The Detroit Lions pulled off a stunning upset of the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night in front of a national audience.
The performance was enough to prove that Dan Campbell’s group has turned a corner and NFL legend Peyton Manning says he’s “drinking the Kool-Aid.”
Manning appeared on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week and couldn’t stop gushing about the Lions.
“I am a fan of [Jared] Goff, I am a fan of [Dan] Campbell. I see Detroit having a good year as well,” Manning said via MLive.
It’s not just Campbell that has Manning buying in so hard, it is offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and what his presence means for Goff and the unit as a whole.
“I can’t stress enough how critical it is for Jared to have the same system with the same coordinator,” Manning said. “You want to keep messing up a quarterback? Keep giving him a different coordinator every single year… let’s just punish our quarterbacks. Credit to Dan for making it happen, keeping Ben there, and keeping Jared comfortable. He’ll be able to play faster, with less thinking; breaking the huddle, ‘Where’s my first read, where’s my second read?’
“I see Jared playing quickly, making rapid decisions. They’ll run the ball well, and their defense will be Dan Campbell’s ‘salty.’ So, look, the NFC North is kind of up for grabs now [with] a certain quarterback playing for the New York Jets.”
Even if Aaron Rodgers weren’t with the Jets, Campbell and the Lions would still be serious contenders for the NFC North title. They’ve built something solid in Detroit and are headed in the right direction, as Manning notes.
Don’t feel ashamed if you join him in drinking the Kool-Aid.