Za’Darius Smith – Lions Lowdown

Lions defense comes together with doses of belief, respect and opportunity

ALLEN PARK — At least two intertwining truths are evident this week as the Lions prepare to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday:

One: Bills quarterback Josh Allen is a freak, in a good way of course. Coach Dan Campbell said it, so did Kelvin Sheppard, linebackers coach. Everyone thinks and knows the mobile quarterback will be a handful.

Two: Detroit’s defense, which featured new faces in different places last week, is expected to improve this week. Plus, they might get a few injured players back.

It all seems good.

The Lions, coming off a win over the Packers, will have a similar plan against Buffalo. Keep the offense on the field since Allen is a freak and the defensive personnel are still learning to play together.

“Certainly we need offensive output that goes without saying. This team, even when you play good it’s going to be hard to completely shut this offense down,’’ Campbell said.

“But yet, there again, the guys we do have that have only been here for a short period of time I expect them to be better than last week. All of these guys are football players, it’s not like these guys can’t play football. I expect us to be better in that area. We’ll have a good gameplan. I see us playing better defensively. I think we’re going to show up and do some things. Offense has got to certainly score points preferably touchdowns not field goals and we need something out of (special) teams. Field position will be huge in this game.’’

With 13 defensive players on injured reserve, the Lions have run a master class on “next man up” and coaching up the new veterans who are unfamiliar with the system. The 11-game win streak is proof.

“Something came up in the (linebackers) room today where I was moving fast — now I’m trying to teach training camp stuff and at the same time prepare these guys to go against one of the most prolific offenses in the league this week,’’ Sheppard said. He gets help from veteran players like Jack Campbell and even Alex Anzalone who is in the meeting room even though he’s on injured reserve.

And he’s building off the mostly successful game against the Packers who were held to 31 points total and just 7 in the first half.

Sheppard explained that success is built on belief and respect.

“I think it’s a trickle down when the players see the belief we have in A.G. (Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator) and no matter who it is, what the call is, we expect a certain standard,’’ Sheppard said. “We actually live and breathe that. Because I’ve had guys tell me, guys talk about this but the way you all practice here, the way we prepare this is different. When they see the belief, when they see us living these things, I think it’s a trickle down and these guys buy in. It’s almost like without knowing, they’re doing anything you tell them.’’

And it’s not like the new guys like Ezekiel Turner, Kwon Alexander and Jamal Adams are just filling space.

At the first practice with Turner several weeks ago, Sheppard said he didn’t even know his last name. But out of the gate he saw his speed and coachability.

“I learned that he’s not a special teams linebacker and I want that said to the entire league. I believe this is his seventh year. He was almost in tears after the last game just because of the opportunity,’’ Sheppard said.

Turner came up with a huge tackle of Jordan Love — holding him to a 2-yard gain — on a third-and-goal play from Detroit’s 16 on the Packers’ final possession. It forced the Packers to settle for a field goal.

It was the fifth Lions game for Turner. He had 17 defensive snaps, up from 4 in his first game against the Jaguars.

Not only are the Lions a bit needy for good healthy bodies, but they run a meritocracy. It does not matter to Lions coaches where the players were drafted or if they were free agents.

“Like I’ve said in those rooms and these narratives, guys go first round, second round, they’re supposed to start. Guys who are free agents are special teams. That’s what it’s been. But that’s not what it is here,’’ Sheppard said. “If you show yourself and you show up in practice and you show we can trust you – that’s a big word. … These guys haven’t gotten many snaps in this League but some of these guys are veteran players. But they come here and that’s what builds the belief when these guys know if I do these things I’m going to get an opportunity.’’

INJURY UPDATE: Left tackle Taylor Decker (knee), who missed the last two games, practiced Wednesday and expects to play on Sunday … DL D.J. Reader (shoulder) did not practice but Campbell said he may be able to go on Thursday. … Defensive linemen Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) had limited practice. Both sat out against the Packers. … DL Alim McNeill (concussion) had a full practice. He was injured in the first half in the win over Green Bay.

UP NEXT: Buffalo Bills (10-3) at Detroit Lions (12-1), 4:25 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.

Lions look to keep winning road record perfect as they face Colts

The Lions hit the road yet again on Sunday, this time to face the Indianapolis Colts. While the comforts of Ford Field are welcome, the Lions (9-1) are perfect on the road this season.

“I think our guys do a good job of honing in on the game in front of you and I do think there’s – I think we like being on the road too. We love home, you get your home crowd, and believe me, we’re all about that,’’ coach Dan Campbell said.

“But there’s also something about the challenge of going on the road and it’s just you. It’s just us and when you do something good, you don’t hear anything until our fans start going. But that’s kind of what you’re shooting for. ‘Man, let’s go make a play that shuts this whole place down and gets it quiet in here.’ So, I just think there’s a little bit of a mindset about it. We appreciate that and we like the challenge of it,’’ the coach added.

It does help that Lions fans travel well too but the players certainly have the right mindset to succeed on the road.

“I would say most of our guys – when you get in these tight moments, two things happen. You either crack or you want it, you want every bit of it. You want the ball in your hand, you want to be, ‘Run this ball behind me, I’m a D-tackle, try to run it at me. I’m the corner, I got one-on-one, I hope you throw it out here my way.’ And I think we – that’s our guys,’’ Campbell said. “We embrace that.”

The Colts, who have lost three of their last four, are coming off a 28-27 win over the Jets while the Lions have won eight straight and have won three games by 35 or more points this year, establishing a new team record.

Five things to watch:

ONE: The Lions defense has been forced to make adjustments without key players most of the season. Now Alex Anzalone is out with a broken forearm. Look for Jack Campbell to step in and call the plays. While Malcolm Rodriguez will play a key role. “It’s good to get Rodrigo back because he does, he gives us a lot of flexibility. He can play the WILL, he can play the SAM out in space, he’s been playing kind of that big nickel, and so having him back it does, it relieves a lot of pressure there,’’ Campbell said. “… He’s got a nose for the football, he’s aggressive and he just, he has production back there so it’s big getting him back.”

TWO: Colts QB Anthony Richardson, who has thrown seven interceptions, only one in his last four starts. He’s had issues this season but had a good game in the win over the Jets last week. “They’ve really opened up Richardson, so he’s got the ability to throw it downfield, he’s strong, he’s big, he can run, and these receivers are dangerous and, obviously, the back (Jonathan Taylor),’’ Campbell said. The Colts passing offense ranked 21st with just 202.2 yards per game (compared to 242.5 for Lions). Richardson will be up against the Lions safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, a tough task for any QB.

THREE: Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, along with running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, have all scored at least 9 touchdowns this season. It’s the second time in NFL history that a trio of teammates have all produced nine scrimmage TDs through the first 10 games of a season. Also, they shattered another record with the most games with a TD scored by a trio in NFL history. These Lions have gone eight games while several teams have seven games.

FOUR: Jared Goff. What can you say? He bounced back from a strange game in Houston with a perfect passer rating in blasting the Jaguars. Goff has shown more movement in the pocket which is something he’s always working on. “I think when you get a lot of clean pockets, it makes it easier when there is a little bit of mess to avoid that because it’s so obviously different,’’ Goff said. “Our O-line is so dang good and I’m back there pretty scot-free a lot of times so that when a guy does get through, I can tell the difference on that and I’m able to react to it, as opposed to – when you look around the League, some of these guys are having to move on almost every drop back and that becomes hard.”

FIVE: Za’Darius Smith expects to see more reps at the Colts after playing in his first game with the Lions last Sunday. The NFL veteran is known for his violent hands — DC Aaron Glenn calls them his superpower. He’s also been sharing his years of wisdom with his younger teammates.

“You saw it last – what, the week that he didn’t play with (Josh) Paschal, he was in there coaching him. And he does that on an everyday basis, so when you have a guy of that magnitude that’s willing to take what he has and give it to somebody else, it’s always a good thing, and he wants to do that anyway,’’ Glenn said.

LIONS INJURY UPDATE: CB Ennis Rakestraw (hamstring) is out; CB Terrion Arnold (groin) and CB Emmanuel Moseley (pectoral) are questionable.

COLTS INJURY UPDATE: T Bernhard Raimann (knee) is out; DE Tyquan Lewis (elbow) is questionable.

PREDICTION: Lions 42, Colts 17

Five things to watch as the Lions face the Jaguars, look to extend win streak

The Detroit LIons continue to demolish the franchise record books with their 8-1 start to the season. A win over the lowly Jaguars (2-8) on Sunday would give them the best start to the season since 1934 and their eighth straight win.

With the talent and expectations, nothing about the season so far is surprising. Key injuries haven’t stopped them – the only flaw was a bad game against the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Coach Dan Campbell said the team’s love for one another plays into the success.

“It’s a huge part of it because it’s – there’s so much that goes into it. There’s an unselfishness in a selfish business. It’s hard, and I’m talking about not just players, I’m talking about coaches too,’’ Campbell said. “That’s the nature of this game, man. This is type-A personalities and very confident, especially if you’re competing at the highest level.

“But to be able to put your ego aside for the guy next to you and you say you care about him, will you care about him enough to do everything it takes to get on the field and do your job and produce, and it should break your heart when you don’t finish for a player next to you, you don’t finish a block or you don’t chase the ball down and it turned into something bigger than it needed to be or you’re not in the gap you’re supposed to be in. Those should drive you and motivate you not to let the guy next to you – and that’s the common thread in all great teams, man. That’s how they function, that’s how they work, it’s how they practice, and they hold each other accountable,’’ Campbell added.

Five things to watch against the Jaguars:

ONE: Jared Goff is fully expected to bounce back to his old self after throwing five interceptions in the win at the Texans. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has gotten to know Goff well and said he handled the game at Houston as well as he could. “I mean, on the sideline, we’re talking through what he’s seeing and he’s seeing it all great and as much as I can, I’m trying to reassure him, it’s on me as much as anything else because what we saw on tape and what we said was going to happen didn’t quite turn out the way that we wanted,’’ Johnson said. “So, just telling him that I’m as responsible as he is for those interceptions and he certainly showed up there, like I said, in the fourth quarter, he came out and was still firing that ball. A lot of guys would clam up and be afraid to make a mistake and he did not do that.”

TWO: Za’Darius Smith gets first action with the Lions after the trade 10 days ago. While he was inactive at Houston, he was on the sidelines helping to coach the defensive line. Left tackle Taylor Decker has faced Smith through the years. “ Incredibly violent hands, powerful guy, I think one thing he’s able to line up all across the field,’’ Decker said. ‘You’ve seen him over center, over guards and and then tons of times you’ll see him one-on-one with offensive tackles. He’s got some of that swagger, that confidence.’’

THREE: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence will sit out with an injured non-throwing shoulder. The Jags have a bye week coming up so it will add to his rest time. Mac Jones will get his second straight start. In the 12-7 loss to the Vikings last week, Jones was 14 of 22 for 111 yards, zero interceptions and a pair of interceptions.

FOUR: The Jaguars defense has struggled, giving up 261.2 passing yards and 129.4 rushing yards per game makes them the NFL’s worst defense. Five Jags are tied with one interception each while the Lions have a total of 13 — Kerby Joseph with 6 and Brian Branch with 4. Sounds like a good time for Joseph and Branch to step up again.

FIVE: Jameson Williams, after a two-game suspension, was thrown back into the fire. He had two key third-down catches including one where he was sandwiched between two defenders. “He’s really coming on and showing up,’’ Johnson said. “ When you challenge him on the sidelines, he typically responds in a positive way and we knew, particularly with the turnovers, our margin for error had gone down, so he needed to make that play for us at that time and he did. But the level of confidence in him and his hands and his detail continues to rise.”

LIONS INJURY REPORT: TE Sam LaPorta (shoulder), DT Bodric Martin (knee). S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle/finger) and CB Emmanuel Moseley (pectoral) are out; LB Ben Niemann (ankle) is questionable.

JAGUARS INJURY REPORT: QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Tank Bigsby are out; OL Ezra Cleveland, DT Maason Smith and RB Keilan Robinson are questionable.

PREDICTION: Lions 42, Jaguars 6