Holmes, Campbell, Hamp Prove to Be Winning Formula
The Detroit Lions' Week 13 contest with the Jacksonville Jaguars was billed as two upstart organizations squaring off against one another.
Yet, on Sunday, one team looked like it belonged on the field and the other did not. And, for once, the Lions were the squad that looked like they belonged, while the Jaguars were the team that looked completely out of place.
Earlier this year, principal owner Sheila Hamp gave Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell and their regime a vote of confidence.
Even though many did not want to hear the organization preach patience, it was warranted, as the team is playing a great brand of football as of late.
Detroit signal-caller Jared Goff played a nearly flawless game -- completing 31-of-41 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns -- and helped the Lions deliver a 40-14 beatdown of Jacksonville.
It was a dominant performance from start to finish, with Detroit outgaining the Jaguars, 437-266, and dominating the time of possession battle, 36:50-23:10. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's unit also never punted a single time, recording points on each of its first eight drives (the ninth and final drive involved multiple kneel downs to close out the game).
“They played well. They played very well," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said about the offense after the game. "You don’t punt the ball, you’re able to stay on the field (and) we scored every possession. Now, I will tell you, because now we feel like, man, there’s some of those you wish you could have back. You feel like you could get four more (points) out of it instead of the three.
"But, man, I thought they played well. There again, our skill (players) showed up. Our quarterback played as good as you can play. I think he played as good as any quarterback can play today. We knew he needed a big game. It was a completion game. I thought he was on fire."
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It was the latest positive development for a Detroit franchise that has won four of its last five games and appears to be turning the corner in Campbell's second season as head man.
The Lions also turned in a top-notch effort defensively.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's unit imposed its will right off the bat, forcing a turnover on the Jaguars' opening drive. On just the second play of the game, Detroit safety DeShon Elliott stripped Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne, and linebacker Alex Anzalone proceeded to recover the loose football.
It was the start of a highly productive day for the defense, which kept the Jaguars out of the end zone in the first half.
"We talked about that last night in our defensive meeting. We said that we need to go out there and set the tone early, to show what kind of brand (of) football we are," Elliott said of the defense's strong start to the game, with the fumble. "Not how we play (individually), but our defense as a whole, and I think we did that today. Besides one drive they had, I think we played pretty well.”
The Lions' offense and defense were both clicking on all cylinders Sunday, and it got Campbell thinking that his team, with how it's currently playing, is good enough to go toe-to-toe with all 31 other NFL franchises.
"I think we can compete with anybody," Campbell expressed. "You got to do all the things right, to win, as we all know. It doesn’t matter who we play, it doesn’t matter what the record is. If you don’t play clean enough football, you turn the ball over, you don’t get takeaways, you get a ton of penalties, then no, you’re not going to win. Doesn’t matter who you play. But, when we do things right, I like our odds.”
Goff shares the sentiment that, at this present moment, he and his teammates can compete with anybody.
"We feel like we can, and we believe we can. Yeah, certainly," Goff said during his postgame media session. "We’ve beaten good teams. We’ve beaten teams with lesser records. We’ve dominated teams, and we’ve had our times where we’ve struggled. But, in the last five games, we’ve been playing good football and taking care of the ball on offense, causing turnovers on defense, and (we've been) clean in the kicking game.
"It’s a pretty good formula, and we’ve been doing that. It feels good. That was as complete a team win as I’ve been a part of, and it was really, really well done. And, (I'm) proud of our guys.”
Detroit has been playing so well lately that it's got fans talking about the once unthinkable: the Lions making the playoffs this season. And no, that is not a misprint.
Detroit, which started off the 2022 campaign with a dismal 1-6 record, now at least has an outside shot at qualifying for the postseason, as a result of its recent stretch of success.
At the end of Sunday's games, the Lions sat just two games out of a wild card spot in the NFC.
"For us, it’s one day at a time. One game at a time, you know," DJ Chark, who had five catches for 98 yards Sunday against Jacksonville, said about dealing with the playoff chatter. "But, it just feels good to even, you know, have that as a whisper, because you know what this team has been through, this city has been through.
"But, at the end of the day, we (are) just coming out and fighting to prove to ourselves who we really are. You know, it didn’t start off how we wanted it to, but we continue to fight every week. And so, whatever the results are, you know, in five, six weeks, that’s what they are. But, we’re going to fight until then, for sure.”
Excitement continues to build among Chark and his teammates, as well as the once despondent Lions fanbase. With each passing week, more and more fans are buying into the notion that Campbell & Co. have advanced to a point in their rebuild where they can now -- at the very least -- compete with anybody in the league.
It's been beyond refreshing to witness, and most importantly, it's a sign of the fact that a new day -- at last -- has dawned in the Motor City.
