The Detroit Lions suffered a brutal blow Sunday when defensive end/edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken tibia and fibula against the Cowboys. No matter how tough the player is, a brutal injury is always around the corner in the NFL.
Hutchinson is the best defensive player on the best team in the NFC. It is going to be difficult for the Lions to endure over the long haul. But don’t think there is going to be anything short about their effort when they take on the undefeated and rested Vikings in Week 7.
Dan Campbell has shown he knows how to rally his team, and the Lions clearly have a killer instinct. Their 47-9 destruction of the Cowboys in Dallas revealed a team that was unstoppable on both sides of the ball. Jared Goff and the Lions had 492 yards on offense and took the ball away from the Cowboys five times on defense.
However, what separates the Lions from the other top teams in the NFC – and perhaps the entire NFL – is the killer instinct. They were not about to let up when they built a big lead in the first half. They came out hungry and nasty in the second half and they were on the field at AT&T Stadium to punish the Cowboys right in Jerry World at AT&T Stadium.
This is the result of Campbell’s coaching style and the personality he revealed when the Lions hired him prior to the 2021 season when he told the world that “we’re going to bite a kneecap off,” via Brad Galli.
NFL has learned that Dan Campbell does not mince words
The Lions have been true to Campbell’s word since then. As they have steadily improved, they have also displayed the personality of an overachiever. Nothing they’ve done to this point has satisfied them or told them they have been good enough. Each victory seems to fuel their fire and make them fight harder the following week.
The injury to Hutchinson is not going to slow the Lions down over the short haul. The next man up philosophy comes into play here as Isaac Ukwu will move to Hutcchinson's spot on the defensive line and DC Aaron Glenn will figure out a way to deploy the talent on the Detroit roster in the best possible way.
But more than Ukwu, Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike and DJ Reader – the players that will get Hutchinson’s reps – it’s about Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Carlton Davis, Brian Branch, Alim McNeill, Terrion Arnold, Malcolm Rodriguez and Kerby Joseph. The other defensive starters will turn up their fire and pick up their level of play. That’s what the Lions have done under Campbell, and that’s what they will continue to do.
“There’s a difference between Campbell and nearly every other coach in this league,” said one AFC executive. “Instead of trying to piece things together and looking for a tactical solution, he is going to put it all on his players and tell them to step it up because that's what they have to do. Other coaches might say something similar, but Campbell’s players will believe him and believe in him. They know that he has taken this franchise to a height it’s never been at before, and they can go even higher.”
The Lions came up with a maximum effort in their beatdown of the Cowboys, and the normal way of life in the NFL is the team that comes up with that type of Grade A performance is not going to do it two weeks in a row. However, the Lions were motivated by last year’s defeat at Dallas in which an official’s call wiped out a successful two-point conversion that saw Jared Goff connect with Taylor Decker on a tackle-eligible play in the end zone. Those were special circumstances. It's back to serious business this week.
Vikings are next for Lions
Playing the Vikings represents a whole new level of motivation. They are the upstarts who have beaten the 49ers, Texans and Packers and take an undefeated record into the game. Nothing would mean more to Campbell and his players than beating up the Vikings on their home field and sending an even louder message to the rest of their NFC competitors on what this team is all about.
The Vikings are 2.5-point favorites in the game (per FanDuel), but Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores saw what the Lions did in Dallas, so they should know what’s coming. When they beat the Niners, San Francisco was not even close to its best. The Texans needed their own wake-up call as well. The wins over the Packers and Jets saw the Vikings hang on by their fingernails.
They are facing a completely different animal this week and it is not likely to be pretty.
Sadness, NFL-style, slowly lifting in New England
The Patriots have been on a painful downward NFL spiral since the end of the Tom Brady era with very few moments to uplift the franchise. However, there was at least a little bit of sunshine in their Week 6 game against the Houston Texans.
Drake Maye was able to provide a hint that things may be turning around. While he started very slowly in the first half, Maye was able to improve as the game went along.
It looked very similar to the Jacoby Brissett offense in the first few series of the game. The Pats went three-and-out on their first series and Maye threw an interception on the next series. Three more aborted drives followed as the Patriots could not even sniff Houston territory.
But things turned around on the final drive of the first half as Maye seemed to know what he was doing and the team responded. New England got the ball at its own 16 with 48 seconds left and seemingly had little chance of doing anything. But Maye took them 84 yards and Kayshon Boutte with a near-perfect 40-yard deep pass that resulted in a TD catch — even though cornerback Derek Stingley had excellent coverage.
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The second half was also positive even though the Patriots ended up on the short end of a 41-21 score. Maye finished with 243 yards and had two more TD passes. He played with confidence throughout the final 30 minutes, throwing the ball on the run and displaying excellent athleticism in addition to accuracy and arm strength.
Now comes the hard part as he must continue to improve on an every-week basis and the NFL schedule maker appears to be cooperating. The Pats face the Jaguars, Jets and Titans over the next three weeks, and they need to be competitive in all three and win at least one of them.
This and that
The Bengals’ defense held a players-only meeting prior to their Sunday night 17-7 victory over the New York Giants. The NFL's 23rd-ranked defense picked up its play considerably, holding the Giants to 205 passing yards and preventing Daniel Jones from throwing a TD pass. They held primary running back Tyrone Tracy to 50 yards and a 2.9 yards per carry average. They had been getting gashed on the ground, but a turnaround may have started in MetLife Stadium.
Former head coach Bill Belichick may not have said much during his weekly press conferences as head coach of the Patriots, but he is at his best on the Monday Night Football “Manning Cast” with Peyton and Eli Manning.
Belichick took apart the Jets ownership situation for the firing of Robert Saleh and then broke down Josh Allen’s performance and told the brothers what makes Allen unique, via the NFL.
“Man, this guy can pull the rabbit out of his hat. When he extends the play, he’s got the ability to run the ball and he’s got a tremendous arm. He can zip it as well as anybody. He’s got a lot of fastballs there, and he can thread the needle.”
After that, he provided a breakdown on what it takes to contain Allen, and that the left defensive end has the responsibility to keep him in the pocket and not let him make plays on the run. Bill Belichick is a great communicator. Who would have thought it?
