It’s been a long time since the Detroit Lions were .500 in December. Five years, to be exact.
The road to 7-7 was not easily traveled by Dan Campbell’s Lions, but they flipped the 1-6 start into a 6-1 run to get there. The latest win was the most dramatic of the bunch, too.
Sunday’s 20-17 win over the Jets in New York showed a new kind of Lions team. Given the chance to lose, instead they found a pathway to a very close win over a similarly talented, rising Jets team.
Here are some quick takeaways from Sunday’s nail-biting win by the Lions over the Jets.
Two teams finding their way
The top takeaway struck me several times throughout the game. These are two young teams that are not accustomed to playing meaningful football late in a season, and it showed.
It was true of the coaching staffs as well. Lions fans bellyached about Dan Campbell’s decision to try a 54-yard field goal with a late 3-point lead. Jets fans quickly flipped on the panic alarm when fellow second-year coach Robert Saleh refused to use any of his timeouts to either preserve some clock or calm his anxious young QB, Zach Wilson, down with an easy play or two.
Winning isn’t easy. It isn’t supposed to be, either. That the Lions were able to hang on and persevere for an outdoor road win over a team with a winning record in December is very impressive. It’s a sign of real progress. There will be time to poke some holes in some of the coaching decisions and execution, but a Detroit win means those questions are first fired at Saleh and the Jets.
Fantastic run defense
For the second week in a row, the Detroit defense was absolutely suffocating against the run. New York managed just 50 rushing yards on 22 carries, a week after the Lions held Minnesota to 22 yards on 17 carries.
It comes from a lot of sources. The defensive film study has clearly been on point in the meeting rooms. The work by Alim McNeill and John Cominsky in particular has ben outstanding up front; they’re winning their individual battles and often doing so with impactful quickness. The linebackers have been very disciplined in their assignments but still aggressive enough to attack downhill. The defensive backs are getting off blocks and playing aggressive containment of their own, giving no room for outside bounces.
Special teams edge
The Lions broke the scoring ice with a punt return TD from Kalif Raymond. His first-quarter return was set up by some great blocking and timing from several Lions in front of him, notably LB Josh Woods with a key downfield block to set up the final cutback.
Kicker Michael Badgley missed his last attempt–badly. Coming up that short on a 54-yard attempt is unsightly, even kicking a cold ball in the wind in December. Beyond that miss, Badgley lived up to his “Money Badger” moniker well.
The punt unit featuring Jack Fox was great. Fox pinned the Jets deep with one punt and the coverage was sharp on another. The Jets (obviously) did not have such attention to detail on their own punting unit. Dave Fipp has a little mad scientist vibe to him as the Lions special teams coach, and it works with this team. They were the difference in an otherwise tightly-contested matchup.
Quick hits
–The penalties were problematic. More than a few were questionable, but the Lions (notably the offensive line) took some time to adapt to how the game was being called.
–Jameson Williams got just one target, a deep shot where he ran past the defense over the top. Alas, Jared Goff’s throw was very short and the defender was able to catch up and deflect it away. There needs to be more work on timing on those deep shots; Goff can’t wait until Williams is open to throw it and needs to trust that the ludicrous speed will allow No. 9 to get there.
–Cannot understate how important this play by Jerry Jacobs was early in the second half.
Jerry Jacobs picked off Zach Wilson
Video: @NFL | @Lions pic.twitter.com/WYognUMXdW
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) December 18, 2022
Wilson is a QB who will make mistakes. It’s incumbent upon the defense to make him pay. Jacobs accomplished that mission.
–On the flip side, the Jets couldn’t make Goff pay for a truly terrible throw, dropping an easy INT in the second half. It’s those little things that are the difference between winning and losing, and the Lions were just a little better at those on Sunday.
–Goff finished his sixth straight game without turning the ball over.
–The Lions ran for 134 yards on 30 carries. Not every run produced as much as hoped or designed, but the dedication to the run really helped steady the offensive line and shorten the game on the road.
–The game-winning TD play to Brock Wright was expertly designed and very well-executed. That’s a play call that shows supreme confidence in both Goff and in Wright, who had dropped a pass earlier in the same drive. That’s redemption.
