Gameday at Chicago: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

[whatever_gong82]

[whatever_gong82]

https://www.youtube.com/live/s1W2zZS8ENE?si=V6-y93Y98B5j3PoC

[whatever_gong82]

[whatever_gong82]

[DanO]

Yes it was.

[Awful Llama]

Sorry I had to miss the game, but I was bearing witness to what was the umpteenth battle of ohio. This one worried me, so I'm glad they got the dub.

Perhaps this has been covered, but what is the scenario for clinching the #1 seed? I'm thinking with a win next week at SF they will have 14 wins and ten conference wins and that does it. Is that correct?

[whatever_gong82]

Sorry I had to miss the game, but I was bearing witness to what was the umpteenth battle of ohio. This one worried me, so I'm glad they got the dub.

Perhaps this has been covered, but what is the scenario for clinching the #1 seed? I'm thinking with a win next week at SF they will have 14 wins and ten conference wins and that does it. Is that correct?

The Minnesota Vikings have to either lose today vs Seattle or next week against the Green Bay Packers, and if we can get the win at San Francisco, then not only would we win the NFC North, but we'd also clinch the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time in the Super Bowl era.

[froot loops]

Here is Stanford doing something similar

[froot loops]

I can't find the MSU play on YouTube, here is the game account of that trick play.

[Meano.Culpa]

edit: Messed up the Eagles/Vikings tiebreaker. Eagles likely beat Vikes on SOV.

Eagles path to the bye:
Eagles win out AND all of
Lions lose to 49ers
Vikings lose to Packers
Vikings beat Lions

Vikings path to the bye:
Win out OR
Lose to Packers but beat Lions, Lions lose to 49ers, and Eagles lose at least one (Giants, Cowboys)

Lions path to the bye:
Beat Vikings OR
Lions beat 49ers and Vikings lose to Packers

[Awful Llama]

[QUOTE=whatever_gong82;n192475

The Minnesota Vikings have to either lose today vs Seattle or next week against the Green Bay Packers, and if we can get the win at San Francisco, then not only would we win the NFC North, but we'd also clinch the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time in the Super Bowl era. [/QUOTE]

Damn, I keep forgetting about the Vikings. So pulling for GB next week. Would be nice to have the Minny game not mean anything.

[maxreturn]

I wouldn't bet on that.

Dunno. I was of that opinion last week but after watching them today I wouldn't bet against it. Campbell simply won't let these guys stop believing in themselves.

[Dan V]

And if the Lions were to somehow lose the one seed, they would most likely have to play at Tampa bay in round one.

[whatever_gong82]

Posted via my phone.

Rapid Rewind: After getting punched in the face, resilient Lions respond with resounding win over Bears

Justin Rogers
Dec 22



Chicago — If you’ve been paying attention to the Detroit Lions the past two years, you should have expected Sunday's 34-17 victory over the Chicago Bears at Solider Field.

Under coach Dan Campbell, the Lions are resilient. When they stumble, they don’t stay down. And when they bounce back, it’s often with authority.


After getting punched in the face by the Buffalo Bills last week, the Lions loaded up on moldy bread and reminded everyone they’re still a Super Bowl contender.

The offense carried the way, doing more than enough to overcome a handful of hiccups by the depleted defense. The Lions scored on six of their first seven possessions — the lone exception a missed 65-yard field goal try at the end of the first half — jumping out to a 20-point lead in the first half, which allowed them to cruise across the finish line against a hapless Bears team that dropped its ninth straight.


The victory pushed the Lions to 13-2 on the year, setting a new franchise record for wins in a season. It also kept them in pole position for the top seed in the NFC with two games to go.



Game ball

Despite earning an early flag for taunting, wide receiver Jameson Williams delivered a career-high 143 yards on five receptions, including an 82-yard score in the first half and a weaving 25-yard grab that kickstarted a touchdown drive to open the third quarter.

Scoring summary

First quarter

● 9:35 — After Detroit's defense forced a three-and-out to open the contest, the offense drove 55 yards into the red zone before quarterback Jared Goff turfed a third-and-3 dropback with his receiving options blanketed. Instead of going for it on fourth down, the Lions took the easy points, a 30-yard Jake Bates field goal, to open the scoring. LIONS 3, BEARS 0

● 5:34 — Taking over at the Bears’ 36-yard line following a fumble recovery, the Lions quickly worked into the red zone with a 23-yard screen pass to Jahmyr Gibbs. After a 9-yard run by the back set up first-and-goal at the 1, Gibbs needed three more tries, but eventually got it across the goal line. LIONS 10, BEARS 0

● 0:02 — Translating a second takeaway into points, Gibbs opened the series with carries of 12 and 11 yards before the Lions stalled. Goff was hit as he threw on third down, causing an incompletion and ending the threat, but Bates converted from 38 yards to extend Detroit’s opening-quarter advantage. LIONS 13, BEARS 0

Second quarter

● 12:49 — Two plays, 93 yards. After an 11-yard run by Gibbs, Goff hit Williams in stride with a deep ball down the middle for an 82-yard score. That marked a career-long completion for Goff. LIONS 20, BEARS 0

● 6:31 — Brian Branch was beaten on a pair of man-coverage matchups — including one that converted a fourth-and-3 — while running back D’Andre Swift racked up 34 yards from scrimmage. Those set up a 1-yard, play-action touchdown toss from quarterback Caleb Williams to tight end Cole Kmet to cap a 14-yard drive. LIONS 20, BEARS 7

● 0:58 — Gibbs continues to shoulder the load, gaining 26 yards on three touches to open the possession. On third-and-goal from the 8, Goff threw a quick out to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The receiver kept his balance while pinballing off multiple defenders to get across the goal line. LIONS 27, BEARS 7

● 0:39 — A devastating close to the half for the Lions as the Bears get into the end zone with a lightning-quick, three-play drive. In zone coverage, rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold bit on a double-move as veteran receiver Keenan Allen got open deep down the right sideline for the 45-yard touchdown reception. LIONS 27, BEARS 14

Third quarter

● 12:18 — Detroit wasted little time taking back control of the game after the break, driving 79 yards in five plays. Williams had a 25-yard catch-and-run early in the series and Goff found tight end Sam LaPorta open on a corner route for a 21-yard touchdown. Before the throw, the QB intentionally stumbled while taking the snap to create confusion for the defense. LIONS 34, BEARS 14

● 6:03 — Chicago worked into the red zone with their response, but the decision to take a field goal when facing fourth-and-7 from the 12-yard line irked the home crowd. LIONS 34, BEARS 17

Fourth quarter

● None


Turnovers

● On an attempted end-around in the first quarter, Bears receiver Rome Odunze bobbled the exchange. Lions defense end Josh Paschal dove on the loose ball for the recovery.

● With the Bears working across midfield, Odunze coughed it again. Safety Brian Branch was credited with forcing the first-quarter fumble, but a bit hit from behind by Mitchell Agude also appeared to be a contributing factor. Linebacker Ben Niemann was able to recover the ball after it came out.


Key stats

● Goff completed 23-of-32 for 336 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

● Gibbs handled almost all the backfield workload, carrying it 23 times for 109 yards and a touchdown and adding another four receptions for 45 yards.

● Branch paced the Lions for the second straight game with 12 tackles (10 solo).


Notable

● Sixth-round draft pick Christian Mahogany earned his first career start in place of injured left guard Graham Glasgow.

Defensively, the Lions shifted Amik Robertson to the outside in place of injured starter Carlton Davis III, played Branch in the slot in their nickel package, with Ifeatu Melifonwu taking safety snaps in those looks.

● The Lions set a new franchise record for points scored in a season, besting the 474 they produced in 2011.

● Goff set a new career-high with his 33rd touchdown pass of the season early in the third quarter.

● Bates lined up for a 65-yard field goal to end the first half, but the effort came up short and was wide left.

● St. Brown became the second player in franchise history to catch 100 passes in three consecutive seasons.


Injuries

● None for the Lions.

Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones had to be carted off the field with a significant ankle injury.


Inactives

The Lions made the following players inactive for the contest: Glasgow, running back David Montgomery, linebacker Kwon Alexander, defensive lineman Jonah Williams, defensive tackle Brodric Martin, offensive lineman Colby Sorsdal and offensive tackle Giovanni Manu.

Montgomery had previously been ruled out with an injured knee. Glasgow also had a knee injury and was listed as questionable entering Sunday.


Next game

The Lions hit the road again, heading to San Francisco for an NFC Championship rematch with the 49ers on Monday Night Football on Dec. 29.


Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

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L

[whatever_gong82]

Another article posted via cellphone.


Locker room buzz: Trick play design, Melifonwu on return, Mahogany on first start, Gibbs on workload and more

Justin Rogers
Dec 23


Chicago — Here’s what I learned bouncing around the Detroit Lions’ locker room following the team’s 34-17 win over the Bears.


Tripping with purpose

The unquestionable highlight from Sunday’s victory was a 21-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to tight end Sam LaPorta on the opening drive of the third quarter, where Goff appeared to stumble after taking the snap.

But the trip was intentional and all part of the plan, with running back Jahmyr Gibbs diving as if he was trying to recover a loose ball and someone shouting fumble.

The deception worked as LaPorta came wide open and Goff gathered himself and delivered a dime for his 33rd touchdown.


“That was one of (offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s) brain childs,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “It started that way, and then we massaged it and worked it. How do we make this thing better? And then just Goff and Gibby and LaPorta and the O-line making it work. We cooked it all week, and they did a heck of a job. They really did.”

According to Goff and Gibbs, the Lions ran the play approximately four times during practice this week. They called it twice during Sunday's game and waived it off the first time because the Bears gave them a defensive look that could have derailed the design.


The genesis of the call developed from an actual fumble, when Packers quarterback Jordan Love dropped a snap against the Bears before hitting an open receiver last season.

“At first it started on Monday with Ben Johnson asking me if he thought I could actually fumble on purpose and pick it back up,” Goff said. “I said, ‘I don't know about that’. We kind of got off that pretty quickly, and we were just like, let's just pretend we're falling or pretend I'm fumbling, but I'm holding on to the ball. I think that part with Gibbs where he dives really sells the play. I'm only doing half of it. It worked like a charm, and it was nice to score there.”


Long road back

It’s been a long road back for Ifeatu Melifonwu. He missed the first 14 games this season, first with an ankle injury, then a hand injury he suffered after initially returning to practice.


Against the Bears, he got the start and saw extensive playing time in the contest, logging four tackles and a sack.

“That was everything,” Melifonwu said. “I try to thank God for letting me come back healthy and just to be in a position to play significant snaps and be back on the field, it's just a blessing.


“Obviously, you've got to keep the faith and I had a lot of people supporting me, my family and my friends,” Melifonwu said. “It was a lot at first, but with that support, it got better.”

The defender was especially appreciative of the coaches who continued to have faith in him and trusted him to start on Sunday. Melifonwu said he was most proud of the way he fought through some early rust and was able to handle the sizeable workload without too much trouble.


The only trouble he had was corralling shifty Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who escaped Melifonwu’s grasp on a blitz early in the game.

“I missed in the first quarter,” he said. “Yeah, I need that, honestly. I needed that. That should help me. I fixed it and I got one later.”


No beef between budding rivals

Less than a month after Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was fined for tripping Jameson Williams on the sideline, and the Lions receiver was flagged for flipping the ball into Stevenson’s face in retaliation, the two went head-to-head several times on Sunday.

Williams got flagged for taunting in the early going for spinning the ball on the Bears sideline after making a catch against Stevenson. But both said they have no personal animosity toward each other following the contest.


“I didn't say nothing to him and he didn't say nothing to me,” Williams said. “I just spun the ball. I think the flag came from the overreaction from their sideline. Everybody was like, 'Oh, oh, oh.' But people spin the ball when they make big catches. You probably watch the game and see the ball get spun 12-plus times today. We didn't say nothing to each other today. And last game, it's just football. There ain't no static or no beef, none of that. We just go out there and play football and emotions run high when you're in the game. He wants to win, I want to win, so we're going to do everything possible to win.”


Stevenson echoed those comments.

“There’s no bad blood, no nothing,” Stevenson said. “It’s a game of football. Attitudes and testosterone take a part of it, but other than that, nothing. I don’t know him. I don’t want to get to know him. That’s it. We just — he plays for the Lions. I play for the Bears. That’s it.”


Record-breaking misfire

While there were many smiling faces in Detroit’s locker room, kicker Jake Bates had a more somber tone. He was still beating himself up after missing a potential franchise-record 65-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half.

“It was cool to get in range, obviously,” Bates said. “It just sucks that I don't feel like I put my best ball out there. I just didn't hit a great ball. That part kind of sucks. But it's cool to go out there and know the trust is there, but it's up to me to do my job and today I didn't.”

Bates believes he toed the ball, causing it to spin too much, which sent the effort wide right. What’s interesting is he said he swings just as hard at a 65-yarder as he does an extra point, preferring to maintain consistency with his approach.


“I would say I'm always swinging as hard as I can,” Bates said. “I think what I do is normally enough from most distance. My thing is don't change because if I miss a long kick because I changed something, I'd be more mad than if I missed a kick because I just mishit the ball on my normal swing. That's the approach I take with those.”


Bates admitted it was much easier to stomach the miss in a win than a loss. As for having another shot to set the franchise record in the future, he said that will always take a backseat to winning.

“The franchise record that sounds the best right now is the wins,” Bates said. “Whatever comes with that, this season has been awesome. I'm just here to help this team in any way.”


Size of the fight, not size of the man

Needing to replace Carlton Davis III at cornerback after he suffered what looks to be a season-ending jaw injury, the Lions turned to slot cornerback Amik Robertson.


Robertson has played on the outside before, and arguably has been better in that role during his pro career, but he acknowledged he was getting reacclimated on Sunday.

Regardless, he was thrilled with the opportunity and the expanded playing time that comes with it.


“I felt very good playing outside, man,” Robertson said. “I know I'm a football player. Wherever they put me on the field, I try to be the best version of myself, the best player on the field. I think on the outside, I'll get more opportunities. Certain guys, they see a 5-8 guy, a 5-9 guy, they think, 'Shit, sweet.' It ain't sweet, man. I want those opportunities. What people don't know, I like tackling. I like those things. I like tackling more than I like covering. Overall, it felt good out there.

“…I'm a very confident guy, man,” Robertson said. “When I'm out there, I feel like I'm the motherf______ biggest. I feel like I'm the biggest guy out there.”


Robertson was one of the few defensive bright spots last week against Buffalo and acquitted himself well against the Bears, racking up eight tackles and two pass breakups.

“I try be a factor, just try to be myself, do my job within the scheme,” Robertson said. “Still got a lot of little things (to clean up), trying to get my feet warmed up, things I've got to get better at. It's never perfect, but overall, I felt good out there.”


Blessed with a little help

Several players in Detroit’s locker room watched the dramatic ending to the Philadelphia and Washington games on their phones. Before the room opened to the media, a loud cheer could be heard after Washington scored a go-ahead score in the final seconds, providing Detroit some added buffer in their pursuit of the top seed in the NFC.


“I had it on my phone,” Goff said. “Everyone else seemed to have it on their phone, too. There was no TV in there.”

“Shoutout Daniels, man,” Robertson said. “Proud of him. Happy for him.”


Of course, every Lions player realizes they still have business to handle over the next couple of weeks.

“It's definitely good, but we've got to take care of business on our end,” linebacker Ben Niemann said. “If we don't take care of business on our end these next two weeks, it doesn't matter. Obviously nice to get some help, we'll take it, but we need to keep working.”


Fumble thief

Niemann recovered a fumble in the first quarter, but he joked that the person fighting him the hardest at the bottom of the pile was a teammate.


“It was a little bit of a mosh pit in there,” Niemann said. “I jumped in there, and funny, for a second, Jack (Campbell) was trying to take it from me. I was like, 'No, I've got it!' I'm talking to him at the bottom of that pile. It was good and I think we were able to get points that drive. The more takeaways the better.”

The Lions recovered two fumbles in the opening quarter, turning those takeaways into 10 points.


Shouldering the load

With David Montgomery sidelined for the immediate future, and potentially the remainder of the season, Gibbs shouldered a heavy workload with more than 20 touches in the first half and 27 overall.


“I thought he did a good job,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I didn't think we missed a beat with him. Just taking on a little bit more of those. I thought (RB Jermar) Jefferson and (RB) Craig (Reynolds) stepped in and were solid in the roles that we had for them. Both of those guys made critical plays. I thought it was good. That was somewhat his first taste of really taking on more of the load. So that's good. That's step one. It was good. Good exposure.”

And it’s not like Gibbs minded being asked to be the bell cow.


"It's always fun getting the ball, being able to make plays at different points in the game,” Gibbs said.

Asked if he was comfortable shouldering that kind of workload down the stretch, he simply responded with a smile and two thumbs up.


Still, he admitted it was strange to play a game without his partner in crime.

"It does feel like kinda weird,” Gibbs said about not having to rotate throughout the game. “I would come out and I'd be like, 'Who's drive is it?' (They'd say), 'It's yours.'"


Rookie shines in first start

Not only did rookie Christian Mahogany make his first professional start on Sunday, but it was his first game action at left guard since his first season as a starter at Boston College, back in 2020.

“It was definitely interesting,” Mahogany said. “I called some of my coaches from college and they were like, are you ready for left guard? I was like, 'Yeah.' It was just knocking some rust off.”


Mahogany was replacing Graham Glasgow in the lineup while the typical starter continues to work through a knee injury that limited him in practice the past week. The rookie learned he was getting the start late in the week and noted the veteran was a big help with the preparation.

“He was really helpful, anything I asked,” Mahogany said. “He sits behind me in meetings, so he'll be in my ear. When we're watching film together, if I have a question, he'll always answer. Today, he was talking to me, being vocal, just like he always is.”


It can be difficult to get a feel in real-time, but Mahogany said the overall execution of the offense offered a confidence booster that he executed well. Goff agreed.

“I thought he did a great job,” Goff said. “I don't know, but it felt like he did a great job standing back there. I know we had the false start. That wasn't on him, that was more on me. He really — it didn't feel like it was too big for him. It felt like he was comfortable. The guys to his left and right are veterans, and he's settled in nicely with them.”


Revenge on the brain, again

Up next for the Lions is a chance for vengeance. After coughing up a second-half lead to the 49ers in last year’s NFC Championship, a trip to San Francisco offers an opportunity to exorcise a lingering demon.

“I would say that game was probably up there with one of the worst L’s that I've had in my life, in my football career,” Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “Just the way everything played out was like a horror movie, but we're back, new year and we've got a chance to redeem ourselves. I think we're pretty excited.


“…I remember that feeling walking off that field last year, and it didn't feel good,” St. Brown said. “Going in there, we obviously all want to win, but I think there is going to be — I don't know if it's going to be brought up or not — but I feel like each player that was here last year knows the feeling that we had last year, and we want to go in there and hopefully come out with a dub.”

If there’s one disappointment the Lions might have is they won’t be the one to pull the plug on the 49ers’ season. San Francisco was officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday.


Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

X: Justin_Rogers

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