Tag: Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings

Campbell on Goff: ‘He’s playing outstanding’ after 5th straight game with no giveaways

Lions head coach Dan Campbell on QB Jared Goff: “He’s playing outstanding” after 5th straight game with no giveaways

Jared Goff is playing some very good football lately. The Detroit quarterback was consistently on the money in the Lions’ 34-23 win over the visiting Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Goff was on point as the catalyst for another impressive offensive output and Detroit’s fifth win in six games.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell had nothing but praise for Goff after the huge NFC North win.

“He’s playing outstanding,” a hoarse Campbell told reporters after the game. “He’s a direct link to why we are playing better. He’s playing really good football. He’s taking care of the football, he’s making big throws, man. He’s been highly accurate.”

Campbell wasn’t done praising his quarterback.

“I thought he had another hell of a day. He’s cool, he’s calm, he’s collected and making those throws,” Campbell said.

Goff made a number of impressive throws in Sunday’s win. No. 16 completed 27 of his 39 pass attempts for 339 yards and three TDs. At least three of the incompletions were good examples of what Campbell was referring to when he mentioned Goff protecting the ball. Two others were clear drops by Lions receivers. Goff was not sacked in the game.

The strong performance comes on a day when NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported the Lions view Goff as more than just a bridge quarterback. This was Goff’s fifth straight game without throwing an interception. He began the season with six INTs in the first six games and also lost three fumbles in those games.

Not anymore. Goff has been in firm command of coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense. He’s avoided takeaways without losing aggressiveness, a key point. The Lions surged to the early lead against the Vikings thanks to deep shots from Goff to DJ Chark and speedy rookie Jameson Williams.

Regardless of the long-term outlook, Goff continues to play very impressively and the Lions keep on winning. That’s a combination Campbell should be very happy about.

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Lions roll past Vikings for fifth win in 6 games

Lions roll past Vikings for fifth win in 6 games, beating Minnesota 34-23 with a complete team win

Not in our house.

The Detroit Lions refused to concede the NFC North title to the visiting Minnesota Vikings in Ford Field, winning 34-23.

Detroit’s impressive victory prevented the Vikings, who entered the game at 10-2, from clinching the division title. The above-capacity crowd of 66,374 was treated to a great game, one which the Lions never trailed.

It was not easy. Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson torched the Detroit defense for a career-high 223 receiving yards, part of a day where Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins threw for over 400. But Jared Goff had a prolific day of his own. Goff passed for 330 yards and three TDs

Detroit’s lead was uneasy but never seriously threatened. Every time the Vikings closed it to a one-score game, the Lions offense answered. Detroit scored on all four of its second-half possessions to secure the win and improve to 6-7.

No play was bigger than a gutsy third-down call late in the game. After LB Josh Woods easily secured an onside kick attempt, the Lions were faced with a third down. Right tackle Penei Sewell lined up in the left slot, motioned across the field and caught a pass from Goff to convert at a critical time. Kicker Michael Badgley nailed the 48-yard field goal attempt to secure the victory.

The Lions did not turn the ball over and posted 464 total yards of offense. The Detroit defense held Minnesota to just 22 rushing yards and forced two takeaways in the win.

The Lions head to the New York Jets next Sunday with a chance to improve their playoff chances.

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Lions inactive players vs. Vikings: Evan Brown and Will Harris both out

Lions inactive players vs. Vikings: Evan Brown and Will Harris both out

Ford Field will be rocking for Sunday’s visit from the Minnesota Vikings. The Detroit Lions are in pretty good shape health-wise, but there are still some players who are inactive for Week 14 due to injuries.

Two players were ruled out on Friday with injuries: Guard Kayode Awosika and linebacker Derrick Barnes. Cornerback Chase Lucas was also ruled out at that time, but he has since been placed on injured reserve with his injured ankle. Evan Brown, the nominal starting right guard, is also sitting out after being listed as doubtful. Cornerback Will Harris was questionable with an injury and he too is out.

The other inactives are healthy scratches:

  • DL Michael Brockers
  • DE Austin Bryant
  • WR Tom Kennedy

 

Watch: Jamaal Williams predicts a Lions win in pregame show surprise

Watch: Jamaal Williams predicts a Lions win in pregame show surprise

Jamaal Williams is a man who very much enjoys what he does. The Lions running back brings an infectious positive personality and joie de vivre wherever he goes.

On Sunday morning, he brought that to the FOX 2 pregame show with an unexpected appearance.

Williams sauntered and danced his way onto the camera shot behind the set inside Ford Field. He sashayed into the shot and greeted the hosts, including a hug with former Lions OL T.J. Lang. Williams was then asked for a game prediction.

“We’re winning today,” Williams said with a smile to Will Burchfield. “I’m not very good with numbers though.”

Never change, Jamaal…

Dan Campbell not worried about the Lions being favored over the Vikings

Campbell preached having respect for the Vikings and their 10-2 record

It’s very unusual for a team with a 5-7 record to be favored to beat a 10-2 foe. But that’s where the Detroit Lions find themselves in Sunday’s matchup in Ford Field against the Minnesota Vikings.

Dan Campbell’s Lions are favored by 1.5 points in Week 14, having won four of their last five games. Of course, the Vikings have been victorious in nine of their last 10 outings, a run that started with a Week 3 win over the Lions.

Campbell was asked about his thoughts on the strange situation of being favored over a team with such a superior record.

After a discourse on the illegality of NFL personnel betting on games, Campbell talked up the Vikings and the respect he has for their ability to keep winning.

“I go back to the fact, and I keep hitting this, our players have done a good job of, man, you always respect your opponent,” Campbell told reporters on Friday. “This team has won 10 games now, and it doesn’t matter how you did it. You won them, and you earned that. There is no, ‘Well, it was a fluke.’ That doesn’t exist in this League, and they are finding ways to win. They always have, and they’re where they’re at for a reason, and you cannot overlook that. So, they’ve been down, they’ve been up, and they always find a way. So, those teams, man, if you don’t have the respect for those teams, you’ll get buried by them.”

The second-year head coach doesn’t want to hear anything about the respect the Lions are getting from bettors, either,

“No, it’s the same people that – we were trash when we were 1-6, so it’s irrelevant. And if we don’t win this game, then it’s back to, ‘Oh, we’re not what we were. It’s a fluke, and blah blah blah.’ So, it’s all about the next game, right in front of us. That’s all we can worry about, and it’s about playing good football and knowing that it’s going to come down to the wire.”

NFC North watch: Lions seize 2nd place after Week 11

Week 11 ends with the Lions in second place in the division and the only team to win

It may still be a long way to the top, but the Detroit Lions are rocking and rolling up the standings in the NFC North. Week 11 ends with the Lions in second place in the division on the heels of Detroit’s first three-game win streak since 2017.

The Lions rolled the Giants, 31-18, in a game where Dan Campbell’s team wasn’t seriously threatened after halftime. The win raised the Lions record to 4-6, an impressive turnaround from the 1-6 start.

What happened around the rest of the NFC North? In a word, losing…

Instant reaction to the Lions trading T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings

Instant reaction to the Lions trading T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings

A nice Tuesday afternoon rewatching the Lions’ Week 8 loss to the Dolphins got interrupted by a huge trade. The Lions have dealt away Pro Bowl TE T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings for two Day 2 picks in upcoming drafts.

First, the deal itself:
The Lions traded Hockenson, a 2023 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-rounder to the Vikings in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick in return.

It’s not yet known the exact conditions, but it’s fair to assume that they involve Hockenson’s production for Detroit’s end and Minnesota’s ability to re-sign Hockenson when (or before) his contract expires following the 2023 season on that side of the ledger.

Reaction

This deal came in a hurry, as trades often do. It was reliably reported on Friday that the Lions had not had any calls about Hockenson. Obviously, that changed over the weekend. We’ll deal with the Vikings side later, but here’s what I’m taking away for the Lions.

Trading within the division isn’t nearly the taboo that it used to be. In fact, this is the second major trade between these two teams this year, the draft weekend trade that netted the Lions WR Jameson Williams for picks being the first. I don’t really like trading within the division and especially not when the player helps the division rival in the manner that it appears Hockenson will, but that’s just a new way of doing business that I — and most fans — are just going to have to get used to.

The trade removes Hockenson from the Lions depth chart. I have mixed feelings here.

Hockenson is a very talented tight end, certainly the best on the Lions roster. Brock Wright ascends to the starting role, with fifth-round rookie James Mitchell climbing up a spot. Veteran Garrett Griffin is currently on the practice squad, as is Shane Zylstra, who played for the team the last two seasons.

None of them can replace Hockenson’s top-end production. Games like Hockenson’s record-setting Week 4 performance against Seattle (8 catches, 179 yards, 2 TDs) are just not possible with what the Lions have left at the position.

However, games even close to that for Hockenson himself were few and far between. That was the first game he topped 100 receiving yards since his NFL debut back in Week 1 of 2019. For his Lions career, Hockenson averaged four receptions for 44 yards per game. Hockenson didn’t even post that in five of the seven games this season.

In other words, the numbers he was posting were not commensurate with the talent or potential No. 88 possesses. Hockenson proved he could do more, but it didn’t happen very often. That’s not all Hockenson’s fault, either.

The Lions offense simply isn’t designed around having an elite pass-catching tight end. Most weeks, Hockenson was fourth or fifth on the team in targets. That was the case in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, where he caught three of the four passes thrown his way and gained 80 yards. Which leads to the contractual issue…

Hockenson was locked in for $9.4 million in 2023 on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. That’s about $1 million below the franchise tag value for tight ends in 2021. There were already rumblings Hockenson, more specifically his representation, was looking to strike a rich new deal this coming offseason that would wipe out the fifth-year option. Something along the lines of what David Njoku, someone with similar receiving production but a much more consistent blocker than Hockenson, got from the Browns: four years, $54.75 million.

The Lions were (rightly) not going to pay that to keep Hockenson, not given his spot in the receiving pecking order or the litany of recurring wounds that keeps him on the injury list almost every week in one form or another. Dealing him away now preemptively ends any contractual negotiation drama. I like that. Making the Vikings wrestle with paying a good-not-great player like Hockenson top-end money? I like that too.

Compensation

Over the weekend I guessed on Twitter that Hockenson would bring back a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder in any hypothetical trade.

As far as the actual picks go, the 2024 conditional picks are basically a wash. Right now, the 2023 picks would be No. 62 overall to Detroit and No. 101 overall back to Minnesota, subject to change based on how the two teams finish the season.

Personally, I don’t think that’s quite enough for a starting TE with high-end receiving potential. I wouldn’t have given back the 2023 fourth-rounder and would have held pretty firm on that. Then again, that could also demonstrate how willing Lions GM Brad Holmes was to move on from Hockenson.

Overall

If I had to grade the deal on gut reaction, it’s a C-plus. The Lions are headed nowhere in 2022 and it was evident they could move forward without Hockenson and not lose much from the offensive attack. Hockenson is a good player and I liked him personally. He played with passion and commitment, even if the results didn’t always reflect it.

But I was vocal in arguing against the Lions giving him a contract extension. Even keeping Hockenson beyond 2023 at the same $9.4 million was too much for what the position demands in Detroit. Transferring that issue to Minnesota is a nice plus. It almost makes me happy the Lions did trade Hockenson within the division; nothing sinks contenders quite like bad contracts.

I wish Hockenson well in Minnesota, and I strongly suspect his now-former Lions teammates and coaches do, too.

Quick takeaways from the Lions Week 3 loss to the Vikings

Some postgame thoughts on third down woes, seizing early momentum, really bad play from a couple of defensive backs and more from the Lions’ Week 3 loss to the Vikings

The first business trip of the 2022 season did not end well for the Detroit Lions. A late collapse cost the Lions a potential road win and instead sends them back to Detroit with a 1-2 record after the 28-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

The lasting memory for everyone will be coach Dan Campbell’s terrible decision to try a late field goal instead of going for it on 4th-and-4 from the Vikings’ 36-yard line. Campbell admitted after the game he “hates the decision” and felt like it cost his players a win, and he’s right.

However, there were a lot of other things that went on during the game, both positive and negative for Detroit. Here’s some of what I took away from watching the game in real-time.

Regretful Dan Campbell on his decision to try the late FG in loss to Vikings: ‘I hate it’

A regretful Dan Campbell admits “I hate the decision” to kick the late missed FG in the loss to the Vikings

The Detroit Lions snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings prevailed 28-24 thanks to a late touchdown set up by a truly awful coaching choice from Detroit’s Dan Campbell.

With the Lions leading 24-21 and 1:14 left on the clock, Detroit faced 4th-and-4 from the Vikings’ 36-yard line. Campbell elected to trot out the field goal unit instead of going for it.

As he did on the Lions first offensive possession, kicker Austin Seibert missed the field goal attempt. The combination of positive momentum and good field position carried the Vikings to a too-easy go-ahead touchdown.

After the game, Campbell knew he screwed this one up.

“I hate it,” Campbell said somberly. “I just hate the decision.”

Coach Campbell continued,

” I wish I’d have put it back in (the offense’s) hands offensively. So be it. I just wish I’d done that.”

Just for clarity, Campbell very carefully enunciated this statement,

“I regret that decision 100 percent, I really do … I really feel like I cost our team.”

This one clearly stung Campbell, who was speaking the truth. His decision backfired and the coach knows it.

Lions blow big lead and lose to Vikings in late collapse in Minnesota

The Detroit Lions blow a big lead and lose to the Vikings in a late collapse in Minnesota in Week 3

So close but yet so far. That’s the Detroit Lions story from the Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Dan Campbell’s Lions fell in the NFC North showdown, 28-24. A chance to run into first place in the division instead ran into poor late execution and bad decisions by the visitors from the Motor City.

Detroit led most of the game and carried a 24-14 lead into the fourth quarter. But a brutal outing from cornerbacks Amani Oruwariye and Mike Hughes helped the Vikings close the gap, as did some lousy execution and questionable choices on third and fourth downs by the Lions offense.

The game got away from Detroit late when Lions kicker Austin Seibert missed his second field goal of the game, with 1:14 remaining and the Lions up by three points. It was a controversial choice by Campbell and it backfired with the miss. Seibert’s 54-yard attempt wasn’t close to going through the uprights.

Minnesota quickly marched down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown when Kirk Cousins found a wide open K.J. Osborn form 28 yards out. The Vikings didn’t need any timeouts to score in under 30 seconds.

Detroit drove into Vikings territory on the ensuing last-gasp drive, but Jared Goff’s desperation heave was intercepted and Minnesota escaped with the win.

The Lions lived dangerously all afternoon. Detroit was a brutal 3-for-16 on third down conversions, which forced the two missed Seibert field goals. It also led to Campbell going for it six times on fourth downs. Four of those were successful. The decision not to try for a seventh time is perhaps the biggest failure from the game.

The Lions fall to 1-2 while the Vikings improve to 2-1. Detroit hosts Seattle in Week 4.