Detroit Free Press

Eleven games into his tenure as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson is beginning to generate some buzz as a head coaching candidate. But the first-year NFL play caller insisted Thursday that’s the furthest thing from his mind. “Don’t even want to talk about it,” Johnson said. Johnson, 36, has guided a Lions offense that’s

The accolades keep coming for Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month on Thursday after he finished November with two interceptions, one sack and one fumble recovery. The No. 2 pick of April’s draft, Hutchinson was named NFC Defensive Rookie of the Week after a three-tackle, two-takeaway performance

Their odds are not great, but the Detroit Lions are entering December with legitimate playoff hopes for the first time since 2017. The Lions (4-7) host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in their second of three straight games at Ford Field. They’re 2½ games back of the Washington Commanders for the final wild card spot

Do me a favor. Go look outside. Are the leaves off the trees? Does it look chilly? Do some of your neighbors already have their Christmas decorations up? Now do me one more favor. Got to the refrigerator and look at the calendar. Does it really say December? Sorry for imposing, but I’m having a

Brandin Cooks had the best receiving season of his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, when Jared Goff was his quarterback and he averaged more than 10 yards per target. Goff said Wednesday he sees a little bit of Cooks in his new speed-demon receiver, Detroit Lions rookie Jameson Williams. “He’s fast,” Goff

One year later, Dan Campbell is still Oxford Strong. Campbell, the second-year Detroit Lions coach, wore an Oxford hat to his weekly news conference Wednesday, a gesture he said he made to let the community know “we’re thinking about them” on the one-year anniversary of the deadly school shooting at Oxford High. “If you’re outside

Let’s hop right into our mailbag this week, where most of your questions revolve around Jared Goff, the quarterback position and what to expect from the Detroit Lions in 2023. When the 2023 season commences, Brad Holmes will have had 6 MAJOR ‘swings at the plate’ (3 drafts/3 FA signing periods) to build this team

After Aidan Hutchinson won NFC Defensive Player of the Week before Thanksgiving, a couple friends asked what I thought about Hutchinson’s chances of winning Defensive Rookie of the Year. Hutchinson has had a nice season for the Detroit Lions. He has made some huge plays and disappeared at times, which is to be expected for

The Detroit Lions are rewarding James Houston for his big game with a promotion to the 53-man roster. Houston had two sacks and recovered a fumble on special teams in his NFL debut in last week’s 28-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Lions elevated Houston to their gameday roster from the practice squad because

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell is as anxious as anyone to see Jameson Williams on the field, but Campbell said Monday the rookie wide receiver is probably at least another week away from making his NFL debut. Asked what he would need to see for Williams and defensive end Romeo Okwara to play this week

Twenty-two months after the Detroit Lions agreed to trade quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff and three draft picks, the deal looks like a rare win-win for both sides. Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals last February, the final piece to L.A.’s championship

[embedded content] Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell is set to speak Monday at 2:15 p.m. in Allen Park as the Lions return to action this week after a 28-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak, but was still a positive moment for the team, as the Lions

They were raggin’ on Frank Ragnow. “He eats like a child,” Detroit Lions guard Logan Stenberg said about the starting center. “It’s chicken fingers and fries.” Lions left tackle Taylor Decker got more specific. “He eats like a third grader,” Decker teased. “Oh, it’s the worst. The only thing that he likes, that’s, I guess,

The Detroit Lions are one of the seven best teams in the NFC. They were trending that way before Thursday’s Thanksgiving loss to the Buffalo Bills, and going toe-to-toe for 60 minutes with one of the best teams in football only solidified their place as a team no one should want to face down the

Detroit Lions defensive end Austin Bryant said he did not realize Josh Allen had thrown the ball when he whipped the Buffalo Bills quarterback to the ground late in the fourth quarter of Buffalo’s 28-25 come-from-behind victory Thursday, but Bryant said that’s no excuse for the roughing the passer penalty he incurred on the play.

Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett breaks down the Detroit Lions’ 28-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills and looks at players and coaches who helped and hurt their stock Thursday at Ford Field. Stock up OLB James Houston: A sixth-round pick out of Jackson State, Houston was a standout in his NFL debut Thursday. The

Taylor Decker used a potty word after the Detroit Lions lost to the Buffalo Bills, because sometimes you need to use a potty word when you lose a game like this to a team like that. Standing in the locker room after Thursday’s come-from-ahead 28-25 loss to a team that holds the No. 2 seed

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell made an announcement a few days before playing the Buffalo Bills. “Houston — we have a problem!” Campbell said, while informing his team that James Houston, a practice squad linebacker, was going to get elevated and make his NFL on Thanksgiving Day. “He’s an animal,” Chase Lucas, a fellow rookie,

Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett grades the Detroit Lions in their 28-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field on Thursday: Quarterback Jared Goff played one of his best games of the season Thursday, completing 23 of 37 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, but he missed a key fourth-and-1 throw late

There are no morale victories in the NFL, not when so many livelihoods ride on the outcomes of games. But something felt different about the Detroit Lions’ 28-25 Thanksgiving loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday. Josh Allen led the game-winning field goal drive with 23 seconds to play. Jared Goff missed an important third-down