Lions News

[-Deborah-]

One oddity to watch: The Lions and Vikings play twice in the final three weeks of the regular season, and the way the playoff seedings stand right now, would meet in the first round of the playoffs. That'd be three games in four weeks, including back-to-back battles in Week 18 and the wild-card round.

That would be crazy!!

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That would be crazy!!

Deb, I'm worried about our defense.

I can see (and get) why Brad Holmes didn't try to give up draft capital for a rental, but my goodness, our Defense against mobile quarterbacks is hot garbage.

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Lions' 'D' ‘about to take three steps up’ after subpar outing; run game rounding into form



By Andrew Graham
Special to The Detroit News



Allen Park — Dan Campbell wants his Detroit Lions players to enjoy the wins, no matter how they come. But after surrendering 38 points and looking mostly incapable of producing consistent stops against the Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, he understands why the defensive unit wasn’t just basking in victory.

And the line between savoring a win and bitter feelings about a subpar performance is one Campbell is happy to have his defense straddle for the moment.

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“You don't want anybody disappointed. A win is a win. But those guys on defense, every one of them last night was — they were frustrated. Pissed off. And that's kind of what you want,” Campbell said on Monday.

Detroit (7-2) hosts Chicago (3-7) in an NFC North matchup on Sunday.



The defensive results Sunday for the Lions were certainly not up to par. On top of 38 points surrendered, Detroit’s defense gave up more than 400 total yards to the Chargers (4-5) and failed to sack Herbert even once, while registering five quarterback hits.

Herbert went 27-of-40 on pass attempts, good for 323 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target, Keenan Allen, feasted, catching 11 passes for 175 yards and a pair of scores. Herbert’s lone interception, an acrobatic snag by Lions safety Kerby Joseph in the first quarter, proved to be the defensive difference in the game.



Discussing the defensive woes Monday, Campbell explained miscommunications and trying “to live in two worlds” has set the unit back.

“But there's just a few things where we need to make a call and live by the call and not try to live in two worlds,” Campbell said.



Campbell believes that despite the regression Sunday, things will be improving shortly.

“And defensively we took a step back, but I know that we're about to take three steps up again," he said. "I believe that."

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Lions happy to feature Montgomery, Gibbs

Running back David Montgomery returned from an injury Sunday, carrying the ball 12 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, who took on a larger workload in Montgomery’s absence, carried 14 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns, plus three receptions for 35 yards.

It was the sort of afternoon Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes likely envisioned when selecting Gibbs with the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL Draft and signing Montgomery in free agency this offseason.



“Well, No. 1, I think it's hard to just totally rely on one back. That's a hard position. Those are hard miles that you put on a guy. And to expect 65 plays a game, for 17 games plus the playoffs, that's not — that's hard,” Campbell said. “But if you can share the load and, no different than anybody else on our offense, when you have different skill sets and they're able to do different things, they excel at certain things a little bit better.”

Montgomery and Gibbs skill sets do diverge. In one more game played than Montgomery this season, Gibbs has 31 receptions to six for his backfield mate. And while Montgomery showed off plenty of explosive ability on his long run, the general paradigm is he can churn out tough yard while Gibbs brings some pop.



Either way, Campbell and Co. will be playing both often, it seems.

“I think it just gives you more versatility and it gives you a better chance for matchups that you want. They're just playing at a high level. David, it was great having him back. He really showed up. And Gibbs just continues to get better and better,” Campbell said.



WRs deliver in run game

While second-year wideout Jameson Williams got noticed for his block down the field on Montgomery’s 75-yard touchdown run, Campbell raved about the blocking from the entire receiver corps.



The desire and willingness to get physical with opposing defensive backs is both a standard in the Lions receiver room and something that rubs off on other players, Campbell said. And all the Lions receivers, from star Amon Ra St. Brown to less-heralded guys like Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds, are eminently capable.

“I think it's a rite of passage and they showed up. They showed up big. We talked about not only making your plays in the pass game, executing, being productive, but we wanted physical dominance from the perimeter and I thought all those receivers really showed up,” Campbell said.



Along with Williams downfield, St. Brown made a key block on Montgomery’s long score, nearer to the line of scrimmage — and he wasn’t even part of the personnel package that was supposed to be on the field.

“And I think that's the sign of — listen, that's the sign of a good team, too. Sometimes, believe it or not, coaches mess up every once in a while. And they made it right. The players made it right. And it's the sign of a good team,” Campbell said.


Andrew Graham is a freelancer writer.

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Dan Campbell: Aaron Glenn will get Detroit Lions defense 'right' after struggles in LA


Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press



The Detroit Lions gave up 38 points for the second time in three games Sunday, but Lions coach Dan Campbell expressed confidence that his team's defensive struggles against the Los Angeles Chargers were merely a blip on the radar for a unit he still sees as improving.

"The offense took a step up and defensively we took a step back," Campbell said Monday. "But I know that we’re about to take three steps up again, I believe that. (Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is) going to get this thing right."



The Lions held the Chargers to two first downs on their first four possessions in Sunday's 41-38 victory, then allowed touchdowns on five straight drives to close the game.

Justin Herbert completed 27 of 40 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns, and Keenan Allen caught 11 passes for 175 yards and two scores despite missing a chunk of the second half with a shoulder injury.

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The Chargers found success by going to their no-huddle offense which Campbell said caused some confusion and uncertainty in his secondary.

"Honestly, it was really there was a lack of communication in some areas," Campbell said. "We weren’t real clean. And we got to get — we really got to get to where, even if it’s the wrong call, it’s right if we’re all on the same page. There was a couple of these things with the motions, how are we treating this motion entirely because of the nature of it? There’s just a few things where, man, we need to make a call and live by the call and not try to live in two worlds. That showed up a little bit."



The Chargers converted two third downs on their first scoring drive of the third quarter when Allen motioned across field and was given free release off the line of scrimmage. He caught a 12-yard pass on a third-and-8 play against a slot cornerback blitz when the Lions did not shift safety help his way, and had a 12-yard catch on third-and-3 a few plays later when he motioned into a one-on-one matchup with Tracy Walker.

The Chargers scored one play later when Walker bit on a fake screen, and Allen scored his second touchdown when the Lions were late changing personnel and cornerback Cam Sutton fell victim to another play fake.

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Campbell said the Lions, who have gotten inconsistent play from their safeties since the loss of C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a torn pectoral muscle, need to find a calming presence in the back end like Alex Anzalone has been for the linebacking corps.


"The no-huddle wasn’t necessarily stressful, however it was enough to where we felt like it unraveled us a little bit on defense and some of our looks, so we just got to disguise a little bit better," Campbell said. "And ultimately, look, Herbert, that was one of the best games he’s played all season I felt like, too. Played at a high level. (Allen), we struggled to stop him. And we knew that going into the game. He’s a heck of a player, but listen, they did a good job of finding some matchups, they were able to see the looks, get to the best play available and so look, you live, you learn, you move on and we’ll be better. We move on from this."


Best of the best

Campbell was highly complimentary of his offense line Monday, which had its full starting five together against the Chargers for the first time since Week 1.


"Those five up front really set the tone, and we needed them to," Campbell said. "They’re the engine under the hood, man, they make it go. And they really — we had a checklist of things and, man, they checked every box. Those guys showed up."

Frank Ragnow returned at center after a one game absence due to a calf injury, and left guard Jonah Jackson made his first start since suffering a high ankle sprain in a Week 5 win over the Carolina Panthers.

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Jackson said he felt like offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who also earned high praise from Campbell on Monday, called several running plays early to get him reacclimated to the game.

"I love that play that Ben (called on our first touchdown). It’s kind of like our little, 'All right, let’s get 7-3 rolling,'" Jackson said, referring to himself on a play that called for him to kick out and block a free defender to clear a lane for Jahmyr Gibbs to get in the end zone. "We love that one. But it's just good to get back out there, get moving with the guys. Being back with the boys, I was tired of being at home watching this. I love being at home with my daughter, don’t get me wrong, but it’s better on the field."



Collectively, the Lions allowed two quarterback hits and no sacks on 33 dropbacks Sunday against one of the best pass rush tandems in the NFL. In the run game, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined to average 7.4 yards per carry.


As for Johnson, Campbell said he called "a hell of a game."

"I just felt like he was two steps ahead," Campbell said. "I think you’d be hard pressed to call a better game than he did offensively. I was really proud of him. It was great."


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

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[Tom]

Herman Moore praising the WRs for their blocking means something. He was a hell of a downfield blocker.