These are the best kinds of games to watch when it comes to the Detroit Lions. It still wasn’t a perfect game by all three phases, but the offense had a complete bounce-back performance from their dud against the Minnesota Vikings last week. Detroit also sought revenge for how the Washington Commanders ended its season last year, so this game was a bit amplified.
Detroit started the game with a stout three-and-out by the defense. That gave the offense the ball, and quickly, the Lions scored to take
the lead. Even though it was 14-3 at the end of the first quarter, it felt like once Detroit got the first score, the game was in their control. The offense played relaxed throughout the entire game, as Detroit never once punted the football.
Let’s get into my six takeaways from the win against the Commanders.
Offensive line dominates the Commanders’ defense
With the offensive line dropping like flies against the Vikings last week, it was unclear how it would shape out against Washington. The team knew they would be without left guard Christian Mahaogany, but who would replace him was up for debate. Would center Graham Glasgow move to left guard, and backup center Trystan Colon start? Would veteran guard Kayode Awoskia start at left guard? Could left tackle Taylor Decker miss the game?
The answer was this: Decker played, Awosika moved in at left guard, and the rest of the offensive line stayed the same. With the minor change, the offensive line seemed to improve, as quarterback Jared Goff never got sacked and the run game exploded for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
The bad news about the offensive line was the injuries that continued to affect them, as right tackle Penei Sewell left the game briefly due to an injury, but he returned and finished the game. Glasgow left the game in the second quarter with a back injury and would later return. The Lions’ offensive line depth was tested, and with the game put away in the fourth quarter, all the starters except for right guard Tate Ratledge got to sit as the rookie continues to play well.
Third-down success saw improvement
We heard the Lions coaching staff discuss how they focused on converting third-down plays on offense last week before the Vikings game, and it didn’t appear that it worked. Last week, Detroit went 5-for-17 on third-down attempts, a big factor in the loss. The defense needed to improve on third down, too, allowing Minnesota to go 4-for-12 on third down as the team failed to make the big stops when needed.
This week, whatever changes they hoped to see last week, the team saw. Detroit went 5-for-10, so the same amount of successful downs but a decrease in attempts. It could be better, but with fewer third-down attempts, since the offense was moving the chains on first and second down, it was a positive development.
The defense saw the better improvement on third down, holding the Commanders to just two conversions out of 10 attempts. Overall, both sides moved in the right direction, and with a big game next week, improvement is all you can ask for.
The Lions got under the Commanders’ skin
This game was personal for Detroit. When you embarrass them or rip their heart out, this team doesn’t forget. There have been multiple instances where this team takes games personally, and it elevates their level of play. This week, though, it seemed like their success was getting to the Commanders.
First, defensive tackle Daron Payne was ejected for sucker punching Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown after the Lions scored their third touchdown of the game.
On the two-point attempt, Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was penalized on the next play for shoving an official, which somehow didn’t get him ejected. Do we remember when Jamie Collins got ejected for simply touching a ref?
The Commanders continued to be upset, as on the field goal to put Detroit up 25-10, Commanders safety Quan Martin was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Commanders didn’t like the Lions being successful as Detroit dominated the game from kickoff until the final play. Detroit never forgets, and people still think they do.
John Morton, move over for Dan Campbell
We’ve seen Lions head coach Dan Campbell with a playcall sheet before; that isn’t out of the ordinary for him, but this week it was a little bit different. Campbell was wearing glasses and appeared to be discussing the playcalling. The FOX broadcast showed Lions offensive coordinator John Morton in the booth and not talking as much as he has in weeks past.
At halftime, FOX sideline reporter Megan Olivi spoke with Campbell and asked him about the play calling and changes to the offense.
“He told me they just wanted to mix things up,” said Olivi. “Everyone is still involved in personnel and the players. They just wanted to find a bit of a rhythm.”
With Morton struggling to get things moving on an explosive offense, Campbell might be giving him some help from here on out. Campbell called the plays for Detroit in the second half of the 2021 season after the team (unofficially) demoted Anthony Lynn, so this isn’t out of the ordinary for the team. We’ll see if this was a test run for the rest of the season or if this was Campbell trying to give Morton some guidance.
Welcome back, Jamo
I am a bit upset my bold prediction from last week was just a week too early, but I was happy to see Williams get more involved in the offense. Whether it was for a chunk play or for a short throw, and he got the yards after the catch, Williams was heavily involved.
Early in the game, Williams wasn’t targeted often, but in the second half, he broke out and found the endzone to put the Lions up 32-10 in the third quarter. He finished the game with six catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.
I love it when Williams is involved in the offense like this because he creates problems for the defense. They have to bring in extra safety help for the deep shot, assign a safety to him if he gets past the cornerback, or just push them further back to open up the field underneath. No matter who was calling the plays, they made the right call by getting Williams back as a factor on offense.
Jahmyr Gibbs comes close to career game
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has done well this season, with his best game being against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few weeks back. His best performance in his career was against the Vikings in Week 18 last season, but Sunday’s was pretty close to topping it. Gibbs had multiple scores, and it didn’t matter how it came.
Gibbs finished the day with 15 carries for 142 yards and two rushing touchdowns—plus three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. The Commanders’ run defense has been its strength this season, but with players getting ejected, banged up, and missing time, it ultimately became too much, and something they couldn’t do is slow down Gibbs. Games like this, where Gibbs and Williams are explosive, are high-scoring affairs, and the offense feels like it can do whatever it wants.
