coach Dan Campbell talked to the team this week about where everything is stacking up in the NFC.

“It’s very competitive, especially at this point in the season for one conference. But all I stated was, ‘Hey, this is where we’re at, this is where these teams are at, and this thing’s about to shake out within the month of November.’ … You’re going to start seeing some risers and fallers, and a lot of these teams are playing each other,’’ Campbell said. .”We’re one of them. So, it really is just handle your business, man. And the bottom line is, find a way to win your division. And we’ve got Minnesota coming in here, that’s No. 1. And then you worry about the next one after that.”

Campbell said external expectations are what they are.

“It’s not about expectations, it’s about our standards,’’ the coach said. “The standards are the standards, and it’s about us playing to those standards, and that’s the most important thing.”

Five things to watch:

ONE: J.J. McCarthy is expected to start for the Vikings on Sunday. The second-year quarterback has just two games of NFL experience but Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said regardless of time on task he’s a threat. Sheppard referred to the Vikings’ Week 1 27-24 win over the Bears when McCarthy threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran 14 yards for a score all in the fourth quarter for the comeback win. “Ultra competitor, a player like that doesn’t get drafted where he was drafted without a reason and I see the reason,’’ Sheppard said. “You turn on the Week 1 game and they were getting stymied in the first half, they came out in the second half and in a way he put that team on his back, he put that offense on his back and you saw how the guys galvanized around him. So that told me something about him.’’

TWO: While the secondary backups – the Legion of Whom – excelled in the win over the Bucs before the bye week, the secondary will look more familiar on Sunday with Brian Branch and possibly Terrion Arnold, Avonte Maddox and Daniel Thomas returning. Still Sheppard loved what he saw from the others. “I mean the names go on and on of the guys that went out and not only just played, not only held the line, but they’ve put some pressure on some of our starters now,’’ Sheppard said. “Like these guys came in and we probably played the best defensive game that we’ve played this year with a bunch of you call it ‘no name,’ whatever. I know these guys’ names, and I know who they are as people and I’m just glad that everybody else does now.”

THREE: During the bye week, the coaches looked at third-down percentage and how to improve it. The Lions rank 22nd in the NFL converting 37.7 percent of third downs. It’s not just third-and-long that is the issue. “I feel like there’s a lot of things we’ve actually missed on third-and-manageable. The mid-range third downs. So we’re where we want to be to have a shot at converting, it’s just we’ve got to get it done,’’ Campbell said. “And that really is collective, it’s all of us. There’s things that we can do to really help our guys and then it falls on them too. So, it’s collective, it’s the whole unit. And I know we talked about that and so look, we’re just going to keep tweaking it, we’re going to keep working on it and hopefully we get better this week.’’

FOUR: Defensively, the red zone play has been ranked in the bottom third of the league. “Statistically I kind of looked at some areas that I believe we should be better and will be better starting with the red zone. When you allow teams down there it’s huge that you limit points in those situations – the 4-point plays,’’ Sheppard said. “As far as when teams are in 7-point striking distance and you only give up a FG. We’ve definitely got to tick up there. Also third-and-11 plus we’re in the bottom 5 of the league.’’

FIVE: Jared Goff has faced Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores enough to know him but that doesn’t make it easier on the quarterback who said he sees some changes from last year.

“Well coached, fast, fly around, good hard-nosed players who play hard for him. It’s a good group,’’ Goff said. “… They want to penetrate, they want to get in the backfield, they want to get typically five or six guys rushing, one-on-ones on everybody. In that case, they run some pick games, they run some stunts, they do a little bit of everything. And they want to disrupt your timing and get in the backfield and it’s up to us up front and me to get the ball out and do everything right.”

LIONS INJURIES: Out — CB Kerby Joseph, RB Craig Reynolds, LB Malcolm Rodriguez; Questionable — LT Taylor Decker, CB Avonte Maddox, RB Sione Vaki and S Daniel Thomas.

VIKINGS INJURIES: Out — FB C.J. Hand, TE Josh Oliver, CB Jeff Okuday; Questionable _ LT Christian Darrisaw, RT Brian O’Neill, EDGE Andrew van Ginkel and DB Josh Metellus.

PREDICTION: Lions 35, Vikings 21

UP NEXT: Lions at Washington Commanders, 4:25 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Lions Aidan Hutchinson so ready to play, proving he’s totally recovered

ALLEN PARK — So the NFL headlines for days have been praising Green Bay’s trade to acquire edge rusher Micah Parsons from Dallas. Nothing wrong with that. He could be a game-changer for the Packers.

However, the Lions have a game-changing edge rusher of their own in Aidan Hutchinson who only played in five games last season when he broke his tibia and fibula to end his season.

So don’t be too quick to tip the scales toward Green Bay when Detroit opens the season there on Sunday just because of the addition of Parsons.

Hutchinson is totally recovered from his broken leg and it seems he’d like to stop talking about it.

“It’s great to be back, and it’s been a long time coming, but we’re here, and I’m just looking forward to this season,” Hutchinson said on Tuesday. “I think when I play this game on Sunday, people will finally — I think it will be in my past from the media perspective and from the fan perspective. People will have moved on, which will be good because I think I’ve moved on a while ago.”

He’s been back at work since the spring. Certainly in training camp he didn’t appear to have lost a step. At all.

“Very excited, can’t wait to watch him go. He’s put in a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of hard work to get back to where he’s at right now,’’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Tuesday. “And when you have the game taken away from you for whatever reason it just gives you a little extra motivation to come back. I’m excited to watch him, he’s going to be ready to go.’’

Last season, which was his third with the Lions, Hutchinson was injured at Dallas in the fifth game, a 47-9 Detroit win. He finished his abbreviated season with 7.5 sacks, 19 tackles, 17 quarterback hits and a forced fumble. Even with playing in just five games, Hutchinson was the team sack leader when the season ended.

The Lions defense was crushed by his absence and that of many other key players, but still they finished 15-2. Getting Hutchinson back cannot be overrated.

“I just feel like he’s improved himself even from last year, just his ability to bend, his mechanics with his hands, his hips,’’ Campbell said. “There’s tricks to the trade you learn along the way as you grow and I do feel like from a flexibility standpoint and continuing to hone his own skills you begin to elevate yourself even a little bit more. I feel like he’s done that.’’

In his first two seasons, Hutchinson had 21 sacks combined. He’s always a threat and makes everyone on the line a better player.

“And here’s what you know, he’s going to give you everything he’s got, every play he’s out there — every play,’’ Campbell said. “That’s why I’m excited because I know the guy is going to give us everything he’s got no matter what it is.’’

UP NEXT: Lions at Packers, 4:25 p.m. on Sunday.

Lions take the NFC North title and No. 1 seed with 31-9 win over Vikings

Five reasons they were able dominate, starting with defense

DETROIT — Jahmyr Gibbs provided four touchdowns and the Detroit Lions defense frustrated the Minnesota Vikings holding them to just three field goals.

It was a combination that worked to perfection with the Lions topping the Vikings, 31-29, on Sunday night at Ford Field to win the NFC North for the second straight year. And, perhaps more importantly, to earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed which comes with a bye week and home field advantage until the Super Bowl.

The Lions finished the regular season at 15-2 with the Vikings dropping to 14-3. It was the first time in franchise history the Lions won consecutive division titles.

“That’s a good team over there, they’re well coached, a ton of weapons and we were able to contain them and keep them at bay until our offense was able to find our rhythm,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “Total team effort, started with our defense and took the whole unit.’’

In recent weeks, franchise records were shattered. It’s been a season that diehard fans had just dreamt about. Time to pinch themselves, these Lions are for real. Campbell, who is in his fourth season in Detroit, shares the credit but he and GM Brad Holmes have built this team, starting with a 3-win season in 2021. It reflects Campbell’s gritty personality.

“I just told them to me, this has been in the making for a while. It takes a special group of guys and I think you had to go through what we’ve been through the last four years, the core of this unit,’’ Campbell said. “Anybody that comes in, they fall in line because that’s what we’re built around, our core. They really delivered for us today. Our playmakers made plays when we needed it.’’

Five of the reasons the Lions won:

ONE: The defense, which was sparked by the return of linebacker Alex Anzalone, came up big from the get-go. The Vikings were 0-for-4 in the red zone with two turnovers on downs inside the 5-yard line. Remember they won 14 games this season with Sam Darnold having a career year. “I can’t say enough about our defense, let’s start there. AG (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) and this defense, they really controlled that game for us, particularly the first two and a half quarters,’’ Campbell said. “The guys on defense I thought executed exactly the way we had worked and what we had talked about. We were able to apply a lot of pressure and it paid dividends.’’

TWO: Cornerback Amik Robertson also got a game ball. His task most of the night was to defense wide receiver Justin Jefferson, usually a powerhouse. But not on Sunday night. Jefferson was targeted nine times and caught just 3 passes for 54 yards. Campbell said this was the reason they signed Robertson who is in his first season with the Lions. “He’s as competitive as they come,’’ Campbell said.

THREE: The defense, which has so many of its key players out with injuries, has faltered at times but really is a reason the Lions lost just two games. Alex Anzalone’s return after being out seven weeks with a broken forearm was huge. “He’s really our quarterback on defense and he just brings, a lot of confidence, he brings, a lot of energy, he can calm the storms,’’ Campbell said. “To have him back, I thought it was going to take him a minute to work himself back in, It didn’t take long at all and he was back to what he was before he got injured. We gave him a game ball.’’ They didn’t work him back in, he played every defensive snap. Afterward Anzalone said his arm was sore. He’s happy to get the bye week for the rest and to celebrate his son’s birthday on Saturday.

FOUR: Jahmyr Gibbs’ first few runs looked like it might be a tough day for him. But he warmed up, broke through and scored all four of the Lions touchdowns—three rushing and one receiving. “He was big and I felt like he gained steam as the game went on. I thought he got better and better and better. You could really feel it after that last stop we got in the Red Zone, the next carry he just breaks it down the sideline,’’ Campbell said. “He was big for us and we felt like he was going to need to be big for us to win that game. All those guys needed to play well but we felt like that Gibbs could somewhat be the X-factor here and he did and he showed up in a big way in the run game and the pass game.’’

FIVE: Jared Goff kept the offense rolling even when it seemed to stutter a bit in the first half. The Lions took a 10-9 lead at halftime and then the offense started rolling in the third quarter. He threw a pair of interceptions but the defense was able to bail him and the offense out a few times They all worked hand in hand and it showed. “It’s fun, it’s what we talked about when we first got here. Certainly when I first got here was the opportunity you dream about being able to win division championships in the NFC North, and then ultimately win Super Bowls, that’s what’s next for us,’’ Goff said. “This is fun and exciting and we obviously wanted it really bad and we’re going to enjoy the heck out of it, but it’s Step One. In some other world it would have happened a few weeks ago but it happened Week 18.’’ Goff produced his ninth game of the season with a completion percentage of 75.0 percent, passing Tom Brady (8 in 2007) for the most in a season in NFL history.

INJURY UPDATE: CB Terrion Arnold left the game with a foot injury in the first half. Campbell said the X-rays were negative but it was quite tender. Said he’d know more on Monday.

UP NEXT: The Lions will have a bye week to rest up.