Lions News

[whatever_gong82]

Despite missing a few stars, Detroit Lions won comfortably. When has that ever happened?



Shawn Windsor
Detroit Free Press


Imagine taking away the Detroit Lions' best receiver, best defensive playmaker, speedy rookie running back, and most important safety and not having it matter.

At all.

Not to diminish what Amon-Ra St. Brown, Brian Branch, Jahmyr Gibbs and C.J. Gardner-Johnson mean to the franchise, and what they will mean for the Lions chances later this season — heck, next week when the Lions travel to Tampa.

But for a day, for one Sunday afternoon at Ford Field, the Lions didn’t need them in the 42-24 win over the Panthers, and that says as much — or more — about not only the roster Brad Holmes has put together, but about the team Dan Campbell is building.

The Lions are deep and resilient and when someone like St. Brown goes down, for example, then Josh Reynolds steps up, and Kalif Raymond steps in behind him, and Marvin Jones Jr., who isn’t the player he once was and hadn’t caught a pass since Kansas City, found a way to get open and catch a couple of balls.


And while the receivers didn’t make up for St. Brown’s production, they didn’t need to, because the offense has other places to go, like to David Montgomery, who again showed he was Holmes' savviest pickup of the offseason.


The running back broke 100 yards rushing again, highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown run on the Lions’ first drive, a nifty, inside start, outside finish that showcased Montgomery’s power, shiftiness and speed. Along with the usual tough running, he caught a couple passes, too.

So did Brock Wright, the blocking tight end. He caught three passes, sitting down in the zone on a couple of them, similar to the way St. Brown does.


Now, the speed isn’t the same, obviously, but the point remains: the Lions have solid pieces in many places, and a coordinator who is happy to use all of them.

As Ben Johnson said earlier in the week, if a skill player steps onto the field, there is a play package for them, and you can best believe they’ve repped it out in practice.


Now, the speed isn’t the same, obviously, but the point remains: the Lions have solid pieces in many places, and a coordinator who is happy to use all of them.

As Ben Johnson said earlier in the week, if a skill player steps onto the field, there is a play package for them, and you can best believe they’ve repped it out in practice.


The belief in everyone starts with Campbell, of course, and the imagination to shift everyone when someone goes down is Johnson’s, or both — does it matter?

No, not really, not when you are building a complete roster, not when you are shaping a team. So, enter Zonovan Knight, who caught an out pass to help keep a drive going, and here comes Craig Reynolds, giving Montgomery a break, taking the handoff from Jared Goff and hitting the whole like his paycheck depended on it.


Maybe because it does.

And watching Reynolds attack the Panthers’ defense in the fourth quarter, after Carolina scored a touchdown, was another reminder of this team’s depth.


We’ve not even mentioned Sam LaPorta, who has become Goff’s second favorite target after St. Brown, a third-down escape hatch, a downfield threat and someone who enjoys finding the end zone, as he did again against Carolina — twice.

The rookie tight end isn’t just one of the best rookies of his class, he's already one of the better tight ends in the league. It’ll be a while before we can say the same of Jameson Williams, who isn’t technically a rookie, but is a rookie in experience, and who made his season debut.


He started off by making simple football plays, blocking a safety that sprung Montgomery on the 42-yard touchdown run, and in this universe, in the Holmes-Campbell world, making simple football plays matters more than anything else.

It's a good thing Williams enjoys blocking. It gives him (temporary) cover for the slow start to his career, not to mention the drops; he had another against the Panthers, on a crossing route. If you want to be fair, you can point to the defensive back about to slam into him.


Stil, NFL receivers are expected to make those catches. Let’s see if Williams can eventually. He did catch a screen pass, though, and was cheered loudly, perhaps a tad sarcastically by a crowd and fan base growing weary of the first-round pick.


But then this is a roster that can absorb a first-rounder taking time, because some of them do, and Holmes and Campbell have hit on enough other prospects in the draft to give it to the ones that need it.

Williams needs time.


Branch does not, and while the defense came up with three turnovers and pressured rookie quarterback Bryce Young for most of the game, the defense could’ve used him. Again, though: depth.

It’s everywhere. And that’s the point.


Almost no team is getting through a season without losing important players for at least part of the time. So, can a team keep winning? And, most critically, win the games it should win?


This is what well-run franchises do. This is also what playoff teams do.

The Lions were missing a few of their best players and knocked off the Panthers comfortably anyway.


Never mind that the game was at Ford Field. When was the last time anyone could say that about the Lions?


Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him@shawnwindsor.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley injures knee two plays into season debut



Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press


Emmanuel Moseley was excited about playing his first game Sunday in nearly a year, since tearing the ACL in his left knee last Oct. 9 in the San Francisco 49ers' game against the Carolina Panthers.

"It's the same team that I played when I got hurt," the Detroit Lions defensive back told the Free Press on Friday. "That’s full circle."

Moseley's return 364 days after his injury lasted only two plays Sunday before he hobbled off the field after a non-contact injury to his right knee late in the first quarter of the Lions' 42-24 win over the Panthers.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said Moseley will undergo further testing Monday to determine the extent of the injury.


" I know on tape or the replay it certainly didn’t look good," Campbell said. "But we won’t know a ton until we get the MRI, which will be (Monday) afternoon."

The Lions signed Moseley to start at the cornerback spot opposite Cam Sutton this offseason, but Moseley missed all of training camp after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his knee this summer and pulled his hamstring in his return to practice in early September.


He was slated to play a few series Sunday, and saw his only two plays at left cornerback in place of Jerry Jacobs.

On Moseley's first snap, Panthers left guard Chandler Zavala suffered a neck injury and was taken off the field on a backboard after an eight-minute delay.

"That's my brother," Jacobs said of Moseley. "To see something like that again, I was just speechless, bro. But I couldn’t even really talk about that cause like I know he’s hurt but he want to play ball. ... He's hungry and to see him go down like that after two plays, man, that’s just sad."


Gibbs update

Campbell said he's not sure how long rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs will be sidelined with the hamstring injury he suffered in practice Friday.

"We’ll see," Campbell said. "Didn’t feel like it was awful, but it was just enough to where we felt like we needed to sit him today. So, we’ll see.”


With Gibbs out, David Montgomery ran for 109 yards on 19 carries and scored on a 42-yard run, his fourth touchdown in two weeks. Craig Reynolds added seven carries for 52 yards off the bench, and the Lions lost running back Zonovan Knight for an undetermined amount of time to a shoulder injury.

Knight wore a sling on his left arm in the locker room Sunday. He was hurt after taking a big hit after a second half catch.


Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

[whatever_gong82]

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions entering franchise, NFL history books through five weeks



Jared Ramsey
Detroit Free Press


The 2023 Detroit Lions are making an early case of being one of the best teams in the franchise's long history.

The Lions look dominant through five weeks on their way to their first 4-1 record since 2011, thanks to a beatdown of the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Each week, Detroit or its players are setting franchise statistical records.

Detroit's defense has arguably the most impressive tally under their belt. Through five weeks, the Lions have only allowed 342 rushing yards, the least allowed by the franchise since 1932 — the franchise's third season, when it was still located in Portsmouth, Ohio — over the first five games. They entered Sunday with the NFL's No. 1 run defense, then held the Panthers to just 99 yards and zero touchdowns.

The Lions also had three rushing touchdowns from three different players — David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds and Jared Goff — on Sunday. The Lions' big offensive line generated a consistent push in short-yardage situations for the easy scores, like they have all season. That gives the Lions nine rushing touchdowns, the franchise's most over the first five weeks since the 1970 team led by Mel Farr.

The offense as a whole is producing on a consistent level the franchise is not used to. 2023 marks only the second time in franchise history Detroit has produced over 350 yards per game (again, over the first five games). The first came in 1954; that season, quarterback Bobby Layne and the Lions advanced to the NFL championship, but lost to the Cleveland Browns.

Sunday marked the fifth time ever the Lions had three passing and three rushing touchdowns in a single game. It was the first time it happened in 61 years after the Lions did it four times from 1950-1962. It was the first time the Lions scored over 40 points this season. The last time came in Week 17 last year against the Chicago Bears.

Star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson's ascent to one of the league's best pass rushers continued against the Panthers. Hutchinson got up to 4½ sacks on the season and intercepted a screen pass from Bryce Young which directly led to a touchdown. It was the second turnover he has forced this season; the first came on a fumble on a sack against the Falcons.


Hutchinson now has four career interceptions, the most by any defensive lineman in NFL history through their first two seasons. He is also tied with Ndamukong Suh for third all-time in Lions history in sacks through two seasons, with 14.

Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has turned into one of Goff's top options and it has led to record-breaking production. LaPorta ranks second among all tight ends in NFL history (through their first five career games) in terms of receiving touchdowns and games with at least 35 yards receiving.


His production this far has been the most by a rookie tight end in the league since Travis Kelce nine years ago. He is the first Detroit rookie tight end since Jim Gibbons in 1964 to have multiple touchdowns of over 30 yards in a season.

[whatever_gong82]

[whatever_gong82]

[whatever_gong82]

The Lions share their head coach’s confidence, and it showed in win over Panthers


By Colton Pouncy
2h ago


DETROIT — There’s nothing Dan Campbell loves more than when his football team indirectly tells him everything’s going to be OK.

Of course, that responsibility usually falls on Campbell. Coaches are supposed to be the calm amid chaos. We saw it a year ago. Campbell had to navigate the Detroit Lions’ 1-6 start, injuries and a young roster finding its way. He remained a believer that things were on the right track, and in turn, his players followed suit. That was a pivotal point in time for these Lions and what they’d ultimately become. That’s when Campbell’s message became their message.


A trap game against an 0-4 team? Treat ’em like the defending champs. Shorthanded at several positions? Pfft. What Campbell saw from his team on Sunday — a 42-24 win over the Carolina Panthers — was a group that collectively patted him on the shoulder and nodded, almost as if to say …


Coach, relax, we got it.


“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: They don’t care who we play,” Campbell said of his team. “It’s competition and they show up. They’re not worried about the elements, who they have, who we have, what the records are. I’m proud of the way we showed up.”

It’s easy for Campbell to wonder if his team’s in the right headspace. After all, this is all new. The Lions are a good football team. It feels relatively safe to say that, based on how they’ve played this season. Their 3-1 record entering the day speaks to that. In turn, they’re also being discussed like a good football team. That, as we know, is uncharted territory for this group.


So, then, what makes for a good football team? For starters, attitude. The Lions speak highly of themselves because they know what they’re capable of. They’ve won 12 of their last 15 games dating back to last season. They’ve shown they can hang with some of the better squads in the league and emerge for the moment. But one particular slip-up from last season, against the very franchise they played Sunday, left a lingering, sour taste.

The Lions were in a playoff hunt, essentially needing to win out to earn a spot in the postseason. The Panthers, then 5-9, had other plans. They ran it down Detroit’s throat to the tune of 320 rushing yards in a 37-23 victory on Dec. 24. It was an inexcusable effort with so much on the line. Good teams don’t fold when it matters most. It was a sign there was work to do to get where they wanted to go.


That day ultimately sealed Detroit’s fate. But in the process, it made the Lions realize they can’t overlook anyone. They’ve carried that into this season, even after a hot start.

“It’s still very early,” defensive tackle Alim McNeill said earlier this week. “3-1 does sound great, though, and it’s good to be in that position, but that could change in a heartbeat. We just gotta stay on everybody’s neck these next couple of weeks. It feels good to be here, but we have not done anything yet.”


That’s how players talk and carry themselves. Comments like that will give a head coach confidence. It’s an attitude this team has developed over time — one of many. Another one? A collective attitude that this roster has enough to walk away with victories, even without key players.

The Lions have been tested early this year. They’ve played without their starting right guard, starting left tackle, a co-starter at running back, a starting wide receiver, two starting safeties, a starting nickel, a starting-caliber cornerback and three rotational pass-rushers. And yet, you wouldn’t know it by their record.


Sunday’s game was no different. The Lions scored six touchdowns, en route to a 42-point effort. Quarterback Jared Goff had an excellent day — 20-of-28 for 236 passing yards and four total touchdowns — leading an efficient offense that scored early and often. Two of those touchdowns went to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, as the offense found ways to generate points without two key weapons in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs. The offense was aided by a strong rushing attack, led by David Montgomery’s 109 yards and one TD, and a defense whose three turnovers turned into 21 of those 42 points.

“You get certain chances in life to have opportunities,” Montgomery said in the locker room. “It’s either you capitalize on ’em or you fold, and we got guys on this team who capitalize every chance that they get. … Injuries happen and it happens throughout the season, but you gotta make sure that you got guys that are ready, and we do have guys.”

Detroit’s rushing defense, a group that entered the day allowing the fewest yards on the ground in the NFL, allowed just 99 rushing yards to the Panthers. Far cry from a year ago. The defense forced three turnovers in a game without one of its best defenders — rookie defensive back Brian Branch — who’s still recovering from an ankle injury. It’s not a stretch to say he’s been one of the best nickel corners in the NFL through four weeks. He makes impact play after impact play. A pick six against the Chiefs, three tackles for a loss against the Falcons, an innate ability to cover the run and the pass at a high level. That’s not an easy dude to replace.

And yet, there was Will Harris, stepping in seamlessly. The Lions’ coaching staff kept around, much to the dismay of some fans, because of their trust in him when called upon. He recorded nine tackles in Sunday’s win, broke up a would-be touchdown in the end zone and recovered a fumble that the Lions would score on.


Efforts like that serve as further proof this group will keep humming its tune, blocking out the noise. Last year’s team might’ve struggled along the way, or at least made you wonder if it were susceptible to a letdown. This game was comfortable. The Lions tucked the Panthers into bed and said goodnight by halftime.

“This is a beautiful thing, man,” said Harris, who also mentioned this is the deepest Lions team he’s played on in five years. “I feel like everybody who you don’t see in the game is just scratching and clawing to get in the game, you know? That’s a beautiful thing when guys are ready, guys are competitive, guys are ready to make plays. That’s the precedent we have in the locker room.”


That’s where these Lions are at. They’re 4-1 with the urgency of an 0-5 team. They don’t pretend to be good enough to show up and sleepwalk to a win. They can lose to anyone just as easily as they can beat anyone. They have a roster full of like-minded players who know what the deal is and what the expectations are. They know there’s much to accomplish along the way and little reason to pat yourself on the back.


So instead, they pat Campbell — reassuring him his team is wired the right way, and that things will be OK.



Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy

[Iron Lion]

Detroit Lions entering franchise, NFL history books through five weeks



Jared Ramsey
Detroit Free Press


The 2023 Detroit Lions are making an early case of being one of the best teams in the franchise's long history.

The Lions look dominant through five weeks on their way to their first 4-1 record since 2011, thanks to a beatdown of the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Each week, Detroit or its players are setting franchise statistical records.

Detroit's defense has arguably the most impressive tally under their belt. Through five weeks, the Lions have only allowed 342 rushing yards, the least allowed by the franchise since 1932 — the franchise's third season, when it was still located in Portsmouth, Ohio — over the first five games. They entered Sunday with the NFL's No. 1 run defense, then held the Panthers to just 99 yards and zero touchdowns.

The Lions also had three rushing touchdowns from three different players — David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds and Jared Goff — on Sunday. The Lions' big offensive line generated a consistent push in short-yardage situations for the easy scores, like they have all season. That gives the Lions nine rushing touchdowns, the franchise's most over the first five weeks since the 1970 team led by Mel Farr.

The offense as a whole is producing on a consistent level the franchise is not used to. 2023 marks only the second time in franchise history Detroit has produced over 350 yards per game (again, over the first five games). The first came in 1954; that season, quarterback Bobby Layne and the Lions advanced to the NFL championship, but lost to the Cleveland Browns.

Sunday marked the fifth time ever the Lions had three passing and three rushing touchdowns in a single game. It was the first time it happened in 61 years after the Lions did it four times from 1950-1962. It was the first time the Lions scored over 40 points this season. The last time came in Week 17 last year against the Chicago Bears.

Star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson's ascent to one of the league's best pass rushers continued against the Panthers. Hutchinson got up to 4½ sacks on the season and intercepted a screen pass from Bryce Young which directly led to a touchdown. It was the second turnover he has forced this season; the first came on a fumble on a sack against the Falcons.


Hutchinson now has four career interceptions, the most by any defensive lineman in NFL history through their first two seasons. He is also tied with Ndamukong Suh for third all-time in Lions history in sacks through two seasons, with 14.

Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has turned into one of Goff's top options and it has led to record-breaking production. LaPorta ranks second among all tight ends in NFL history (through their first five career games) in terms of receiving touchdowns and games with at least 35 yards receiving.


His production this far has been the most by a rookie tight end in the league since Travis Kelce nine years ago. He is the first Detroit rookie tight end since Jim Gibbons in 1964 to have multiple touchdowns of over 30 yards in a season.

Damn thats a lot of nuggets

[whatever_gong82]

Damn thats a lot of nuggets

And I got a few more coming up in the next 10-15 minutes.

[whatever_gong82]

Niyo: Taylor Decker, Lions finally seeing the light shine in




John Niyo
The Detroit News


Detroit — Taylor Decker isn’t the face of the Detroit Lions. Offensive linemen rarely get to carry that banner, or its burden.

But after the Lions routed the Carolina Panthers to improve to 4-1 this season, Decker was the voice of this franchise. And as he echoed that screaming sellout crowd of 63,648 inside Ford Field on Sunday, you could hear it all, really. The heartache and hope, the darkness and the light, and the contrast Decker is able to draw between then and now unlike just about anyone else in Detroit’s locker room.


The Lions’ longest-tenured player made his 100th career start as a pro on Sunday afternoon, and when it was over — a 42-24 thrashing of the Panthers — Decker spent nearly 15 minutes at the postgame press conference trying to explain what it meant.

Not just the win, or the winning, but what it feels like for someone who has known something entirely different for the better part of his eight-year NFL career.


“It just makes me even more grateful for the success that we're having now,” said Decker, who was then-general manager Bob Quinn’s initial first-round draft pick in Detroit back in 2016. “Because I had to live the flip side of that for a long time. And it's just revitalizing and makes you excited to get up and go to work every single day. Because it's a lot easier to go into the building when you're winning games and your team's playing well.

It has been a long time since this team has played this well. Sunday’s dominant win was Detroit’s third consecutive by a double-digit margin, something that hasn’t happened for the Lions since 1997. At 4-1, they’re off to their best start since 2011, when they snapped a postseason drought that had dragged on for more than a decade. And after winning only four of their first 24 games under head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have now won 12 of their last 15 games dating to last November.


“That is a small sample size,” as Decker noted Sunday. But it’s still one that’s worth savoring, isn’t it? Half of the Lions’ wins this season have come in prime-time games on the road at Kansas City and Green Bay, and the league flexed next week’s contest at Tampa Bay to a premium late-afternoon TV window. The Lions’ next home game will be a Monday Night Football broadcast against the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 30

“It feels good, it really does,” Decker said. “It's cool. When you get to play prime-time games, they're flexing your games, people want to watch you play and are excited about your team, it's fun to be a part of that.”


Especially when you’ve been a part of everything else Decker has endured here in Detroit. He’s playing for his third head coach, his fourth offensive coordinator, and his second general manager. He has undergone surgeries on his shoulder and his hand, played through debilitating foot pain, back and ankle injuries, and even a monthlong bout with appendicitis.

But nothing that hurt quite like all that losing, particularly in the prime of his career. Decker went 50-4 in his four years at Ohio State, winning a national championship as a junior. But he suffered through four straight seasons of double-digit losses in Detroit as the Lions went 17-46-2 from 2018-21.


“There were times when I would look at the big picture and it would be overwhelming for me, because I wouldn't know what to do to try and help the team win,” Decker admitted Sunday. “It seemed like there was so much going on, and I'm, like, ‘Where do we start?’

“And I kind of got to where I was focusing too much on that. It was bogging me down mentally. Because when you're just angry all the time, it's exhausting. I think anger is awesome fuel, but when it's all you have, it just wears you down. And I felt like I was just worn down all the time.”


Now, though, he says he feels “the best I've ever felt,” even in spite of all that wear and tear from 100 NFL games or the high-ankle sprain he’s been dealing with since the season opener against the Chiefs.

Winning will do that for you, of course. But so does the way the Lions are winning, with a youthful energy and a growing air of confidence, and by controlling the line of scrimmage and commanding respect in ways the Lions haven’t in a long, long time.


“I've said it before, and I'll say it again, they don't care who we play,” said Campbell, whose fears of a letdown against the winless Panthers lasted all of about 5 minutes Sunday. “It's competition, and they show up. They're not worried about the elements, who they have, who we have, what the records are. And I'm just proud of the way we showed up.”

Decker is, too. And as he stood there reflecting Sunday, wearing a ballcap that advertised Detroit’s grit, the emotions showed up as well. His voice wavered and his eyes welled up as he talked about his “amazing support system,” including his parents, his four siblings and his wife, Kyndra, with whom he has a daughter, Daisy, who’ll celebrate her first birthday later this month.


Decker talked about the ties that bind the offensive line — the backbone of this Lions team — and the culture that’s been built here under this new regime in Detroit. But he also talked about his own personal journey over the last eight years.

Decker was asked Sunday what he remembered from his first NFL game, which came in the 2016 season opener at Indianapolis. The rookie left tackle was tasked with protecting Matthew Stafford’s blind side that day against the Colts’ all-time sack leader, Robert Mathis, who was entering his 14th and final season as a pro. And while he actually held his own against Mathis that day in a Lions victory, Decker laughed, “I remember having to pee a lot before the game.”


Ninety-nine starts later, he can confidently say, “I pee a lot less now.”

He can also breathe a lot easier, though, because much of that nervous energy has been replaced by an air of confidence. Not just in his own ability, but in everything around him.


“And I think it just speaks to the people that they've brought in here — the players, the coaches,” Decker said. “How they're all bought in — genuinely bought in, they’re not just saying it — and we're all just rowing in the same direction.”

Where they’re headed this season, no one can say for sure yet. But Decker sounds as eager to find out as those fans that have kept showing up.


“And it was important to me — it has been important to me — to be a part of that, “Because I feel like that's what I was brought here for,” he said. “I felt like I was brought here to try and be a piece to help the team win. And it took a long time, man. But I'm almost thankful for those dark times. Because it has made this … it's just sweet.”


john.niyo@detroitnews.com

Twitter/X: @JohnNiyo

[ghandi]

You'd never know Montgomery had an injured hip not too long ago watching him outrun that DB.

[ghandi]

I dont think we realize the offenses dominance because there are still 2 highly drafted players that havent even got on track yet...When the team hits on all cylinders, look out.

[Iron Lion]

Don't laugh at me people but honestly if/when we win the division and if/when we win a playoff game I might let some tears loose.

[whatever_gong82]

Wojo: Lions don’t mess around, use every tool and toy to blast Panthers



Bob Wojnowski
The Detroit News


Detroit — The snap went to Jared Goff, who flipped the ball to David Montgomery, who flipped it to Kalif Raymond, who flipped it back to Goff, who heaved it downfield to Sam LaPorta, who rumbled for a 31-yard touchdown. In that crazy choreography, in this rollicking romp, the Lions supplied more entertaining twists of fortune.

Remember when they used to find all sorts of ways to lose? These days, they’re finding all sorts of way to win, with all sorts of plays and players, with a confident flair we’ve rarely seen.


Missing two key offensive pieces, the Lions didn’t slam shut the toy box. Uh, no. They dug deeper and pulled out more, and that’s how you make sure there’s no letup when a winless opponent comes to town. The Lions threw everything at Carolina Sunday in a 42-24 rout in front of a delirious sellout crowd.


These Ford Field parties are becoming must-see and must-be events. The Lions are 4-1 after three straight double-digit victories, topping 350 total yards in all five games. They haven’t opened a season with that much per-game offense since 1954, and they’re doing it conventionally, unconventionally and consistently. They’re in first place in the NFC North and looking like bonafide conference contenders, with a trip to Tampa Bay next.

That triple-flip-reverse-flea-flicker (or whatever it’s called) late in the first half pushed the Lions’ lead to 28-7 and set the day’s feisty tone. Leading receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was sidelined with an abdominal injury and rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs sat out with a hamstring injury. No retreating, not with Dan Campbell coaching, Ben Johnson coordinating and Goff orchestrating.


Goff threw for 236 yards, Montgomery pounded for 109 yards and eight different players caught at least one pass. On the one hand, Carolina is 0-5, the last winless team in the league. On the other hand, the Panthers stomped the Lions last season, which seems like a long time ago. They’re now rebuilding with rookie quarterback Bryce Young, who was shown no mercy by Detroit’s revitalized defense.

If Johnson, the creative offensive coordinator, craves another wrinkle or two, he might drag Aidan Hutchinson over from defense. Hutchinson plucked an interception at the line of scrimmage by reaching back with one hand. He later sacked Young, as the Lions forced three turnovers and committed none of their own. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn also is making sharp adjustments, as the Lions have cranked up their aggressiveness.


After each of Carolina’s turnovers, the Lions followed immediately with a touchdown drive. One benefit to suffering through years of misery is, they know how hungry the downtrodden can get.

“I told (the players), I’m not worried about the opponents that you can see eye to eye, because I believe we can compete with anybody and beat anybody in this league,” Campbell said. “It’s the ones you don’t see coming, and they knew exactly who’s coming and proved it today.”


The Lions have beaten three eye-to-eye teams in Kansas City, Green Bay and Atlanta. Technically they haven’t lost a game yet in regulation, falling to Seattle in overtime. Small sample size? Sure. But this began the second half of last season, and the Lions are 12-3 since. Once Goff and Johnson got comfortable with each other’s strengths, they kept expanding the arsenal. GM Brad Holmes added Montgomery as a free agent from the Bears, and his strengths perfectly complement the Lions’ shifty receivers.


The Lions threw the ball 28 times and ran it 30. They passed for three touchdowns and ran for three, including a 1-yard dive by Goff. That featured a glimpse of the new NFL rage, the tush push, when a lineman — in this case, Penei Sewell — pushes the ball carrier from the rear until he crosses the goal line.

With all this balance, the Lions keep opponents guessing. I asked Goff if they identify more as a passing team or a running team, and he barely skipped a beat.

“We’re a good team,” he said. “We’re very multiple and can do kind of a little bit of everything.”

And?

“I think we’re becoming a more mature team,” said Goff, who was 20-for-28 for 236 yards. “Understanding when we play a team, with all due respect, that’s 0-4 and we feel we can do some good things against, we go out and do good things against. We’ve been there, we know what that feels like. But when we’re becoming this team that we hope to be, when we play a team that we want to get after, we got to go do it.”


In a sense, the Lions’ new selves have an idea how to beat their old selves. Carolina was eminently beatable, make no mistake. The Lions made no mistake, pulling out everything.

Some of the plays looked like they were scratched in the sandlot dirt. Late in the third quarter, leading 28-10 and facing third-and-6 at Carolina’s 14, the Lions did something I’ve never seen. Goff lined up as if taking the snap, but let the ball go between his legs to Montgomery standing behind him. As Goff completed the fake by falling to the left, Montgomery raced up the middle 10 yards, setting up a touchdown.

“You’ve got to make it work or they won’t call them again,” Montgomery said. “Just being able to be creative and do some of the cool things that Ben (Johnson) has. I’ve never really seen some of the things he calls. It’s fun, really fun.”

It’s especially fun for the guys who have lived on the other side of the tracks. Guys such as offensive tackle Taylor Decker, who played in his 100th game, in his eighth season. The longest-tenured Lion and respected leader, Decker blinked away tears as he described what this turnaround means, to him, his family and his teammates.


The trip has been arduous, and by no means nearing an end. But the pain still drives him.

“There were times when (the losing) was kind of bogging me down mentally because when you’re just angry all the time, it’s exhausting,” Decker said. “I think anger is awesome fuel, but when it’s all you have, it just wears you down. … I’m almost thankful for those dark times because it’s made this just sweet. I’m revitalized, I feel great.”

The Lions aren’t taking premature victory laps, far from it. They know how good times can be fleeting and bad times always lurk. They’ve had a rough spate of injuries, and to do what they did Sunday without St. Brown, one of the top receivers in the league, was telling. They did get Jameson Williams back from suspension and he played about 15 snaps. The Lions weren’t expecting much immediately, and that’s what they got. Williams caught two short passes for a total of 2 yards and let another pass slip through his hands.


Obviously, they need more from him at some point, but they have the depth to spread opportunities around. The turnovers provided short fields for the offense, and Goff and friends took ample advantage. LaPorta, the rookie tight end from Iowa, has made a huge impact. Increased roles for Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond are key too. And to use Campbell’s word, Goff is on “fire.”

“I think these guys are hungry, and they smell the wins,” Campbell said. “They enjoy winning like anybody would, but they also understand what it takes to win right now. I think they want more, I think we want more, and I think when you have that, you’re always on the hunt.”

The Lions were expected to win Sunday, but they didn’t simply accept the expected. They were creative and proactive and relentless. They did what they were supposed to do, which is what good teams do. Great teams do it over and over, regardless of foe or fear, and that’s the next step the Lions are hunting.


bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com

Twitter/X: @bobwojnowski

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions deliver performance worthy of Super Bowl chase in 42-24 win over Panthers


Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press


Dan Campbell doesn’t worry about opponents his Detroit Lions see eye-to-eye with.

“Because I believe we can compete with anybody and beat anybody in this league,” he said.


It’s the ones good teams like the Lions tend to overlook that give him pause — or did before Sunday, at least.

Coming off an emotional road win against a division opponent, back home with extra time to soak in their praise and playing against the worst team in the NFL, the Lions delivered a knockout performance befitting a Super Bowl contender, pummeling the Carolina Panthers, 42-24, at Ford Field.


“There’s nothing better than when you tell your team just concerns and you talk about it and your team tells you, ‘Coach, just freaking relax, all right? We got it,’” Campbell said. “And they did that today. They came out, they set the tone for the game and really never let off the gas.”


David Montgomery ran for 109 yards and a touchdown, Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth score and the Lions forced three first-half turnovers that led to points to win their third straight game by double digits.


At 4-1, the Lions sit alone in first place in the NFC North, off to their best start since going 5-0 to open the 2011 season. They visit the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday in a late-afternoon showcase game with early-season playoff implications.

“I think we’re becoming a more mature team and understanding when we play a team that, with all due respect to them, they’re 0-4 and we feel like we can do some good things against (them),” Goff said. “Again, all due respect. We’ve been there. Like, we know what that feels like. But when we’re becoming this team that we hope to be, when we play a team that we want to get after, we got to go do it, and I thought we did a good job today.”


The Lions dominated every facet of the game Sunday, scoring touchdowns on four of their first five drives to build a commanding 28-10 halftime lead.

Montgomery, the hero of last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers with 32 carries for 121 yards and three touchdowns, opened the scoring Sunday with a 42-yard touchdown run on the Lions’ third offensive play.


He became the first Lions running back to top 100 yards rushing and score a touchdown in back-to-back games since Kevin Jones in 2004, and he did it while shouldering the bulk of the backfield work with rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs out with a hamstring injury.


Aidan Hutchinson intercepted a Bryce Young pass on Carolina’s second possession to set up Goff’s first touchdown pass, 4 yards to Sam LaPorta, and Alim McNeill forced a Miles Sanders fumble and Jerry Jacobs intercepted another Young throw that led to second-quarter scores.

“We do like where we’re at, but at the same time, we’re still hungry,” Jacobs said. “We did hype up the crowd — we belong. But at the same time, I don’t think we’re done. We’re still going. And like I said, we’re hungry. We’re coming, so I can’t wait to see this team go far. Like, we’ve got that mindset.”

Goff finished the day 20-for-28 for 236 yards and played his first turnover-free game since Week 1.


He capped a 10-play, 38-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds to give the Lions a 21-7 lead after Sanders’ fumble, and threw his second TD pass to LaPorta, this one from 31 yards out, two series later after Jacobs’ pick.

Goff’s second touchdown to LaPorta came on a reverse flea-flicker and was one of two trick plays the Lions hit in the game. Montgomery also ran for a first down on a direct snap from center Frank Ragnow that sailed through Goff’s legs.

Montgomery brushed off a reporter’s suggestion after the game that Sunday’s performance proved the Lions are about more than hype.


“Nah, he said. “It ain’t nothing proven yet. It’ll be proven once we do it all, and I firmly believe that and I know we’re capable of doing that. We just have to do it.”


Montgomery finished with 19 carries, and the Lions ran for 159 yards as a team on a day they played without both Gibbs and leading receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown because of injuries. St. Brown suffered an abdominal injury against the Packers, and Gibbs pulled a hamstring in practice Friday.

Even without two of their top offensive weapons, the Lions' points were a season high as they topped 350 yards of offense for the fifth straight game. It’s the first time the Lions have topped 350 yards in five straight games to open the season since 1954.


Jameson Williams caught two passes for 2 yards and played 27 snaps in his season debut for the Lions after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.

Young was 25-for-41 for 247 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions and Adam Thielen had 11 catches for 107 yards for the Panthers, who remain the only NFL team without a win at 0-5.


“These guys are hungry,” Campbell said. “I just think that they smell the wins, they enjoy winning like anybody would, but they also understand what it takes to win right now and what we’re doing to win these games. So I think from that standpoint it’s just I think they want more, I think we want more, and I think when you have that you’re always on the hunt.”


Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.