DETROIT (AP) — When Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell took a shocking gamble against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, he did it knowing he had an ace up his sleeve.
Jared Goff.
Goff is having the best season of his career, and Campbell took that into account when he decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Lions 24 with 4:53 left in a tie game.
“I believed we were going to get it, but I knew what we were conceding if we don't,” Campbell said Monday. “I knew without any doubt — any question — that we were getting the ball back with time to answer and rebut whatever they had done.”
The fourth-down play was a disaster, with Green Bay cornerback Keisean Nixon slicing through the line to drop Jahmyr Gibbs for a 2-yard loss.
With the Packers getting the ball on the Detroit 22, Campbell trusted Goff to either match or beat whatever Green Bay did over the next few moments.
As it turned out, the Packers didn't do much. Josh Jacobs couldn't pull in what would have been a 17-yard touchdown pass on third down. That brought out the field goal team, and the Lions' D.J. Wonnum blocked Trey Smack's 35-yard attempt.
“Field goals from there are pretty high-percentage, so to miss that fourth-down conversion and get the ball back with no harm, no foul is awesome,” Goff said. “Hats off to our defense and D.J. for the block.”
After Gibbs gained 2 yards on first down, Goff hit Sam LaPorta for 18 yards, and the Lions picked up 15 more yards on a roughing-the-passer call.
Goff didn't need to throw another pass as the Lions ran down the clock, but he did get Karl Brooks to jump offside on third-and-5 at the Green Bay 20. That, and some gymnastics by Gibbs to avoid scoring a touchdown, set up Jake Bates' winning field goal as time expired.
Goff finished 22 of 32 for 301 yards and two touchdowns. He has 14 TD passes and zero interceptions, matching Russell Wilson in 2019 for the most TD passes without a pick over the first six games.
“He’s just playing at such a high level, continues to play at such a high level,” Campbell said. “It’s like, how do you not put it in his hands more than we are? I mean, how do you not?”
What's working
The Lions defense, which was a major issue over the first four weeks, has improved to where it can accurately be called mediocre. In the last two games — wins over the Cardinals and Packers — the Lions have cut their average yards allowed from 426 to 326, including just 58 rushing. Detroit has six sacks and two interceptions over that span.
It's still not great — the Lions gave up five TD passes and have given opposing quarterbacks 16 in six games — but it's trending upward.
What needs help
As good as Gibbs has been — he had 143 yards on 34 touches on Sunday — the offensive line is forcing him to dodge tacklers before he even gets to the line of scrimmage.
On the possession that ended with the failed fourth-down attempt, Detroit faced second-and-1 at the 24, but Gibbs rushed for no gain and caught a pass for no gain before the 2-yard loss on fourth down.
“That's going to get better, and I'm going to keep harping on it, because it has to get better,” Campbell said. “We have to eliminate those plays, because you just have to give Gibbs a sliver, and he's gone.”
Stock up
After a slow start to the season, Jameson Williams was spectacular against the Packers. He caught five passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns, including 48 yards after the catch.
Stock down
Center Cade Mays, one of Detroit's biggest free-agent signings last summer, made his Lions debut Sunday after missing the first five games with a wrist injury.
The Lions lost two fumbles and he was involved in both — accidentally punching the ball out of Gibbs' hands and not connecting with Goff on a snap. He also had missed blocks that led to some of Gibbs' tough runs.
“I wasn’t naive,” he said. “I knew there would be rust to knock off, and obviously game shape is different than practice shape. It’s going to get better every week.”
Injuries
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. missed time with ankle injuries, and Campbell expects them to miss practice on Wednesday, but thinks both will play Sunday against Minnesota.
Key number
135 — The number of yards picked up by Lions receivers after their 22 receptions on Sunday. When Goff is at his best, he's hitting his targets in stride with room to run.
Next steps
The Lions are 4-2, but they'll need to clean up their blocking and fix some defensive issues before hosting the 6-0 Vikings on Sunday. They can't count on Minnesota to miss two short field goals and turn the ball over on downs in the red zone like the Packers did.
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