A tidal wave of frightened, silent uncertainty swept across Ford Field as the stadium realized Jack Campbell was also still down, motionless, after initially seeing Jimmy Rolder injured on the same play early in the fourth quarter. It felt strange that after such a drawn-out, worrisome delay in the game, both teams had to immediately bounce back for a crucial Vikings fourth-down attempt near the red zone in the middle of a divisional dogfight.
It felt strange, but it also felt powerful. This was a tougher
recap article to gather my thoughts on, but the prevailing feeling after Jack Campbell was injured and taken to the hospital was a reminder of how powerfully unifying sports can be, even as a distraction from something far more important. Because the Detroit Lions fought with a sense of added vigor, pride, and togetherness in the fourth quarter. They battled for their brother, with everyone seemingly executing more sharply and in seamless synchronization. All of the Lions were competing for Jack. And it paid off, as they started 2-0 in the NFC North with an uncharacteristic 19-15 victory over the Vikings.
The Lions were physical and resilient. They were grit personified again, finishing the football game strong, exactly in the image of their head coach, Dan Campbell, and the values they pride themselves on. The same values that helped them rise from the ashes of the Matt Patricia-Bob Quinn era. Jack Campbell will hopefully have been proud of his team’s efforts.
For the second week in a row, they found a way to win ugly in the muddy abyss. Let’s embrace that resilient effort while taking a look at the Week 8 Stock Report, as the team improved to 5-2, while sending all our positive thoughts and support to Jack Campbell, his family, and the hospital staff caring for him.
Stock up: Jahmyr Gibbs & Sione Vaki, RB
Against one of the best defenses in football, the Detroit Lions might have found their new one-two punch at running back, and they proved it when it mattered most, when their team needed it most, as they wore down the Vikings’ defense in Vaki’s breakout performance.
The duo combined for a modest 16 carries for 66 rushing yards (4.1 yards per carry) in the first half. While Gibbs was swimming upstream battling outside-zone run calls, Vaki started running through the Vikings’ defense like a stick of dynamite blowing through a mountain, opening holes big enough for a locomotive. The Lions soon realized they could start beating Brian Flores’ defense by getting Gibbs involved in gap-scheme runs, too.
In the second half, Sonic & Tails erupted, bruising their way to a combined 18 carries for 152 rushing yards (8.4 yards per carry), including 143 yards after contact, 12 missed tackles forced, and six runs of 10-plus yards, with only one run stuff!
They set the tone and served as the catalysts for the team’s re-established identity, running through the Vikings’ defense for 230 rushing rushing yards and 5.9 yards per carry, a combination that no offense had accomplished against Minnesota in the Brian Flores era.
Stock up: D.J. Reed, CB
After the Detroit Lions’ defense crumbled against the Carolina Panthers, one of the potential avenues for improvement was D.J. Reed elevating his level of play after slumping through the first month of the season, getting exposed on deep balls and by bigger, contested-catch wide receivers.
Reed has responded emphatically and is playing some of the best football of his career. Starting with the turnover department, following the two-minute warning, Reed got the Lions the ball back with a spectacular diving interception near midfield. The play led to a much-needed field goal before halftime.
Reed was once again lockdown in coverage, frequently matching up with Jordan Addison. Across 12 coverage snaps against Addison, Reed allowed three targets, no catches, and recorded the interception. Additionally, Reed smothered both Jauan Jennings and Justin Jefferson, allowing no targets across five coverage snaps against Jennings and four against Jefferson.
Reed’s level of play has lived up to the billing of his free-agent contract, and he should be a defensive pillar the Lions can continue to rely on as they tweak and strengthen the unit throughout the season and gear up for the postseason.
Stock down: Chuck Clark & Christian Izien, S
Continuing with the potential avenues for improvement coming out of that Panthers mauling, another area of hope for the Lions’ defense was improved safety play, particularly with the return of Brian Branch and potential return of Kerby Joseph.
Unfortunately, Branch left the game in the second quarter with a somewhat self-inflicted and unfortunate concussion after playing just 23 defensive snaps. This resulted in Chuck Clark playing all 53 defensive snaps, while Christian Izien also emerged from the doghouse for eight defensive snaps, having already seen the field prior to Branch’s injury.
Neither Clark nor Izien is particularly comfortable dropping backward to take away areas of the field, holding up in man coverage, or operating in space. Both are ideally relegated to a specific Oscar the Grouch role, most comfortable in the congested confines of a trash can, where they can come downhill with physicality as a third box defender.
Clark missed a tackle attempt on a Jordan Mason run up the middle for a first down, hesitantly coming downhill with little confidence from a single-high safety look. Meanwhile, Izien was beaten in one-on-one coverage in the red zone on T.J. Hockenson’s fourth-quarter touchdown.
The Lions’ pass rush wasn’t quite there against Minnesota, averaging 3.26 seconds to pressure, by far their slowest mark of the season. A more capable quarterback-playcaller combination than Kyler Murray and Kevin O’Connell might have put Clark under the microscope after Branch’s injury, attacking him and exploiting his lack of mobility in coverage space. You still can’t rule out adding another safety at the trade deadline, but Thomas Harper can’t get healthy quickly enough.
Quick Hits
STOCK UP
- Jameson Williams, WR: Williams, first and foremost, was blocking like a man possessed, helping generate extra yards for his running backs and Amon-Ra St. Brown. He more than made up for his taunting penalty with a game-high 70 receiving yards on four receptions and a touchdown. His 46-yard deep ball set up Detroit’s first field goal, his second reception put them in range for their second successful three-pointer before halftime, and he scored the game-winning touchdown.
- Penei Sewell & Christian Mahogany, LT & LG: Sewell had a very uncharacteristic day with penalties, not all of which were justified, and Mahogany did get beaten quickly by Jalen Redmond for a pressure, but the left side of the offensive line was mowing people down in the run game. Drew Petzing and the running backs could rely on those two like the box office of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, with the way they were opening holes like cannonballs. Sewell also shut out Dallas Turner across 12 pass-protection snaps.
- Cade Mays & Juice Scruggs, C: While the Lions’ offense improved when Scruggs entered the game, that had more to do with Petzing’s adjustments than anything else. Both played well, with Mays opening a handful of holes on the few successful first-half runs and Scruggs being a rock in pass protection while handling the nose tackle backside on several successful second-half runs. The Lions are in the enviable position of having two above-average starting-caliber centers.
- Alim McNeill, DT: While it wasn’t his most effective game as a pass rusher, he still provided excellent second effort to corral Murray for a sack on the junk play-action play. I also felt he was particularly forceful at the point of attack as a run defender.
- Skyler Gill-Howard, DT: After disappearing against the Packers, which happens with developing rookies over a long season, Gill-Howard worked veteran RG Will Fries for a sack of Murray. But his most impressive play was a wildly athletic run stop on Aaron Jones, where he took on a double-team and balanced his way through it like a cat always landing on its feet. The defense will need everyone to step up amid the injuries, particularly to their Captain Jack, and Gill-Howard is someone who can still tap into his untapped potential.
- Malcolm Rodriguez, LB: After not getting any run against the Packers, Rodriguez clearly showed the coaches something in practice to earn playing time immediately on the first defensive series. Rodriguez was also a brick thrown at Jordan Mason and the Vikings’ inept running game, recording two run stuffs against him, including one where he met the fullback in the hole. He now has an opportunity to step up into a more every-down role with injuries to Campbell and Jimmy Rolder.
- Derrick Barnes, LB: Not a particularly strong day overall, although his fourth-quarter run stuff of Jordan Mason near the goal line was great. The Lions will need Barnes to figure things out and play his best football moving forward with Campbell absent, especially with the possibility of Barnes taking over the green dot.
- Keith Abney II, S: Played only 28 defensive snaps and wasn’t targeted in coverage. It’s time for the Lions to take off the training wheels and let him rip one into a mailbox and bounce back (a bike analogy for a former figure-skating prodigy, Al?). The Dolphins’ inept passing attack, injured Patriots offense, and Buccaneers offense reminiscent of the 1946 national champion Army Black Knights with Heisman Trophy winner Glenn Davis provide the runway he needs to grow and prove himself at his new position.
- Jack Fox, P: One of his best games of the season, booming a 46.5-yard net punting average (second-best of the season), with three punts downed inside the 20 (tied for his season high), including two at the 10-yard line, and only one return for no yards. As the offense struggled to figure out the Vikings’ defense in the first half, Fox gave Detroit’s defense some breathing room by pinning Minnesota deep.
- Drew Petzing, OC: After a first half in which the passing attack was pretty much neutralized outside of Williams’ deep ball, Petzing made adjustments and won a second-half chess match with defensive mad scientist Brian Flores.
STOCK DOWN:
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR: A surprising performance, as he wasn’t able to find more opportunities to get open and provide a security outlet for Jared Goff against the blitz.
- Aidan Hutchinson, DE: He brought effort as a run defender, but this was his first game in some time as a non-factor rushing the passer, partly due to some of the Vikings’ play-action throwing platforms and being swallowed up by Vikings RT Brian O’Neill.
- Eric O’Neill, DE: Needs to find a way to make an impact during his rare snap opportunities, especially when he can pin his ears back in obvious passing situations. With DJ Wonnum suffering an injury, Ahmed Hassanein may be active and have an opportunity to prove himself as a pass rusher. It’s a different role than O’Neill’s, but they’re still competing for some of the same snaps.
- Roger McCreary, Rock Ya-Sin & Khalil Dorsey, CB: The cornerback rotation wasn’t nearly as big of a hit as it was against the Packers, with McCreary missing tackles in run defense, Ya-Sin losing matchups with T.J. Hockenson, and Dorsey getting beaten deep by Jordan Addison.
- Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB: Perhaps still dealing with the ankle injury he suffered against the Packers, but playing just one defensive snap was unexpected.
- Brian Branch, S: Felt a little like Alim McNeill’s deflating second game back from injury against the Vikings last year. Branch needs to find a way to stay on the field.
STOCK NEUTRAL
- Jared Goff, QB: Let’s be clear, Jared Goff the blocker is stock up. But he was a little stuck in the mud holding onto the football in the first half, taking four sacks and throwing an unfortunate interception, before responding well with great command of the offense against the blitz in the second half, even if the box score isn’t something to brag to your buddies about.
- Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright & Tyler Conklin, TE: A weird day for the tight ends, as they made a few plays as receivers, fewer than expected for LaPorta, and all struggled in pass protection, which can be a tough ask. However, they were essential to the success of the running game.
