On a day when forward seemed backward and backward seemed forward, the best football play might have been falling down.
Which is what Jahmyr Gibbs did. With less than a minute left in the game, the Detroit Lions running back broke through traffic at the 11-yard line, picked up the first down at the 5, then twisted himself like an Auntie Anne’s pretzel, dropping at the 3 and taking himself down.
It was the smartest play on a day full of dumb plays, because the Green Bay Packers were out of timeouts. Gibbs' self-takedown enabled the Lions to run the clock to 1 second, kick the chipshot field goal, and steal a 20-17 win they could have blown half a dozen times.
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Of course, losing a game suggests the other team wants to win it. And time after time at Ford Field on Sunday, Oct. 25, you weren’t sure if Green Bay was playing for the win or the bloopers reel.
Consider this comedy of errors:
How about a delay of game call that wiped out a made field goal, only to see the next kick miss?
How about an unnecessary roughness penalty that set up a Lions touchdown?
How about a dropped pass in the end zone, followed by a field goal on the next play?
How about, with 2 minutes left, on third-and 5, a neutral zone infraction that handed the Lions a first down and the chance to run the clock down to virtually nothing before a winning kick.
Green Bay did all that and more. Talk about self-inflicted. You can’t do that much damage to yourself with a machete.
“I can say what I really think, but I don't think it does any good,” Packers coach Matt LeFleur told the media when asked about all the weird flags and odd calls. “It is what it is.”
What it is, around here, is just what the Lions needed.
And a cautionary tale of what they don’t.
Lions can't count on drops
Look, winning is a cleansing rinse, and everyone feels fresher with a "W." You let the stuff that could have sunk you wash down the drain, along with the dirt and grime of the day. Gone. Bye bye. Nice and clean.
But the Lions, if they really want to compete for a playoff spot, need to get down in the dirt about the kind of things that could have killed them Sunday, until the gods decided they were more worthy than the men in green and yellow.
Forget the fact that Detroit blew the last possession of the first half and the first possession of the second half with fumbles. OK, that happens on weird days.
But the Lions simply can’t defend the pass efficiently. Jordan Love had so many pluck-and-dink over-the-middle receptions, it looked like the Detroit defenders were hopping through craters. There were still too many wrong assignments and blown coverages, guys with their bodies out of position. And without a rush that consistently drills the passer – Love was sacked only once on Sunday, by Aidan Hutchinson – this is just too easy for NFL quarterbacks.
The Lions are allowing well over 300 passing yards a game. Yes, they had a few nice breakups Sunday. But they also benefited from Green Bay drops that may not come next game.
And opposing tight ends are killing them. The Lions entered Sunday ranked dead last in catches and yards allowed to tight ends. It’s a maddening flaw, because those are the kind of plays that extend drives, exhaust the defense, and leave fans smacking their foreheads.
Celebrate the win, but recognize the glaring need for improvement.
Fourth-and-painful, for both teams
Now, to something that everyone loves to debate: Fourth-down attempts. Green Bay tried four, converted on three. The Lions tried two, missed on both.
But it was the second one that had Detroit fans apoplectic. In the final three minutes, with the score tied at 17, the Lions were deep in their own territory. They tried a run by Gibbs that went nowhere, and a pass to Gibbs that went nowhere. And suddenly it was fourth-and-1 from their own 24.
Punt, right?
Campbell went for it.
Now we love Dan Campbell. And this is who he is. But being who you are doesn’t always mean you’re right.
“Well, I thought we would get it,” he later told the media. “No. 1, I really believed we would get that. No. 2, I knew we would get the ball back if it didn’t work out.”
His belief, the first part, was wrong – Gibbs got stuffed on a badly executed run that saw an outside defender sweep in and bring him down.
And he could have been wrong about the second part. There was no guarantee the Lions would get the ball back. The Packers could have done what the Lions eventually did – worm their way towards the goal line, drain opposing timeouts and go for a winning field goal.
In fact, they tried that. But with 1:29 left, Troy Smack missed his second attempt of the game – it was partially blocked – and the Lions were given a warden’s pardon. They got the ball back, drove downfield, and grabbed the win.
Again, fun. Nice to have happen.
Don’t count on it again.
If another team makes as many gaffes as the Packers did Sunday, they’re going to have their credentials checked.
No worries about Jared Goff
Here’s one area where I am in total agreement with Campbell: Jared Goff. The Lions' QB cannot be appreciated enough. He may not have the flashy runs or the howitzer arm, but most NFL games are decided on little things, a mistake here or there, a misread, a bad throw.
Goff is so valuable because he gives you so little to worry about. He’s a bit of a machine out there, but what’s the matter with machines? He seems to pick the right guy, wait just long enough to clear him and not force spectacular passes through ordinary holes. He finished Sunday 22-for-32 with 303 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and just one sack. On a day of nuttiness, he was the steady hand.
“Man, he’s playing at such a high level,” Campbell said, ”he’s just going to take care of the football, do the right thing, make explosive passes when they are there, get it to the right person, manage the game when we need him to manage it, push the ball when we need him to push it.”
In other words, whatever it takes. He has the efficiency of an AI bot this year, and there is no measuring where the Lions would be if he suddenly showed up on the injured list.
It doesn’t hurt that his compliment of receivers are mostly churning, including Amon Ra St. Brown, who bounced back from a subpar game against Arizona – 69 yards and two fumbles – by bringing the house down against Green Bay with nine catches for 153 yards. And Jameson Williams, with two touchdowns again Sunday, is starting to approach – dare we say the word – “consistency?”
Sam LaPorta was quiet except when he most needed to be, and so was Isaac TeSlaa, and right now, let’s face it, this is how the Lions win, when they win.
But they can’t count on the other teams stepping on their shoelaces. There was a lot to clean up from this win. Not as much as Green Bay needs to clean up, maybe – they’ll need industrial strength Clorox – but still a lot.
On we go. Lions are 4-2. And when the best play of the day is Gibbs tackling himself, you know we’re getting close to Halloween.
Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates on his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow @mitchalbom on x.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mitch Albom: Lions can't count on foes to repeat Packers mistakes
