Sean Payton – Lions Lowdown

Five reasons the Lions bounced back with a 42-17 win over the Broncos

DETROIT — After losing two of three, and coming off a loss at the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions were able to get back in gear with a 42-17 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday night at Ford Field.

“We just needed a win and we did that today. Look, we just cleaned up a couple things, focused on our job at hand, the details of it,’’ Lions coach Dan Campbell said “Honestly we didn’t start real hot early, we didn’t. We can’t do that, we can’t accept that – not with where we’re going. But we got out of it, the defense played well and found a rhythm. I thought (Jared) Goff played a really good game, a number of guys did.’’

With the win the Lions climb to 10-4 and can clinch a playoff spot with some help on Sunday. Two of their remaining three games are against the Vikings who lost on Saturday in overtime to the Bengals.

The Broncos had won six of seven entering Saturday’s game but were no match for the Lions who played one of their best games in several weeks.

Five reasons the Lions won:

1. Jared Goff set a career-high with five touchdown passes. He started the game passing on the first five snaps which seemed odd but in the long run it worked. The ice was broken with a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sam LaPorta early in the second quarter. Goff was poised and never threw an interception. In fact, the Lions never turned the ball over which had been an issue. Goff was 24 of 34 for 278 yards and five TDs.

2. While the offense took a bit to get heated up, the defense ran out of the tunnel on fire. They held the Broncos to just 75 total net yards in the first half and just 1 of 6 on third-down attempts. “I just thought we were well prepared, we had a real good feel on what we were going to get, we knew what we had to take care of, we couldn’t let (Courtland) Sutton get going, we couldn’t let him launch,’’ Campbell said. Sutton was held to five catches for 71 yards.

3. In the loss at Chicago, LaPorta and Amon-Ra St Brown never were much of a factor. That all changed. When you’ve got offensive weapons like those two, you get them the ball. LaPorta had 5 catches for 56 yards and an amazing 3 touchdowns. St. Brown had seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.

4. Campbell gave credit to defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for calling a good game. It was the same with offensive guru Ben Johnson. Nothing risky was needed since the Lions held a 21-0 lead at the half. They got key guys involved and made a few effective changes on defense.

5. Much of the game was about attitude. You didn’t expect this bunch to shrug their collective shoulders after losing two of the previous three games and they certainly did not. Campbell keeps them on track. “The ability for our team to win against somebody of (Sean Payton’s) stature, a Super Bowl winning coach who does it right. It’s good, it’s a good win because I know what he’s about,’’ Campbell said. “I’m happy for our guys, that we got the win here, we needed it. We got to 10, now we’ve got 3 to go.’’

UP NEXT: The Lions play at the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Dec. 24, then at Dallas on Dec. 30 and finish the regular season at home on Jan. 6 or 7.

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 coach Dan Campbell blasts into town

Cover enough press conferences for new Detroit Lions coaches and the words all blend together. Blue collar, culture, high character, lunch pail, blah, blah, blah.

Meet Dan Campbell.

Campbell, a former Lions tight end (2006-08), was introduced as the Lions head coach on Thursday after signing a six-year deal.

“I wanted this job – bad – because I felt like I knew this community. … All right, here’s what I do know, is that this team is going to take on the identity of this city. This city has been down, and it found a way to get up. It’s found a way to overcome adversity.

“So this team is going to be built on – we’re going to kick you in the teeth, and when you punch us back, we’re going to smile at you, and when you knock us down, we’re going to get up. On the way up, we’re going to bite a knee cap off, all right, and we’re going to stand up, and then it’s going to take two more shots to knock us down. And on the way up, we’re going to take your other knee cap, and we’re going to get up and it’s going to take three shots to take us down. When we do, we’re going to take another hunk out of you. Before long, we’re going to be the last one standing.

“That’s going to be the mentality, darn it. We’re going to learn that any loss that we take, we’re going to make sure that we feel the full pain of it and not grow numb to it and learn from it and not to want to taste it again. We’re going to be competitive in every game. I can’t sit up here and guarantee wins and losses. I just can’t do it,’’ Campbell, 44, said.

The former tight end just seems so unlike the others. Get this, the nameplate on his office door reads: Head coach/The Dude.

His only experience as a head coach was an interim role for the Dolphins for a dozen games. It was brief and it was tough, but he learned from it and showed enough promise that Saints coach Sean Payton took him on and promised to help him develop as a coach.

Thursday’s 90-minute virtual press conference was intense and fun. Cynical reporters typically don’t laugh and smile much when meeting a new coach. Well Campbell has a certain charm.

He had no history with new GM Brad Holmes. But both did their homework, connected with mutual friends and it looks like they are a good fit. Holmes interviewed Campbell before the final decision was made.

“There’s no secret, you have to get good people around you, who are all pulling in the same direction. It’s team. It’s all about team. There’s no ego. Brad and I are going to have – we both have say on the 53-man roster. We have to agree. So, we’re going to go into a room, and we’re just going to fight until one of us comes up. We’ll see what happens – no,’’ Campbell said.

He was kidding. (It’s hard to tell with his deadpan delivery, but he was.)

“We are going to collaborate. We are going to come up with the best answer, the best solution. What can we do with this guy – is it for the future, is it for now? That’s not even a problem – I want it that way. I want people to challenge me on an idea. I don’t want to have a bunch of people that agree with everything that I say – that’s a recipe for disaster. I don’t want a bunch of people who drink a gallon of coffee like I do in a day. You find the right mix and the right balance of people. I know this, when it starts at the top and it’s right, then it’ll go down, it’ll trickle down to where it’s supposed to. Those guys are going to have pride in where there are, who they play for, how they’re going to play. You’d say more times than not, that leads to success, and there’s only one way to do it, and it’s to do it the right way. That’s the other thing that intrigued me about Sheila, she wants to win bad, but she’s not going to sell her soul to the devil to do it, neither am I.’’

He wouldn’t comment on Matthew Stafford’s future but called him “a stud.”

Team owner Shelia Ford Hamp was a vital part of the decision process. The team — Hamp, Rod Wood, Chris Spielman and Mike Disner — set goals and worked the process. Along the way, they interviewed two Saints for the GM job. They asked each who they would want as head coach. Both said Dan Campbell who most recently served as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the Saints.

“All I can say is I’m confident we have two terrific men. They’re both incredibly smart, articulate in what they’re looking for and our team. They’re both winners. I think they speak the same language, and I think it’s going to be an awesome relationship. It already is, and they hadn’t really known each other,’’ Hamp said. “I think this is going to be just great. Really great.”

Time will tell.

Until then, watch your knee caps.