Anyone else's shoulders hurt from tensing so much for a few hours? No? Just mine?
Multiple near-interceptions thrown by Jared Goff, multiple failed 3rd down runs drawn up by Drew Petzing, and some really head-scratching calls to go for it on 4th down from Dan Campbell were not enough to keep the Detroit Lions from beating the Green Bay Packers in a critical NFC North game in Week 7.
Green Bay did some of their best work defensively against the Lions, especially hunkering down against their run game. However, they proved to be the more undisciplined team throughout the game. I will say, though, that some of the calls against them - one for grounding that led to a Jordan Love interception, and one for roughing the passer where the defender landed away from Jared Goff - were a bit head scratching.
Nevertheless, we have a win to write about.
7 takeaways from a Lions win that wasn't without controversy
1. Lions' secondary looks slightly improved
Six pass breakups, a "welcome home" interception for Brian Branch on Love, and a few key stops from D.J. Reed in the open field were all great signs that the Lions' defense is slowly starting to come around. They still have some issues defending down the middle of the field, and especially against tight ends, but they've begun to show signs of life in coverage.
Branch being back in the fold is even greater of an opportunity for the Lions defense to really begin to mesh this season. He's a turnover threat in every contest, as evidenced in this game, and he adds an extra layer of protection in deep coverage from time to time.
2. Jared Goff will keep shaking off the turnover demons
Goff had a few near-interceptions in this game, mostly because he was getting pressured a ton more in the second half than in the first. In that first half, he had thrown for two touchdowns and looked as poised as ever. In the second half, he threw a few passes directly into the hands of some Packers defenders that threatened to sink the Lions' ship.
Goff remains interception-less on the year, and passed for 300 yards once again in the Lions win. He's just too dang good.
3. Dan Campbell almost lost this game for the Lions
Campbell had a gutsy - like, beyond gutsy - 4th down call in the Lions' territory in the 4th quarter. On that play, the Lions decided on a screen to get Gibbs open, or at least, that was the plan. Instead, he ended up getting tackled right at the line of scrimmage, and the Packers took over. One DJ Wonnum tip of a Trey Smack field goal kept Detroit from an overtime contest in Week 7.
Campbell's aggression is typically beloved by Lions fans, but this was a really shortsighted decision in the moment. He needs to have better game management moving forward, although I won't hold my breath. This is just who Campbell is, for better or for worse.
4. Khalil Dorsey was the plug and play defensive back of the Lions' dreams
Dorsey recorded a few broken up plays on the day, and prevented a few huge gains from the Packers in clutch moments. He's been pretty underutilized this season, despite the teams' need for some fresh looks in their secondary. He's also one of their most versatile backs, as he can play deep safety or cornerback.
The Lions are proving that they're more than happy to dig deep into their toolbox in order to find solutions in big moments. Dorsey, and for that matter, Keith Abney II, deserve more run moving forward.
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown's breakout game was glorious
Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown feel like one unit sometimes. Where one passes, the other just appears on the field to receive. St. Brown has yet to have a really impactful contest this season, but in this critical contest, he went for a whopping 153 receiving yards on 11 targets. A lot of this work was had in the slot, and the chunk receptions just kept piling up.
You have to hope this is the start to a nice streak between Goff and St. Brown against such a staunch defense in Minnesota.
6. Sam LaPorta had an awfully quiet game following contract comments
Sam LaPorta was basically a non-factor (at least as a receiver) in this win. He had one reception that kept a key drive alive in the fourth, and that was it. LaPorta was reportedly well received by Lions fans at Ford Field following his contract extension comments from this past week, but it was probably more a credit to Green Bay's defense that he had such a silent outing.
7. DeAndre Carter looks like the sparkplug Lions have needed on special teams
With Tom Kennedy out for the year with a knee injury, the Lions went out and signed DeAndre Carter as their new return man. The early returns on that investment are very positive. He had two kick returns for 52 yards, and you could feel that he was about to break off a huge run on at least one of those returns if he hadn't tripped.
Detroit has been missing a pop on their return unit this season, and Carter seems like a great replacement for Kennedy on that front. His speedwas impressive, as were his multiple dodged tackles.
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