Monday night’s win in San Francisco spotlighted everything that’s great about the Detroit Lions. Ben Johnson’s loaded offense put up 40 on the defending NFC champs. Jared Goff was fantastic, as was Jahmyr Gibbs. And Sam LaPorta. And Jameson Williams. Craig Reynolds showed pop as the No. 2 RB. Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson each made clutch catches as depth wideouts.
They were the hot knife, carving through a San Francisco defense that featured two All-Pros (Nock Bosa and Fred Warner) still valiantly efforting to defend their home turf. Detroit hung season-high totals against the San Francisco defense in points (40) and yards (439), never needing the services of punter Jack Fox.
The game also showcased Detroit’s defensive shortcomings. Playing with a decimated offensive line and a fourth-string running back shouldering the load, the 49ers scored touchdowns on four of their first five drives. The only thing that stopped Brock Purdy & Co. was a missed field goal from Jake Moody and a couple of penalties that left Niners fans grumbling.
San Francisco was able to keep pace with the Lions, even staying a tick ahead when Detroit fizzled on a fourth down inside the red zone and settled for a Jake Bates field goal on another possession. The Niners picked up 19 first downs in five drives, gaining 344 yards on 38 plays across those drives.
And then, finally, the Lions defense made a play. Purdy made a mistake, hanging a pass over the middle that sailed directly into the arms of safety Kerby Joseph. The Lions quickly converted the takeaway–Detroit’s first interception in six weeks–into a touchdown that elevated them to a lead the Lions would never relinquish.
Simply put, the 49ers could not handle trying to keep pace with the Lions offense. The more they tried, the more mistakes they made. Purdy threw another interception, also to Joseph. They largely abandoned the running game, making it easier for Aaron Glenn’s beleaguered defense to attack with blitzes and expose San Francisco’s offensive line issues.
It only took one mistake from the opposing offense. One single play by the Lions defense was all it took to completely and fundamentally change the game.
And this is how the Lions can overcome having a struggling, injury-ravaged defense. The relentlessness of the Lions’ own offense might be the best defense Detroit has. Trying to keep up with all of the points by the “Goff-ense” forces opponents off their game. They panic. They press. They make mistakes that Detroit’s defense wouldn’t be able to force on its own.
That’s what happened to the 49ers. It’s how the Lions prevailed over the Seahawks, the Packers (twice) and even the Texans in a matchup where Goff was uncharacteristically off his game. Didn’t matter; the Texans couldn’t play their typical game because they knew that wouldn’t be enough to outscore the Lions — and they were right about that.
Now, the Lions have to do it one more time. It’s unlikely that Detroit’s defense is going to radically improve for Sunday night’s game against the 14-2 Vikings. The good news is that the Lions provided one of those Minnesota losses by playing this exact style. Try and keep up at your peril, Vikings.
That’s largely how Week 7 played out in Minnesota. The Vikings started out strong, capitalizing on Detroit’s defensive mistakes to take a 10-0 lead.
Detroit didn’t panic. They trusted their ability to score, and score, and score again. Knowing they needed to put up loads of points, Goff and the offense calmly went about their business. Detroit scored 28 of the next 35 points. Catch us if you can, Minnesota.
And they nearly did. Nearly. A late David Montgomery fumble turned into a scoop-and-score for Vikings LB Ivan Pace. That made it 29-28 Vikings with under six minutes to play. Didn’t matter. The Lions shook it off.
Minnesota’s final offensive drive came after a quick 3-and-out by the Lions offense. Desperately trying to milk the clock to avoid giving the ball back to the Lions with any time left, the Vikings offense broke character and settled for two pedestrian, uncreative runs. A poorly executed deep shot from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson failed, and that was all the Lions needed. They fundamentally altered their own heretofore successful offensive gameplan out of a fearful reaction to what the Lions offense could do.
Detroit’s offense thrived in the pressure to score. Bates calmly drilled a game-winner on the road. They’re built for this. Minnesota, even as fantastic as their season and their offense has been, couldn’t match it. The pressure applied to the Vikings own offense by how fearsome the Lions offense is to their defense–any defense–was enough to carry Detroit to a win that day.
Don’t be surprised if that happens in Week 18, too. This is what the Lions do, and they’re comfortable being that team. It might only take one play from Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Jack Campbell, Za’Darius Smith and the Lions defense. The Vikings are a great opponent with considerable weaponry, but they’re not accustomed to playing that style, not with that kind of pressure to perform. And in that regard, Detroit’s offensive dominance is the Lions’ answer for its own battered defense.
