The Detroit Lions are the NFC North champions. I repeat: the Detroit Lions are NFC North champions!
It took a harrowing, exciting win over the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Eve to seal the franchise’s first division title in 30 years. Detroit held on for a 30-26 win when Ifeatu Melifonwu picked off Vikings QB Nick Mullens near the goal line to end a very scary threat by the home team to ruin the holiday spirit for millions of Lions fans everywhere.
Here are my quick takeaways from watching the Week 16 triumph in real time.
Rookies respond to early gaffes
On Minnesota’s opening drive, the Lions were so close to breaking the game open. A perfect blitz call by Aaron Glenn sprung LB Alex Anzalone unblocked at QB Nick Mullens, who panicked and threw the ball right to Lions safety Brian Branch. The rookie DB had one lineman to beat and a 100-yard field in front of him, except he dropped the easy interception. Minnesota scored on the next play and a would-be 14-0 lead turned into a 7-7 game.
Branch responded by getting a strip-sack and an interception before the end of the first half. Impact plays make for a great response from the second-round DB. Late in the game, Branch had a nice breakup while playing his slot CB role. Oh yeah, the first-round runner got redemption, too.
Detroit rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled on the ensuing drive at the end of a healthy gain, ending a series that began with a lot of promise. Gibbs ran for 80 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 20 yards, hitting the century mark in a game where the Lions need every last inch.
The Lions count on their rookies to perform. They didn’t deviate from that even when Branch and Gibbs struggled early on. That’s rewarding.
Run defense dominated
Halfway through the fourth quarter, Minnesota had 10 carries that produced a total of 16 yards. Six of those carries gained one yard or less, including a 2-yard loss where Benito Jones blasted into the backfield.
Minnesota would finish with 17 yards on 11 carries, the final yard coming from QB Nick Mullens on a scramble. The Lions completely erased the run game without needing to devote extra resources in the box very often. That put the game on Mullens’ inexperienced shoulders, as well as setting up the pass rush, which hit Mullens 11 times, including four sacks.
Top 3 stars of the game
3rd star: QB Jared Goff – efficient 257 passing yards and no giveaways against a defense that he’s struggled against for years
2nd star: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown – 12 catches on 14 targets for 106 yards and a touchdown
1st star: S Ifeatu Melifonwu – two sacks among his five total tackles and the game-sealing INT
Big plays saved the pass defense
The four interceptions were a much-needed saving face turn for the Lions pass defense. When they weren’t picking the ball off from Mullens or pummeling him with a largely effective pass rush, the coverage was embarrassingly bad.
Granted the degree of difficulty in covering Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J Hockenson et al is rough. That’s how the Vikings are constructed to win, after all. But Addison and Hockenson left early with injuries, and it was K.J Osborn and Brandon Powell getting wide open.
The outside CBs, Cam Sutton and Khalil Dorsey, had rough games. The safeties and LBs underneath weren’t much better, and the coordination between the components was often rotten. It’s a harrowing way to try and win games when relying on big plays. Then again, that’s how the Chiefs and Bengals have won the last two AFC Championships and how the Cowboys are atop the NFC East…
Quick hits
–Aidan Hutchinson had a huge game creating pressure. Unofficially he had nine QB pressures and four QB hits on Mullens, per the initial NFL game book. Hutchinson also swatted down a fourth-quarter pass and drew one penalty.
–The Lions benefitted from a very questionable (read: wrong) roughing the passer call, but the officials gave the good will back with an overzealous personal foul call on Kerby Joseph. Just because a hit is violent doesn’t mean it’s illegal…
–I probably scared my neighbors with my screams when John Cominsky didn’t recover the late fumble that would have sealed the win. Probably did so again when Minnesota converted 3rd-and-27 on the next play, a superhuman catch by Jefferson through good double coverage.
–Michael Badgley made his FG attempt stress-free, but his first extra point was too close for comfort. A later conversion was blocked, and film review will see where the blame lies on that one.
–on Gibbs’ second TD run, the offensive line won every single individual battle.
–Left guard Jonah Jackson did not have a good overall game. Losing several reps to Patrick Jones–the Vikings’ lowest-graded DL per PFF–is not how to win a fat free agency contract.
–I thought Dan Campbell’s fourth-down decisions and play calls were well done in this game.
–The Vikings defense dared Goff to run and he refused. There were multiple instances where he had tens of yards of open field in front of him. At some point, Goff needs to call their bluff to keep a defense honest.
–David Montgomery had a quiet 55 yards on 17 carries. He went several drives without a touch after getting all eight rushes on the (impressive) opening drives.
–Jack Fox and the punt coverage unit was on point, especially late when they really needed to be.
–Merry Christmas, enjoy the Lions division title!