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“The soothing light at the end of your tunnel is just a freight train coming your way.”
The Metallica lyric famously used by Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell as a training camp motivational tool proved prophetic in Week 13. Except the Lions were the freight train crashing through the Jacksonville Jaguars, with a polished Campbell engineering one of the most impressive wins of the last decade in Detroit.
The Lions rode the lightning of an explosive, diverse offense and a punishing, well-prepared defense to a completely dominant 40-14 victory over the visiting Jaguars. For a Lions team too used to being the freight train roadkill, this was something special.
The first half was about as well as we’ve seen a Lions team perform in all facets of a regular-season game in a long time. The offense was sizzling. The defense was aware and aggressive. Special teams were strong and mistake-free. From Alex Anzalone scooping up a fumble created by DeShon Elliott on Jacksonville’s first drive, to ex-Jags WR DJ Chark giving his old team fits with his speed, it was the culmination of a fantastic plan of attack and execution by Dan Campbell’s Lions. No punts, no penalties, no giveaways.
Given the history of Detroit football, it was still tough to trust the impressive play would persist after halftime. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence shaking off what could have been a nasty knee injury when sacked by Lions rookie James Houston on the final play of the first half was something that could inspire a frenetic comeback from a regrouped Jaguars team after the half.
Lawrence did lead the Jaguars on a nice opening drive, culminating in a touchdown that cut the Detroit lead to 30-14. The Lions shrugged off the threat, answering with a long scoring drive capped by a confident Michael Badgley field goal. When Alex Anzalone expertly destroyed the Jaguars’ third-down attempt on the ensuing drive, any worries about this being the “same old Lions” went down as fast as the opening guitar riff of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning.”
Detroit never relented, not in this one. Nor did they punt, or turn the ball over. Jared Goff threw for 340 yards and two TDs, both to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions only registered two sacks of Lawrence but consistently pressured him, thanks in part to excellent coverage from both the secondary and the linebacking corps. Detroit netted 31 first downs and held the Jaguars to just 14.
The Lions are now 5-7, winners of four of their last five games.