Defense by undermanned Detroit Lions stymie Falcons for second win of season

DETROIT – The defense by the undermanned Detroit Lions stymied the Atlanta Falcons 20-6 for their second win of the season.

Ford Field was rocking Sunday (Sept. 24) afternoon as One Pride took over the stadium, causing Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder to be rattled by the crowd noise, which just happened to help assist the Lions defensive side of the ball.

“The fans were outstanding,” said head coach Dan Campbell. “It was loud, and I do believe it had an effect on them. Man, that was early, and it was all the way through the game.”

Campbell continued:

“When you’re able to get them into some third downs like some nice 3rd down and 8s, our crowd really showed up. You always know when your eardrums are radiating; it’s pretty good, and this is the type of environment you’d want to have.”

Defense

The Lions were teeing off on Ridder, acquiring 67 total tackles. Detroit had key contributions from Brian Branch (11 total tackles), Jerry Jacobs (seven total tackles), Tracy Walker III, and Jack Campbell (six total tackles).

But, the Michigan man Aidan Hutchinson’s performance was the loudest.

Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson had four total tackles in the victory, but he was a man amongst boys out there as he had three solo tackles, two sacks, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery which ultimately ended the game.

“As much as you want to talk about that type of defense, it’s hard because football has really come a long way,” Campbell said. “It’s very difficult, and it’s telling for what we were able to do today.”

Campbell continued:

“That was an impressive performance by our guys, and it helps when you’re able to take whatever they do best, which we were able to do. That’s what we were trying to do last week against Seattle (Seahawks), but we were able to do it today, and you feel like you’ve got the upper hand.”

Hutchinson was named the player of the game as he became the first player in NFL history to produce 10 sacks and three interceptions within their first 20 games of their career.

He was also the first NFL player to produce a game with two sacks, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery since future hall-of-fame defensive end J.J. Watt did it in 2016.

Those types of numbers had Hutchinson doing the Stanky Leg in celebration of his historic day.

“I was waiting to do the Stanky Leg for about three games now,” said Hutchinson. “It’s been in my head for a very long time, but I’m going to have to start thinking about some new dances now.”

Offense

The defense dominated throughout the day, but it was up to quarterback Jared Goff and the offense to put points on the board and the game out of reach.

Goff finished the day completing 22-33 for 243 yards, one rushing touchdown, one passing touchdown, and one interception.

Goff’s rushing touchdown was his first as a Lion, and it capped off the 20-plus points target that they’ve scored now in 12 straight games, which tied the second-longest streak in team history.

If you’re wondering, the longest streak is 13 straight, which occurred during the 1995 season.

Sam LaPorta

Goff spread the ball to multiple players against the Falcons, but his connection with rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, who was second on the team in receptions as he caught eight passes for 84 yards and one wide open touchdown.

Those eight receptions gave LaPorta 18 through three games, which is a new NFL record for the most through three games for a tight end. The rookie also became the second tight end in franchise history to amass five-plus receptions in three consecutive games.

“He’s a stud man, and he does a great job,” said Goff. “We had that (wide open) play rigged up all week, and he ran a great route, and I threw it to him, and it feels really good.”

Goff said he knew his rookie tight end was special in OTAs.

“I knew he was special in OTAs as he’s a stud who has a great feel for the game and great hands, speed, blocks when we ask him to block,” Goff said. “For me personally, he does a great job in the route progression, and the best part about him as he’s not really playing as well as he really could, but the sky is the limit for him, and it will be fun to play with him for a long time.”

Jahmyr Gibbs

The Lions key attributions from Amon-Ra St. Brown, who snagged nine of his 12 targets for 102 yards, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs made the decision of taking him over Falcons running back Bijan Robinson look like the right choice as Gibbs finished the game with 17 carries for 80 yards as the lead back.

Gibbs became the fifth rookie running back in franchise history to produce 50-plus scrimmage yards in his first three career games. Gibbs is behind some Lions legends who achieved those numbers, like Mel Far (1967), Billy Simms (1980), James Jones (1983), and the statue man himself, Barry Sanders (1989).

The 2-1 Lions will look to continue their winning ways early in week four as they’ll head to Green Bay to take on the Packers on Thursday (Sept. 28) at Lambeau Field.