Lions News

[CGVT]

OK. WTF, Why not?

chemiclord when something happens that supports his take.

download (1).jpg

[chemiclord]

I'd post a grumpy old man pic for CGVT, but that would describe half this forum at any given point.

[CGVT]

I'd post a grumpy old man pic for CGVT, but that would describe half this forum at any given point.

Ha! I could have posted that picture for any of us.

[whatever_gong82]

Lions' C.J. Gardner-Johnson still has hazy timeline for return from injury



Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News



Allen Park — Injured Detroit Lions safety C.J. Garner-Johnson dropped a nugget on Instagram Live Sunday that has some fans feeling optimistic about his ability to return this season.

Gardner-Johnson, who suffered a torn pec in the team’s Week 2 loss to Seattle, was celebrating Aidan Hutchinson’s sack of Justin Fields to seal a win over the Chicago Bears when he gave viewers the hope of seeing him in Honolulu Blue this year.

“I’ll be back,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Y’all got two weeks to get y’all sh– together. Three weeks to get y’all sh– together.”


But asked about whether it’s possible Gardner-Johnson does, indeed, return to practice in the coming weeks, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said, “I want to talk to the doctor he’s talking to.”

After surgery, a torn pectoral muscle typically has a recovery time of four to six months. Under that guideline, even the most optimistic of timelines for Gardner-Johnson would put him at a mid-January return.



Last week, Gardner-Johnson was streaming video of him working out on Instagram Live, again getting fans intrigued as to whether he could return earlier than initially thought. But Campbell said, “I don’t foresee that.”

“Listen, Ducey is — he’s an upbeat, positive, hardworking, will himself to (play kind of guy) — that’s what we love about him,” Campbell said. “Never say never. I’m not gonna do that. He may have mutant genes, like Wolverine. There’s no telling. … But I just think it’ll be hard.”



The Lions have played nearly the entire season without two-thirds of the free-agent additions brought in to help shore up a shaky secondary. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who was recovering from a torn ACL until Week 5, tore his other ACL just two plays into his season debut.

Campbell was asked to clarify whether he has a different outlook on the possibility of Gardner-Johnson returning during a playoff run. And it didn’t sound like he’s getting his hopes up about that, either.



“Yeah, I don’t know. We’ll just have to see. I think that timeline is a matter of — it would be a very, very fast recovery,” Campbell said.

Gardner-Johnson, 25, signed a one-year deal with the Lions this offseason. He was tied for the league lead in interceptions last season (six) while helping the Philadelphia Eagles reach the Super Bowl. This offseason, he was shaping up to be one of the team’s most forward leaders. His trash talk was constantly a storyline during training camp and he constantly spoke about helping Detroit install the final piece of its winning culture.



Campbell said that if nothing else, he’s still got the right attitude.

“I love where his head’s at. You got to think that way and you got to be positive because I think that leads to quicker healing (when) you allow yourself to think that way,” Campbell said.



nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

[whatever_gong82]

Lions' Dan Campbell says defense's ability to put out fires saved team against Bears



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Allen Park — It's been anything but a banner stretch post-bye for the Detroit Lions defense, but coach Dan Campbell made sure to praise the unit's role in keeping things close in tough circumstances, facilitating Sunday's comeback victory over the Chicago Bears.

For whatever struggles the defense had against the Bears, Campbell said the group's response to the Lions turning the ball over four times played a key role in the win.


"We talked about it last night, but when you dig yourself in a hole with turnovers, one of the reasons we were able to win that too was our defense put out the fires," Campbell said. "That was four turnovers, and two of those in (our) territory. They did score (a touchdown) on one of them, but we did hold one to a field goal, got a takeaway on other one and we forced a punt on the very first one of the game."

Through Chicago's first eight possessions, into the early stages of the fourth quarter, the opposition's average starting field position was their 35-yard line. They managed to turn that advantage into 23 points, but Campbell's point is it could have easily been worse, which would have made Detroit's late-game deficit insurmountable.



"If that doesn't happen, any one of those (stops) don't happen, we don't get back in that," Campbell said. "I thought our defense did some really good things and that was the biggest part of that."

Within that overall positive, the Lions limited the Bears to one touchdown on two trips to the red zone and held them to five conversions on 13 third-down tries, although Chicago also managed to twice convert on fourth down.



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Only one Lions player appears on Monday's injury report, compared to 16 Packers



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Allen Park — The Detroit Lions are technically healthier coming out of Sunday's game against Chicago than they were heading into the contest, based on Monday's projected practice report.

Because the Lions didn't actually hold a practice to start the week of preparation for their Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers, the team's practice report Monday afternoon was an estimation of participation. But within that projection, only guard Jonah Jackson would have been sidelined. Every other player on the active roster would be been a full participant.



That includes defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs, who had been ruled out for the game against Chicago after missing the full week of practice with an illness. He was replaced in the lineup by practice squader Quinton Bohanna, a nine-game starter for the Dallas Cowboys last season. Playing 26 snaps, he logged a pair of tackles, including one for a loss.

As for Jackson, he's now on track to miss consecutive games with a wrist injury. Prior to returning to the lineup for Detroit's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 12, he had missed three straight contests with a high ankle sprain.



Rookie, fifth-round draft pick Colby Sorsdal stepped in for Jackson against the Bears. He had some struggles in the appearance, his second professional start, allowing four quarterback pressures and drawing a holding call.

The Packers' estimated injury report was considerably longer.



Linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (neck), tight end Josiah Deguara (hip), running back Aaron Jones (knee), tight end Luke Musgrave (abdomen), wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion/knee) and running back Emanuel Wilson (shoulder) were projected to be non-participants on Monday.

Additionally, cornerback Jaire Alexander, cornerback Corey Ballentine, defensive lineman Kenny Clark, running back AJ Dillion, safety Rudy Ford, linebacker Rashan Gary, offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins, cornerback and return man Keisean Nixon, safety Darnell Savage and wide receiver Christian Watson were projected to be limited.



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Three-and-out: Goff's evolution, Lions' key offseason shakeup, more primetime coming?



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Allen Park — Here are three observations after having a night to ponder the Detroit Lions' 31-26 victory over the Chicago Bears.


A key evolution


Throughout this 8-2 start to the 2023 campaign, we can't help but continue to apply weekly litmus tests to determine the legitimacy of Detroit's success. It's not our fault this franchise has conditioned us to expect the other shoe to drop.

And while there's plenty of reason for elevated skepticism following a sluggish performance requiring a heavy dose of theatrics to steal a win from the last-place team in the division, there's also an argument to be made that an ability to emerge victorious given the circumstances is another feather in this team's cap.



Hear me out.

Historically, the Lions have fallen victim to their own gaffes more times than we can count. They've never hesitated to take a prime opportunity, look their fan base in the eye, and throw it away. Sunday seemed like an all-too-familiar rerun, with four turnovers against the lowly Bears.

Jared Goff rallies Detroit past Chicago_11-20-2023.jpg

But what Sunday's comeback showed us is this Lions squad is deep, capable and talented enough to be able to overcome one of its worst days. Despite those four turnovers, three more than the Bears had until the closing seconds of the contest, it wasn't enough to put them away. And while credit for that is shared across the coaching staff and roster, it's important that we highlight the continued evolution of quarterback Jared Goff.

When the Lions swapped Matthew Stafford for Goff at the start of this rebuild, one of the biggest downgrades it felt the team was making was moving away from Stafford's poise and execution in end-of-half and late-game situations. It's not that Goff was incapable of leading fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives, but that was one of Stafford's defining traits.



Partially because he existed in an environment where he had an inordinate number of opportunities to do it, Detroit's former quarterback firmly established a reputation for being one of the NFL's best at pulling a rabbit out of the hat in the closing minutes of a tight game. Goff, meanwhile, came to the Lions having led just seven game-winning drives, none of which were truly of the down-to-the-wire variety, or certainly nothing that closely resembled Sunday's double-digit rally with under five minutes remaining.

The Lions have continually praised Goff's steadiness, regardless of circumstance, but exhibiting a calm demeanor and executing inside a cauldron of intense pressure are two different things. To be clear, we've gotten a taste of his ability to lead a two-minute drive for a win a few times in Detroit, including his first in a Lions uniform against Minnesota in 2021, as well as the thriller over the Jets last year. Heck, this makes back-to-back weeks he's executed in crunch time. But again, the win over Chicago was peak poise for Goff, with two touchdown drives in four minutes.



In asking him about turning the corner as a late-game quarterback during his postgame press conference, and while he couldn't pinpoint a moment, he acknowledged it's clicked in recent years, with banked personal experience, and studying how other NFL teams execute late in games. That combination has provided him an understanding of the calculus when time is running out, knowing exactly what he and the team need to accomplish to complete the mission. Being able to sort through the scenarios in his mind contributes to his calm demeanor in the huddle.

This ability to execute in these moments couldn't have been something the Lions fully anticipated when they acquired him, but it's yet another reward for the faith they've put into Goff as the leader of this franchise.


Dynamic duo


After Jamaal Williams' record-breaking season a year ago, and the regular flashes D'Andre Swift showed when healthy, there was a portion of the fan base who wondered aloud if the Lions invested excessive resources into revamping its backfield this offseason. And when Swift popped off for more than 300 rushing yards during a two-game stretch early in the season, while first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs got off to a less-than-electric start to his career, there was undoubtedly some additional hand-wringing from those skeptics.



And not that 10 games provide a large enough sample size for either side of the argument to be declaring victory, but we are seeing the realization of general manager Brad Holmes' vision, as David Montgomery and Gibbs settle into their new surroundings and their coaches better craft weekly plans to keep both players involved, including the utilization of a wildcat snap in the red zone against the Bears.

Following Montgomery's return to the lineup after a brief absence due to a rib injury, the tandem has combined for 422 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in victories over the Chargers and Bears, two of the league's better run defenses coming into the respective matchups. And during Sunday's two-minute drive at the end of the first half and game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, both played extensive roles in those scoring series.



Meanwhile, Swift hasn't topped 100 yards from scrimmage in a month heading into the Eagles' Monday night matchup with the Chiefs, while Williams has just 131 rushing yards in six appearances on the season.

No one is pretending Holmes is batting 1.000. There's plenty to nitpick with his record in both free agency and the draft, like any other general manager, but early results suggest his decision to pour resources into bolstering a strength is one of his better moves, which has led to Detroit's already-potent offense taking the step forward it has in 2023.



More primetime exposure

Dan Campbell's mentor did him a solid Sunday night. Sean Payton helped lead the surging Denver Broncos to a late-game victory over the red-hot Minnesota Vikings, snapping the defending NFC North champions' five-game winning streak and providing some much-needed breathing room for the Lions atop the division standings. The Vikings' loss gives the Lions a 2½-game lead in the North, heading into Thursday's Thanksgiving tilt with the Packers.



Denver's victory also clears the path for the Lions to get another primetime game late in the season.

As it was set up through the schedule, five games were left without time slots for Week 15, including the Lions' home game against the Broncos. With three straight wins over the Chiefs, Bills and Vikings, the Broncos have shaken off a slow start to crawl within a game of the final playoff spot in the AFC. And they can continue to make up ground, with winnable games against two teams ahead of them in the playoff race, the Browns and Texans, in the next two weeks.



If the Broncos stay reasonably hot, the matchup against the Lions becomes the league's most compelling for the Saturday prime-time slot in Week 15, especially with the Campbell/Payton mentor hook. The other contenders are the Steelers and Colts, who are both in the mix at the back end of the AFC playoff picture, and the Vikings and Bengals, which admittedly lost appeal with the recent, season-ending injury to Bengals QB Joe Burrow.

Fortunately for the Lions, that game is at home. The league isn't required to announce the matchups for its three Saturday time slots (1 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 8:15 p.m.) that week until six days before that date.



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[edindetroit]

Ha! Probably right.

We should start a thread with pictures/memes/videos of how we see other forum members.

Maybe not. Ha!

Here's me

59fda-monteclarkpraying_display_image.jpg

[CGVT]

Here's me

59fda-monteclarkpraying_display_image.jpg

Perfect. Ha!

[whatever_gong82]

'Nobody got frazzled': Lions rally, stun Bears in final minutes, improve to 8-2



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Detroit — For most of Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions couldn't get out of their own way. They turned the ball over four times and struggled to keep Bears quarterback Justin Fields contained to the pocket, allowing him to run for more than 100 yards once again.



But the Lions' two-minute offense executed perfectly at the end of each half and proved to be the difference. Rallying from 12 points down late in the fourth quarter, David Montgomery's 1-yard touchdown run with 29 seconds remaining allowed the Lions to snatch a 31-26 victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field.

"I was proud of the guys, the coaches," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "Nobody got frazzled. ... (When the) pressure went up, our heart rate leveled out like we talk about. So, it’s a great job by a number of guys — really the whole team had a part in that."



Montgomery came up huge against his former team on the final drive, gaining 45 yards on a combination of receptions and runs.

"He’s a stud," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. "I know this game meant a little extra to him, and he showed up. He really did. Him getting that touchdown at the end is kind of poetic, but he played well all day."


With the win, the Lions moved to 8-2 on the season — for the first time since 1962 — and the Bears fell to 3-7.

But to reach that moment of elation, the Lions had to overcome a series of mistakes. Amazingly, despite a sluggish start to the contest, they had found a way to take the lead just before the half.

David Montgomery and Jack Sunburn.jpg

Allowing their defensive struggles from last week's matchup with the Chargers to leak into Sunday, the Lions let the Bears take the opening possession 75 yards for a touchdown. Fields, returning from a four-game absence due to a thumb injury, was sharp out the gate, completing three of his first four passes for 38 yards and running for another 28, setting up a 1-yard touchdown plunge for running back D'Onta Foreman.

Detroit quickly moved to midfield in response, before tight end Sam LaPorta collided with Chicago defensive back Jaquan Brisker on a pass play, disrupting the route and leading to an easy interception for rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.



Looking to capitalize on the takeaway, the Bears drove to the outer edge of field-goal range, but they were driven back when cornerback Brian Branch blew up a run in the backfield for a loss of 6 yards. Defensive lineman John Cominsky ended the threat, knocking down Fields' third-down pass at the line of scrimmage, forcing a punt.

That snapped the Lions' ugly streak of allowing a touchdown on six straight possessions, going back to last week's win over the Chargers.



The Lions similarly threatened to score with their ensuing possession, moving into Bears territory, thanks to a long defensive pass-interference penalty on a deep ball intended for Josh Reynolds, but the drive quickly unraveled with a holding infraction on the next snap, followed by Goff throwing his second interception of the contest.



Targeting Donovan Peoples-Jones for the first time since the receiver was acquired in a trade from the Cleveland Browns, Goff didn't see linebacker T.J. Edwards dropping into the passing lane and put the ball directly into the chest of the defender.

"That’s on me, and I can’t do that to our team and put us in that spot," Goff said. "I need to be better in that situation."


But Chicago turned the ball over right back to the Lions, when receiver Tyler Scott was stripped by cornerback Cam Sutton two snaps later. The loose ball bounced off a few hands before linebacker Alex Anzalone fell on it, giving possession back to Detroit's offense.

The Lions' offense didn't make it easy on themselves after the turnover in Bears territory, requiring a pair of third-down conversions on the ground, but they managed to tie the game with a 3-yard run by Gibbs on a pitch going left. That extended the rookie's scoring streak to four games.



On a series marred by missed tackles, Chicago managed to regain the lead late in the second quarter with a 31-yard Cairo Santos field goal, but the Bears left enough time on the clock for the Lions to respond.

Moving beyond his struggles earlier in the half, Goff settled down to go 7-of-9 for 73 yards on the drive, including a trio of throws to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The star receiver capped the drive by hauling in a 7-yard dart with 16 seconds remaining to give the Lions their first lead of the afternoon, 14-10.



The Lions proved unable to sustain that end-of-half momentum into the third quarter, stalling just across midfield after Goff was sacked for the first time in the contest. And taking advantage of a drive-extending, defensive-holding call against Branch, Chicago was able to slice Detroit's lead to a single point with a 53-yard field goal by Santos.

The Bears regained the lead less than two minutes later, starting by regaining possession after Craig Reynolds fumbled away the ensuing kickoff.



Facing second-and-21, Fields stepped up in the pocket to evade pressure off the edge and delivered an on-target deep strike to D.J. Moore for a 39-yard touchdown. The receiver bested the man coverage of Jerry Jacobs for the score, while the help from deep safety Kerby Joseph came far too late. Santos' extra point made it a 20-14 lead for Chicago.

"We knew going into it, the safety kind of gets nosey on high crosses, low crosses and he sometimes plays it low," Fields said. "...D.J. ran a great route, line protected, just felt like I had all day back there on that one. But yeah, just delivered the ball to D.J. Of course, he did a good job of getting his feet down and it was a great play all around."



Detroit's turnover woes only worsened after falling behind. Attempting to counter Chicago's go-ahead score, Goff had a pass tipped at the line by defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, with linebacker Tremaine Edmunds able to corral the deflection, giving the Bears possession at the Lions' 43-yard line.

The pick marked the first time in Goff's three years with the Lions that he's been intercepted three times in one game, while the Bears managed to translate the latest into another Santos field goal, this one from 40 yards, to extend their advantage to two scores, 23-14, with 14:12 remaining in the game.



The Lions didn't turn it over with their next possession, but they were nearly as ineffective, going three-and-out and punting the ball back to the Bears, who would go on to milk nearly nine minutes off the clock.

Largely keeping the ball on the ground, including 47 yards for Fields on a combination of designed carries and scrambles, the Bears worked into field-goal range for another Santos conversion. More importantly, they ran the time remaining down to 4:15.



Still, down to its last breath, Detroit found late life with a quick-strike, touchdown drive. Goff completed five straight throws, finding a wide-open Jameson Williams for a 32-yard score to cap a possession that took just 76 seconds, start to finish.

"I had a good feeling that once we got into our two-minute, no-huddle offense that we could get them on their heels a bit and score pretty quickly," Goff said.



Holding all three timeouts, Detroit's defense did its part, with two quick run stops before overthrew Scott on a deep shot on third down, leading to a punt. That gave the ball back to the offense with 2:33 remaining.

Montgomery opened the possession with a 13-yard catch-and-run, bringing the home crowd to its feet as he dragged defenders for a couple of extra yards before being brought down. And he carried the offense across midfield two snaps later with a 12-yard gain up the gut.



Another 9-yard catch and a 10-yard run by Montgomery pushed the Lions into the red zone as the clock ticked under a minute. And on first-and-goal from the 1, Montgomery was provided the opportunity to finish what he started, bowling into the end zone for the go-ahead score. A successful two-point conversion to LaPorta made it so a field goal by the Bears would only tie the game.

But it never came to that. On the Bears' first snap, Aidan Hutchinson was able to knock the ball free from Fields' grasp and it rolled out the back of the end zone for a safety to salt away the victory.



“Just beat the tackle, Fields was sitting there, didn’t see me and it all happened really fast," Hutchinson said.

The Lions will have a quick turnaround after their second straight heart-stopping victory, welcoming the Green Packers to town on Thanksgiving for the back half of the teams' annual home-and-home series.



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Payback: Lions defense rebounds to seal win over Bears



Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News



Detroit — On Sunday at Ford Field, the Detroit Lions were just seven days removed from a winning performance in Los Angeles where quarterback Jared Goff was nearly perfect.

This week, he was pretty imperfect. Goff was intercepted three times for the first time in his Lions career and was even booed while leaving the field after one of the turnovers. But when all was said and done, the Lions’ defense held their quarterback upright long enough for Goff and Co. to find the 31-26 victory in Detroit.



“It’s amazing, man. It’s amazing. Again, this is our work. We really love each other. We really stand together and it’s showing for us,” said Lions cornerback Cam Sutton, who forced an early fumble to set the Lions up for their first touchdown of the game.

Alim McNeill sacks Justin Fields_11-19-2023.jpg

Sunday’s divisional game against the Bears marked somewhat of a bounce-back performance for Detroit’s defense, which gave up 38 points and allowed touchdowns on five straight drives to close the win over Los Angeles. It didn’t start so hot: Bears quarterback Justin Fields marched Chicago 75 yards down the field in 10 plays to take the game’s first lead and continued to find ways to stay on the field as the game went on.



Asked how Fields gave the Lions so many problems, defensive tackle Alim McNeill issued a similar refrain to what’s been said after a handful of games against mobile quarterbacks this season. “Run, use his feet, his speed, his athleticism,” McNeill said.

But after the Lions had brought the game within a single score on Jameson Williams’ touchdown reception with 2:59 left, the defense had its chance to leave a mark — and boy, did they. Bears rusher Khalil Herbert gained one yard over two carries and Detroit’s defense ensured the third-down throw downfield wasn’t completed.



“I think that we just embody our head coach,” Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone said. “I think we feed off him and we feed off what he preaches to us, and we’re all really bought-in to how we operate and how we go about doing things, and at the end of the day, we know we’re always in the fight.”

And then, with the Bears looking to make a furious comeback of their own, their hopes didn’t even last a full play. Aidan Hutchinson — who hadn’t had a sack since Week 5 against Carolina — beat first-round rookie offensive tackle, Darnell Wright, on the outside and strip-sacked Justin Fields. Hutchinson and Wright chased the ball all the way to the end zone before Wright kicked it out of bounds for a safety, sealing the game.



McNeill said it feels good to answer the bell for his quarterback, after Goff has done the same at so many points this season.

“That’s just what we do. That’s complementary football … it might not be going the best on the other side, (but) the other’s side got to pick it up,” McNeill said.



“But Jared still — he closed that game for us. He’s the reason we won that game. He went down and drove down that field. Whatever happened happened over there, but we were able to pick each other up as a team.”

With a desperate Green Bay Packers team coming in on Thanksgiving, the Lions will soon have the chance to do it all over again.



nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

[whatever_gong82]

Jameson Williams kickstarts Lions in comeback win over Bears: 'We trust him a lot'



Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News



Detroit — Jameson Williams has played a lot of football in his life, but he's never played a game like the one he did Sunday.

And that's not hyperbole.



Following the Detroit Lions' wild 31-26 comeback win over the Chicago Bears, Williams told reporters that it was the first time in his life that he played in a game "where we had to actually get on the ball and run the two-minute drill" to win the contest.

But taking it back just a second — the only reason the Lions were in that situation in the first place is because Williams' touchdown reception with 2:59 to go allowed them to.


When Detroit simply needed somebody, anybody to make a play, it wasn't Amon-Ra St. Brown, the sure-handed rookie Sam LaPorta, or even Josh Reynolds. It was the former No. 12 pick, who, frankly, really needed a moment like that.



He ran a pylon route to the end zone and was wide open when the ball from quarterback Jared Goff hit him in the hands for a Lions touchdown, his second of the season. Detroit's defense got a stop and the Lions marched right back down the field for the winning score.

Jameson Williams gestures_11-19-2023.jpg

"I feel good, honestly," Williams said after the game. "I just feel like the more I get in the game, the more I practice, and the more I be out there with my teammates, the more fun we can have and the farther we're gonna go. ... It's just building confidence for me, also the team."

The execution by Williams will certainly be a confidence-booster going forward, but the fact Goff was even looking his way with the game on the line says something, too. Williams had been sparsely involved since returning from a four-game suspension earlier this season, and — save his touchdown reception in a Week 6 win at Tampa Bay — hadn't been targeted much in big-time moments.



Entering Sunday, Williams had nine catches and 130 yards total in 11 career games.

"I think it's a little bit like what we talked about last week. I mean, he's part of the herd (now), you know? He's part of the herd," Campbell said. "He's been accepted, and the way he works and the way he goes and blocks — and he's starting to run some pretty good routes and he's making some catches and there's a lot of guys that are beginning to trust him, and that's been earned."



Goff echoed Campbell's sentiment by saying the throw was indicative of the trust they've built with each other in recent weeks.

"The last couple of weeks for him have been so good. He's practiced so well. We do trust him now. We trust him a lot, and I do trust him (enough) to make that throw in that situation. He's doing a hell of a job blocking, he's doing all of his assignments correctly and he's doing a really, really good job and it's starting to come on really nicely for us."


nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

[whatever_gong82]

Tush-down: Lions stuff QB sneak in fourth quarter for key defensive play in win



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Detroit — In a game where seemingly every snap mattered in the fourth quarter, one defensive play stood above most — if not all others — in the Detroit Lions' come-from-behind, 31-26 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon.



Already down six, the Lions faced the prospect of needing to stop a third-and-1 in their own territory to open the final frame. Mirroring the "tush-push" formation popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bears came to the line with a heavy personnel grouping, quarterback Justin Fields under center and big-framed wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown and running back Roshon Johnson directly behind him, prepared to push Fields forward at the snap.

But unlike seemingly every Philadelphia opponent, Detroit's defense was up to the task, with its interior defensive linemen firing low and linebackers Derrick Barnes and Alex Anzalone, along with strong safety Tracy Walker crashing over the top.

Detroit Lions defense helps beat Chicago_11-19-2023.jpg

The result was no gain and ultimately a 40-yard field goal, instead of Chicago opting to test their ability to penetrate Detroit's brick wall a second time.

"Man, that was a huge stop," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "That was as big as they come. Really, maybe in a normal sequence of a game, they may be going for it and doing it again, but it's the opportunity to go up two scores with the field goal. To be able to get that, for us, to get that stop was huge.



"Look, there's no secret to it; it's about leverage and get-off," Campbell said. "Normally, the offense has the upper hand on those things. ... But we stopped it today, so it was big."

And while the field goal following the failed tush-push did extend the Bears' lead to two scores, it also prevented them from putting the game out of reach when they were again stopped on third down later in the quarter. Once again, settling for a field goal that possession left Detroit's deficit less than a pair of touchdowns, paving the way for a successful comeback.



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions epic rally past Chicago Bears, 31-26, gives them best start since 1962


Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press



Jared Goff couldn’t get out of his own way for three quarters Sunday.

But with the Detroit Lions on the verge of losing control of the NFC North, Goff delivered when his team needed him most.



Goff led two scoring drives in the final five minutes and David Montgomery scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 29 seconds to play against his old team, as the Lions rallied from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to knock off the Chicago Bears, 31-26, at Ford Field.



The Lions improved to 8-2 with the win, the first time they’ve reached the mark since 1962 and the fifth time in franchise history. They lead the NFC North by two games over the Minnesota Vikings, who play at the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.

Goff threw three interceptions Sunday for the first time since Sept. 29, 2019, when he was with the Los Angeles Rams, and the Lions lost four turnovers as a team.


Goff threw picks on the Lions’ first two offensive possessions and had a third on a tipped pass early in the fourth quarter. He nearly had two more passes intercepted, Craig Reynolds fumbled a kickoff the Bears turned into a field goal, and Brian Branch was called for two drive-extending penalties on third downs away from the play.

Trailing 26-14 with 4:15 to play, Goff led a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive he capped with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams to cut the Lions’ deficit to five points.


The Bears went three-and-out on their next series, with the Lions stuffing two runs up the middle and Justin Fields just missing a downfield shot to receiver Tyler Scott, who beat Cam Sutton deep on the play but appeared to pull up slightly before the ball sailed past his fingertips.

After a Bears punt, the Lions started their winning drive at their own 27-yard line with 2:33 on the clock. Montgomery, who played his first four seasons for the Bears after being a third-round pick, touched the ball five times on the 11-play, 73-yard drive. He had catches of 13 and 9 yards and runs of 12 and 10 yards, before scoring on a 1-yard plunge.


The Lions made the ensuing two-point conversion with Goff hitting Sam LaPorta, then Aidan Hutchinson sacked Fields and forced a fumble on the first play of the Bears’ final drive. As the ball bounded loose on the turf, a Bears lineman kicked it out of the back of the end zone for a safety.


Goff finished 23-for-35 passing for 236 yards with two touchdowns. He was 4 of 9 passing for 34 yards late in the first half, before leading the Lions’ on a two-minute touchdown drive just before halftime.

Montgomery finished with 12 carries for 76 yards and Amon-Ra St. Brown had eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown for the Lions.


Fields ran for 104 yards on 18 carries and completed 16 of 23 passes for 169 yards for the Bears (3-8) in his return from a dislocated thumb.


The Lions face a quick turnaround with their annual Thanksgiving Day game Thursday against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay (4-6) clipped the Los Angeles Chargers, 23-20, on Sunday at Lambeau Field.


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

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Detroit Lions grades: Running backs steal the day in comeback vs. Chicago Bears



Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press



Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett grades the Detroit Lions in their 31-26 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Ford Field.

Quarterback

Jared Goff played probably his worst game of the season Sunday, but he shined in two-minute drives at the end of each half to help the Lions erase a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit for the comeback victory. Goff threw interceptions on the Lions’ first two possessions. The first wasn’t his fault; Sam LaPorta collided with Bears defensive back Jaquan Brisker on a quick slant. But the second was, when he threw he threw soft over the middle and did not see linebacker T.J. Edwards dropping in coverage. Goff’s third interception came on a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage and the Bears dropped two more picks, including a would-be pick-six before the Lions' first touchdown. But Goff was brilliant late in the first half, completing 7 of 9 passes for 73 yards on a drive that ended with a touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and he led two scoring drives in the game’s final five minutes. He finished 23 of 35 for 236 yards with two touchdowns. Grade: C


Running backs

The Lions averaged 5.2 yards per carry and finished with 115 yards rushing, but their ground game was non-existent much of the day due to the game script. David Montgomery had 45 yards from scrimmage on the game-winning touchdown drive and scored on a 1-yard run. Jahmyr Gibbs scored a touchdown for the fourth straight game when he took a misdirection toss and beat Dylan Cole to the edge. Gibbs broke a tackle on a catch that went for a third-and-2 conversion late in the third quarter and spun out of another tackle for a 13-yard gain on the game-winning drive. He finished with 95 yards from scrimmage, and he and Montgomery caught all eight of the passes thrown their way. Grade: A-minus


Receivers/tight ends

St. Brown dominated the target share early, catching five of Goff’s seven completions before the Lions’ two-minute drive to end the first half. He plucked two passes out of the air with his strong hands and his touchdown came on a well-placed pass that was by his ankles with a defender on his back. Jameson Williams was the only other receiver with more than one catch. He held onto a pass over the middle despite a big hit from Eddie Jackson on the Lions’ second quarter TD drive, then scored on a 32-yard catch when he ran away from Jackson on a corner route. LaPorta had a quiet day receiving, but he was wide open on his two-point conversion catch and made a great block on Gibbs’ touchdown run. The Lions had a couple deep shots dialed up in the first half when receivers didn’t get open, and Donovan Peoples-Jones, in his first game as a Lion, and fullback Malcolm Rodriguez seemed to be in too close proximity to one another on one of Goff’s INTs. Grade: B


Offensive line

The Lions allowed two sacks Sunday, their first two allowed in nearly a month, but neither was on the offensive line. Jack Sanborn had a sack on a linebacker blitz and Montez Sweat got his when he stayed home on a naked bootleg by Goff. Graham Glasgow, Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow were out front with big blocks on Gibbs’ 14-yard second-quarter run, Ragnow, Glasgow and Colby Sorsdal had the key blocks to help St. Brown convert a third down shovel pass, and Penei Sewell was out front clearing the way on Gibbs’ 8-yard run in the third quarter. Sewell did allow a pressure by Gervon Dexter on a third-and-13 incompletion that should have been an interception, and Sorsdal had a holding penalty that stalled one second-half drive. Grade: B-plus


Defensive line

The Lions had a hard time containing Justin Fields on Chicago’s 10-play, 75-yard opening drive, and they didn’t have their best day against the run overall (183 yards allowed, on 46 carries). But like Goff, the defensive line came through with a couple key plays that salvaged its grade. Aidan Hutchinson beat Darnell Wright for a sack-fumble that resulted in a safety and ended the game, and Benito Jones and Quinton Bohanna stonewalled the Bears' offensive line to stop a third-and-1 sneak that kept the Lions’ comeback hopes alive in the fourth quarter. John Cominsky tipped a third-down pass at the line of scrimmage to force a punt on Chicago’s second drive of the game, and Bohanna (two tackles) had a tackle-for-loss when he came through the backside of a run play unblocked. Hutchinson also drew a holding penalty on Darnell Wright, but Charles Harris let Fields slip out of his grasp for a sack and Julian Owkara lost contain on Fields’ 28-yard run. Grade: C


Linebackers

It wasn’t just the defensive line that had bouts of undisciplined play early. Jack Campbell bit on an open-field juke when Fields scrambled for 6 yards on the third play from scrimmage, then he and Alex Anzalone got caught in no-man’s land when Fields escaped the pocket for a pass completion on the fourth play of the drive. Anzalone teamed with Jones and Bohanna for the stop on Fields’ sneak and he finished with a whopping 15 tackles and one fumble recovery. Campbell added nine tackles and Barnes had eight, including one for loss, and was solid as an edge-setter in the strong-side linebacker role. Campbell’s biggest play was an open-field tackle on Fields in the fourth quarter that left the Bears just short of a first down. Grade: B



Defensive backs

Brian Branch had two costly third-down penalties that extended drives, but he had three tackles-for-loss among his six stops, broke up a pass on the sideline and had a quarterback hit. Branch slipped a block from Cole Kmet for one TFL and fought through three blocks to stop Fields on a third-and-3 run, but he did get spun to the ground on a first-quarter blitz, giving Fields an easy escape lane to roll out and complete a pass. Cam Sutton punched loose a Tyler Scott fumble, Will Harris was flagged for pass interference in the end zone and D.J. Moore beat Jerry Jacobs deep in one-on-one coverage for a third-quarter touchdown. The Lions avoided disaster on Chicago’s late three-and-out series, when Scott beat Sutton deep but appeared to slow up slightly on a pass that sailed just past his fingertips. Grade: C-plus

Special teams

It was another relatively quiet day for special teams, as Craig Reynolds fumbled the game’s only kick return on a huge hit by Tyrique Stevenson, and neither team returned a punt. St. Brown did make a clutch fair catch in traffic after the Bears’ sky punted following their safety, and Jack Fox netted 48.5 yards on two punts, both of which landed inside the 20. Grade: D-plus



Coaching

The Lions had an uncharacteristically slow start coming off an emotional win, which is something Dan Campbell seemed to be bracing for the way he talked the Bears up last week. But Matt Eberflus’ conservative play in the fourth quarter – kicking a field goal on fourth-and-1, in contrast to what the Lions did last week to ice their game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and two runs-up-the-middle-to-nowhere on the Bears’ final three-and-out possession – should give Lions fans more appreciation for Campbell’s coaching acumen. Ben Johnson showed a creative side with the shovel pass to St. Brown, but I get why fans booed that first down run with the Lions down 12 in the fourth quarter. Defensively, as frustrating as it is to see Fields rush for 100 yards for the third straight game against the Lions, Aaron Glenn dialed up some timely blitzes early and had his unit playing its best ball late. Grade: C-plus

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