Gibbs shines; Lions need DE help

Kathleen William October 21, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS – Free Press sportswriter Dave Birkett highlights the best and worst performances from the Detroit Lions' 31-29 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at US Bank Stadium.

QB Jared Goff

Goff had a perfect passing day against the Seattle Seahawks three weeks ago, and for a while on Sunday it looked like he would do it again. Goff completed 15 consecutive passes early in the game and didn't throw an incompletion until midway through the third quarter.

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He said his approach Sunday was to take what the Vikings gave him, and it proved to be a fatal blow to one of the NFL's best defenses. According to NFL Network, Goff completed 10 of 11 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns with a season-high pressure rate of 51.7%.

“He’s a winner, man,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He will find a way to win. He will find a way to put the offense in position to win the game. He doesn't let himself be disturbed. He's tough. He is competitive. And he's just, man, he's reliable. He is reliable. And I love the guy, man. And once again he does a great job for us on the road, in the division game.”

KJake Bates

After going through three years of mediocre kickers, the Lions finally appear to have a goalie on their hands.

Bates made the game-winning 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds to play on Sunday and is now 10-for-10 on field goals this year. Bates has one of the strongest legs in the NFL, and although the Lions still haven't unleashed him from distance – he made his only other kick longer than 40 yards, a 48-yarder, last week against the Dallas Cowboys – Sunday's heroics did it to give the coaching staff confidence in his ability to hit from anywhere on the field.

RB Jahmyr Gibbs

The Lions were down 10-0 when David Montgomery injured his knee late in the first quarter Sunday, and they leaned heavily on the other half of their running back tandem the rest of the day.

Gibbs had 116 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 15 carries and 44 yards on four catches. He scored his first touchdown on a 45-yard run, the longest of his career, and touched the ball on the first three plays of the Lions' winning drive.

The Lions won't be moving away from their backfield-by-committee any time soon, but Gibbs has the speed, strength and volatility to be the team's leading man.

JEFF SEIDEL: The Lions are built to last – from their coach to their quarterback and everyone in between

Goats

RB David Montgomery

To his credit, Montgomery tried to play through his injury, but he didn't look the same the rest of the day and it almost cost the Lions a key game against a division rival.

Montgomery couldn't move laterally well enough to stay on a blitz pickup on his first snapback, nearly gave up a sack on another blitz, had a false start penalty in the second quarter and lost a fumble against the Vikings with six minutes left in the game back for a touchdown.

Campbell said Montgomery's injury didn't contribute to his fumble, but obviously Montgomery wasn't himself on the field.

“No,” Campbell said. “And I wouldn’t ask him that. No. Look, none of us want this to happen. In any case, he doesn't and it makes him sick. But that's why, man, we train it, we teach it, we train it and he'll come back stronger than ever. And unfortunately things like this happen sometimes. That’s why you keep making it a focus.”

Lions edge rusher

One.

That's how many quarterback hits the Lions' defensive ends had in their first game without Aidan Hutchinson against Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold – and the one hit came on a sack by Josh Paschal when he was unblocked from the sidelines.

The Lions used different edge rushers to replace Hutchinson's snaps. Paschal and Isaac Ukwu started, and Mekhi Wingo saw heavy rotation minutes. None played well enough to keep the Lions off the trade market for another defensive end.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold

Darnold was an efficient 22-for-27 passer for 259 yards on Sunday, but fell back into some old bad habits in crucial moments.

The veteran quarterback threw a bad interception in double coverage when he had Aaron Jones wide open in the flat. He made a poor pass on a late two-point conversion attempt when Minnesota had a chance to take a three-point lead. And he beat an open Justin Jefferson on a rollout pass with 2:46 to play for a third-and-4 that could have given the Vikings the win.

Despite their record, I still think the Vikings are the third-best team in the division because of their quarterback.

Dave Birkett will be signing copies of his new book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline,” at 24 Seconds Bar & Grill in Berkley on Monday at 7 p.m. and at Stadium Cards & Comics in Ypsilanti on Tuesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m . Order your copy here.

Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

Guiltandivy

Guiltandivy