Head coach Dan Campbell spoke to the media Monday one day after the Detroit Lions defeated the Chicago Bears, 34-17, for a franchise record 13th victory this season. It was Detroit’s seventh win of the season away from Ford Field as the Lions stay perfect on the road this year with one more road test coming up in the regular season via a trip to San Francisco for Monday Night Football.
Here are all the key questions from Campbell’s Monday press conference:
Offense: He started with the fact that the offense had no turnovers, since that was a point of emphasis heading into the contest. Campbell also liked the run game and said their run efficiency was one of the highest they internally graded all season. The offense had 10 explosive plays (nine passes, one run) and were good on third down (7-for-12).
Defense: He was happy with the way the defense shut down the Bears’ run game (59 yards allowed), which was a point of emphasis for that side of the ball going in. After having just one takeaway the previous four games, they got two on back-to-back series and the offense turned them into 10 points. Campbell also thought they were good on third down (2-for-10) defensively.
Special teams: Campbell highlighted the play of Pat O’Connor, Shane Zylstra, Sione Vaki and Craig Reynolds.
How did Ifeatu Melifonwu look making his 2024 debut and playing 80 percent of the defensive snaps?
“I thought for not having played since training camp, it was solid,” Campbell said. “It really was. Now, it was rusty, he’s got improvement to make, he knows that, and he will improve. But for the first game back, I thought it was a solid performance.”
Melifonwu had four tackles, one sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit against the Bears Sunday.
What did Campbell think of the performance of Amik Robertson moving from nickel to outside cornerback?
Robertson earned the fourth highest grade of any Lions defender from Pro Football Focus vs. the Bears. He was targeted five times and gave up two receptions.
“Amik golly, it was great, him outside,” Campbell said. “We felt good about that move and then moving (Brian) Branch back to nickel just to give us the best lineup on the back end, and I’ll tell you what, Amik was just outstanding.
“Covered great all day but also physical on the perimeter. The number of tackles and tough plays that he made really showed up. He was a force for us, so that was good.”
How did rookie Christian Mahogany perform in his first career start at left guard?
“Another one I would say encouraging,” Campbell said. “I did think that he tried to play violent. It was not too big for him. I thought Frank (Ragnow) and (Taylor) Decker and them helped him out, sandwiched between those two.”
Mahogany missed all of training camp with an illness but has really come on over the last couple months that Campbell said he wanted to see if what they were seeing at practice would translate to the game. It did.
That being said, Campbell expects veteran Graham Glasgow to return for the 49ers game Monday after missing last week with a knee injury, and Glasgow will start at left guard.
Could the Lions get any injured players back this week?
“We’ll see where (Jalen Reeves-Maybin) Germ’s at, he’s someone that’s a potential candidate,” Campbell said. “We started (his 21-day practice window) last week, he got a practice or two, we’re going to get him more this week, see how he feels, where it’s at, and he is somebody that could potentially be brought up.”
Campbell said fellow linebacker Alex Anzalone is close to returning but it didn’t sound like it would be this week.
Detroit hasn’t lost back-to-back games since they were 1-6 in 2022. Why have they been so good at bouncing back after a loss the last two seasons?
“It’s really what all of those guys, everybody in this team is made of, from the coaches to the players that we acquire and that we bring in, and it really is because of the people,” Campbell said. “I’m always going to use (Amon-Ra) St. Brown as an example, but getting the bad taste out of your mouth is very important from losing and cleaning up the errors and not accepting what happened.
“It’s never a go in the tank, lose confidence, you want to compete. And I just think that we have a whole group of those guys. That’s what we’re made of, that’s what our locker room’s made of.”
Campbell singled out a number of players that embody that mentality alongside St. Brown including Jared Goff, Kerby Joseph, Penei Sewell, Ragnow, Decker, Branch and Robertson.
Is there any extra motivation this week with a rematch of the NFC Championship Game?
Where the Lions are in the NFC standings and seeing Minnesota and Philadelphia right on their tail is motivation enough to keep winning.
“Anytime we lose, the thought of losing is going to motivate you to not want to lose again, particularly with where you were at,” Campbell said.
“So, that’s always going to bring its own level of motivation to it, but it’s also, this is where we’re at in the season, we know that we need another win, we understand where we’re at in the division and the NFC, so I think it’s all encompassing. And look, most importantly, it’s the next one. It’s the next one in front of us.”
Campbell was very complimentary of the 49ers, their coaching staff and how they attack weaknesses and their schemes. The 49ers have dealt with injuries but it’s a defensive line that can cause issues getting after the quarterback. Campbell expects a fight Monday night on a national stage.
“This is going to be a tough game,” he said. “So, we know what we’re getting ready to walk into and we know that we have to win. We have to win and it’s onto the next one.”
