Nobody was surprised to see the Detroit Lions get back on track Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, but not many expected it to happen because of a dominant defensive performance.
The Lions held the Falcons under 200 total yards and never let them into the end zone. Atlanta had six punts, a turnover on downs, a fumble, and a missed field goal in 12 possessions.
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Jared Goff and the offense certainly had some nice moments, such as the 45-yard touchdown to Sam LaPorta and the 62-yard scoring drive that iced the game. But for this week’s top moments, we’re going to focus on the defense.
First-half 3-and-outs
The Falcons had five drives in the first half, not counting when they ran out the final 19 seconds before the break. Four of those five drives went three and out, but the last two felt especially important.
The Lions had just scored their first touchdown to take a 10-3 lead early in the second quarter, and the Falcons were looking to answer.
The final possessions of the first half and the first few possessions of the second half can be seminal moments in a football game, and the Lions have had trouble executing defensively during those situations. But this time, they were flawless.
Atlanta’s two drives between the Lions touchdown and halftime went for a combined negative 3 yards. Bijan Robinson got chased down by Jerry Jacobs on the biggest play of that first drive and Alim McNeill highlighted the second drive with an 8-yard sack.
How many times have we seen the Lions’ defense get off to a nice start, but then as soon as the offense finally scores, the defense immediately gives up a long drive?
That can be deflating, but that’s not what happened on Sunday. The Lions set the tone for the second half by finishing the first half strong, and Atlanta never recovered.
Aidan Hutchinson forces long field goal
Speaking of deflating, the Falcons’ comeback efforts took a huge hit during their opening drive of the second half.
Robinson and Tyler Allgeier started to get into a rhythm, leading the Falcons from their own 19-yard line to Detroit’s 29. Atlanta faced a 3rd and 6 and handed the ball off to Robinson once again.
If Robinson had picked up 3-4 yards, the Falcons might have tried to convert on fourth down. Instead, Aidan Hutchinson came from the opposite side of the line and chased him down from behind, limiting him to a 1-yard gain.
The Falcons settled for a 47-yard field goal attempt, and Younghoe Koo missed, keeping the score at 13-3.
That was demoralizing for the Falcons to get nothing out of such a long drive, because they were struggling to find any sustained success against the Lions’ defense. They never recovered.
Big-hitting safeties
Even though the Lions’ defense kept coming up with stop after stop, the Falcons were still very much in the game at the end of the third quarter.
With Detroit leading 13-3, the Falcons got a free first down thanks to a pass interference call against Jacobs. The next play went to Robinson for three yards.
On 2nd and 7, Desmond Ridder threw a ball perfectly over the middle to Jonnu Smith for what looked like another first down, but Ifeatu Melifonwu delivered a massive hit that jarred the ball out.
The very next pass went to Mack Hollins, who was in prime position to keep the possession alive. But Brian Branch perfectly timed a big hit and knocked the ball loose.
It felt like the Falcons should have picked up that first down on back-to-back plays, but because of two big hits from young safeties, the Lions forced another punt. That’s a very promising sign, especially since the Lions will likely be without C.J. Gardner-Johnson for the rest of the season.
4th-down stop
Goff made a rare mistake at the end of the third quarter, overthrowing a wide open Amon-Ra St. Brown for his second interception of the season.
Atlanta took over with great field position at Detroit’s 43-yard line. At the very least, it seemed the Falcons would be able to attempt another field goal to claw within one possession.
But the defense stepped up once again. Allgeier gained six yards on the first two plays, setting up a 3rd and 4. John Cominsky forced an incomplete pass on third down, and then Branch came through with solid coverage once again on fourth down, sticking right with Drake London.
Seven plays later, Goff trotted into the end zone, effectively ending the game.
Defensive dominance
It was a dominant all-around performance by the Lions, and they needed every last one of those defensive stops to give the offense time to wake up and put the game away.
Dan Campbell and his staff have to be encouraged by what they saw Sunday after a less impressive showing against Seattle. The Lions pressured the quarterback, defended well downfield, and tackled in space. It’s hard to ask for much more than that.