Lions have a lean and hungry look

Detroit might be the class of the whole league after Sunday's win at Minnesota

Brian Branch

This is a pivot point in our history as a country. For the first time in at least six decades, it is possible to credibly state that the Detroit Lions are the best team in football.

Such a claim would have subjected the speaker to immediate psychological help in other times, or perhaps a long talk with the bartender. And it’s certainly debatable, if you watched Baltimore on Monday night, or if you remember that Kansas City is a bruised and limited team that will probably not stay that way much longer. The Chiefs have won the past two world championships and are the only undefeated club in football.

Minnesota was undefeated until Sunday, when Detroit came to town having barely heeded its alarm clocks. The Vikings jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but the Lions shrugged off the noise and scored the next 21 points. Minnesota chipped away and then got Ivan Pace’s 36-yard return of David Montgomery’s fumble, and it led, 29-28, and the Skol chants threatened to melt the ice on every nearby rink. But Detroit got the ball with 2:32 left and put together three consecutive chunk plays – a run by Jahmyr Gibbs and two passes from Jared Goff to Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Jake Bates drilled the 44-yard field goal, and the Lions are 5-1.

They continue to meet turbulence head-on. Last week, as they were shaming the Cowboys, they lost Aidan Hutchinson, one of the NFL’s great sack-masters, to a broken fibula and tibia. Coach Dan Campbell said Hutchinson might be able to get back for the Super Bowl. Get back to what? The margarita machine? The cookie sheet with nachos on it? The Lions have never been in a Super Bowl. But that’s the local assumption.

Montgomery bruised a knee against the Vikings. He’s supposed to return. But Jameson Williams, the Alabama blur whom the Lions drafted even though Williams had just had ACL surgery, is out for the next two games as a punishment for PEDs. 

Are the Lions substantial enough to deal with such downers? Maybe. Jared Goff, over the past four weeks, has been the best quarterback in football. He has thrown nine TD passes, suffered one interception, and has completed 76 of his 91 passes. That’s 83.5 percent, and against Seattle he was 18-for18.

The defense came up with four sacks without Hutchinson and hasn’t allowed a red-zone touchdown in two weeks. They drafted Brian Branch from Alabama in the second round two years ago. Branch was the brains behind the Crimson Tide defense. Others thought he was a little slow. The Lions traded up to get him and, on Sunday, he had an interception and spent most of the day around the football.

The Lions will almost have to be football’s best team to win the NFC North, and most of those head-to-head games are upcoming. But they have made very few missteps since Brad Holmes took over as general manager and traded for Goff, or since they hired the unfiltered Campbell as head coach. Their last NFL championship of any kind was 1957. Even their ghosts have died off. The very least you can say is that the Lions will play Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day, and, this time, they aren’t likely to be the dessert.

Other NFL confetti:

Baltimore 41, Tampa Bay 31

— It was a crushing night for the Bucs (4-3) and it seemed so celebratory when it started. Mike Evans caught his 100th career touchdown pass as Tampa Bay built a 10-0 lead. Later he went down with a hamstring injury that figures to sideline him for weeks. And late in the fourth quarter the Bucs lost Chris Godwin, their other top receiver, to an ankle injury so graphic that ESPN refused to show a replay.

— Otherwise it was a May Day-style show of strength by the Ravens, who were 0-2 but have won five consecutive games. They had eight explosive plays, including a non-scoring 85-yard run by Derrick Henry, and they topped 200 yards rushing for the fourth game. Lamar Jackson threw five TD passes and was 17 for 22 for 281 yards. He raised his career record to 25-1 against NFC teams.

— The loss obscured a brilliant night by Baker Mayfield, who completed 31 of 45 for 370 yards and three touchdowns, although two interceptions by Marlon Humphrey hurt. Tampa Bay converted 11 of 17 third downs. The loss kept the Bucs in a tie with Atlanta in what appears to be a 2-team race in the NFC South, and the two meet on Sunday.

Green Bay 24, Houston 22

— The Packers (5-2) look more like Super Bowl contenders each week, even when Jordan Love throws three interceptions. They held Houston to 195 net yards, shut out Houston receiver Tank Dell, and got two sacks and four tackles for loss from linebacker Eric Wilson, an undrafted free agent who is on his fourth team. 

— C.J. Stroud was bottled up. He had only 10 completions, no touchdowns, was harassed all day, and had a 58.8 passer rating. Houston (4–3) had only two explosive plays, but was missing deep threat Nico Collins and four other starters all told, including both starting linebackers. Rookie Calen Bullock, a third-round pick from USC, had his third interception and set up a touchdown. Still, the Texans need a win over a quality team.

—  With all that, Houston took the lead with 1:44 left. Love needed a field goal to win, and on third down he hit Dontayvion Wicks for 12 yards to get into Houston territory. Veteran kicker Brandon McManus drilled the game-winner from 49 yards. McManus was released by the Jaguars last year after he was accused of attacking two flight attendants on their trip to London, but the league declined to suspend him, and McManus and the women settled in civil court.

Kansas City 28, San Francisco 18

— Patrick Mahomes turned in a career-low 44.4 passer rating on the road against the defending NFC champions. He has two more interceptions than touchdowns this season. But neither that, nor anything else, has kept the Chiefs from winning, and on Sunday they parlayed three interceptions of Brock Purdy with an 184-yard rush game, to which Mahomes contributed with a touchdown and five runs for 39 yards. His most effective target was backup tight end Noah Gray (four catches, 66 yards).

— Purdy’s passer rating was even worse, at 36.7, and the 49ers lost Brandon Aiyuk to a suspected torn ACL after Aiyuk had caught two passes. San Francisco (3-4) only had the ball for 24:56. The key play came in the fourth quarter with the 49ers trailing 21-12 but facing a third-and-goal from the KC five yard line. Purdy’s pass was picked by Jordan Hicks in the end zone, and the Chiefs chose to run on seven consecutive plays and eventually got an 18-yard TD from Mecole Hardman.

— Since the first game, the Chiefs’ opponents are 16 for 56 on third down. Kansas City has held its foes under 20 points in its past four games.

Pittsburgh 37, N.Y. Jets 15

— Russell Wilson’s first start as a Steeler brought a season-high in points. He was 16 for 29 for 264 yardsand two touchdowns, and the Steelers (5-2) got 100 yard games from running back Najee Harris and receiver George Pickens. Pittsburgh got three touchdowns on its final three possessions, although one of those was a 1-yard drive set up by one of Beanie Bishop’s two interceptions. Bishop is an undrafted rookie who played at three schools, most recently West Virginia. His first pick also led to a Steeler score.

— The Jets continue to suffer with their run game. They have run for 100 yards in only two of their seven games. They tried only 15 runs on the evening, as Aaron Rodgers went 24 for 39. The Jets led 15-6 but Pittsburgh got the next 17 points, and when Greg Zuerlein’s field goal was blocked, that was pretty much the end of it for a team that is 2-5.

— New York has lost four consecutive games. They traded Davante Adams to reunite him with Rodgers, and Adams caught three of the nine passes Rodgers threw him. Rodgers has thrown six picks in his last three games.

Seattle 34, Atlanta 14

— Leading 10-7 at the end of the first half, the Seahawks took a bold approach to ending their 3-game losing streak. They turned down all thoughts of a field goal as they faced a third-and-11, and got a 31-yard touchdown from Geno Smith to DK Metcalf. Then the Seahawks got 10 points in the fourth quarter following Atlanta turnovers, with Derick Hall running a fumble 64 yards for a score.

— Smith had a season-high 114.4 passer ratings for the Seahawks (4–3), who protected him well for the second consecutive week. Dre’Mont Jones led one of Seattle’s best defensive efforts, hitting Kirk Cousins four times and getting a sack.

— The Falcons (4-3) had one score in their final six possessions and wasted an unusually productive day by tight end Kyle Pitts (seven catches, 65 yards). They also lost on a day when they ran 71 plays to Seattle’s 56.

Denver 33, New Orleans 10

— The NFL can pivot on a dime. The Saints were 2-0 and the envy of every offense in the league. The Broncos seemed hopeless at 0-2. Now Denver is 4-3 and New Orleans is 2-5, and the patterns continued Thursday night at the Superdome, as Javonte Williams and Bo Nix combined for 163 yards rushing.

— This was not exactly a fair fight. Derek Carr, Chris Olave, Taysom Hill and Rashid Shaheed are all out of the Saints’ lineup, and the Broncos teed off with six sacks of rookie Spencer Rattler, who was hit 11 times. Cornerback Ja’Quan McMillan had two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble on a play that knocked Rattler out of the game in the fourth quarter. Considering everything, Rattler hung in, completing 25 of 35.

— All the Saints’ fans had were their memories. Drew Brees was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame. But it must have been disquieting to see Sean Payton, who teamed with Brees to win the Super Bowl 15 years ago, in charge of the Broncos. Payton is hoping to get a Brees-like career out of Nix, who didn’t commit a turnover for the fourth consecutive game.

Arizona 17, L.A. Chargers 15

— Two familiar habits doomed the Chargers: Poor tackling and a nonexistent pass rush. James Conner was able to take Kyler Murray’s pass over the middle 33 yards, running through various flailing Chargers, and got to the L.A. 22, which set up the winning field goal from 32 yards. And the Chargers never sacked Murray and only hit him once.

— Of course, you can’t hit what you can’t catch, and Murray’s improvisational 44-yard touchdown run was something L.A. never really overcame. The Chargers didn’t score a touchdown, thanks to botched first down plays in the red zone, and Justin Herbert’s shaky throws on some third downs. Cameron Dicker did put the Chargers again with his fifth field goal before Murray and Conner connected.

— The Chargers (3-3) only ran 22 times for 59 yards. Conner gouged out 101 yards in 19 carries for Arizona (3-4), which still hasn’t gotten much out of Marvin Harrison (three catches, 21 yards). Another big play came in the first quarter, when Herbert hit Jalen Reagor for 41 yards down the sideline. Just as Reagor was nearing the goal line, Starling Thomas V knocked the ball out, and Jalen Thompson recovered it at full speed before he crossed the sideline.

L.A. Rams 20, Las Vegas 15

— Kyren Williams has become the Rams’ Mr. Touchdown, maybe the only reliable one. He ran for two of them Sunday, which means he’s scored at least one in each of his last nine games. Both of these were enabled by turnovers, and the Rams got their other score on a 54-yard fumble return by Kamren Curl.

— The Rams (2-4) knocked Aiden O’Connell out of the game and then intercepted Gardner Minshew three times, including two by rookie Jaylen McCollough of Tennessee. The Raiders (2-5) are minus-9 in turnovers over the past three weeks, and their scoring consisted of five field goals by Daniel Carlson.

–= The biggest play came near the end of the first half, when the Rams were leading 7-3 but having trouble moving. Matthew Stafford only had 14 completions all day. Here, Cobie Durant sacked Minshew and forced him to cough up the ball to Curl, who had his touchdown runback. Durant had a sack, a tackle for loss, an interception and that forced fumble. The Rams have a tough turnaround, with Minnesota coming to SoFi Stadium on Thursday.

Cincinnati 21, Cleveland 14

== It was a routinely unproductive afternoon for DeShaun Watson. Then he tore his Achilles tendon near the end of the first half. The Browns’ quarterback actually drew cheers from some of the more depraved fans, but in truth his absence won’t affect a season that’s already lost Dorian Thompson-Robinson came in and finished a touchdown drive before he injured a finger, and Jameis Winston finished up for the Browns, now 1-6.

— The fans did get amped when Nick Chubb returned after he’d missed more than a season with a knee injury. Chubb gained 22 yards in 11 carries. Ironically, tight end David Njoku had one of his better games while working with the revolving QBs. He caught 10 for 76 yards and a touchdown.

— Cincinnati has won three of four, and the only loss was a painful overtime affair at the hands of Baltimore. Joe Burrow was efficient, but the best player was Trey Hendrickson, who had two sacks for the second straight week and hit Browns’ quarterbacks five times. Charlie Jones returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for the 3-4 Bengals.

Philadelphia 28, N.Y. Giants 3

— For all the blather in Philly about Nick Sirianni, the Eagles are 4-2 with their biggest games upcoming. None will be easier than this one in the Meadowlands, in which the Eagles held the Giants to 119 total yards. For the second consecutive week, the Giants did not have a 20-yard play..

— The man of the hour was the prodigal Saquan Barkley, who left the Giants to come down the Turnpike and punished the Giants Sunday with 176 yards in 17 carries. The game was so simple that Jalen Hurts only had to throw 14 passes, although he ran for two scores. Meanwhile, the Eagles sacked Giants’ quarterbacks eight times. Daniel Jones suffered seven of those and eventually was replaced by Drew Lock.

— Dexter Lawrence had two sacks for the Giants (2-5) but Hurts had all his weapons with him. A.J. Smith caught five passes, and the Eagles controlled the ball for 36 minutes although they came up short in 12 of 13 third-down situations.

Washington 40, Carolina 7

–  No telling what Jayden Daniels could have done at the expense of the Panthers, but the rookie QB went out with a rib injury on the second series. The Commanders were rewarded for taking care of the QB2 spot when veteran Marcus Mariota came in to hit 18 passes in 23 tries for two touchdowns, and they rose to 5-2 and kept their NFC East lead.

– Andy Dalton threw two picks in Carolina’s first three series, and Donte Fowler took the first one back for a 67-yard touchdown. Washington stepped out to a 27-0 halftime lead, and the Panthers had only 10 first downs.

— Washington didn’t have Brian Robinson in its loss to Baltimore, but got him back this week, and the Alabama alum got 71 yards in 12 carries for a touchdown. 

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Jacksonville 32, New England 16

— The Jaguars wrapped up two weeks in London with one of their best efforts, and the biggest play came from Parker Washington. They were leading 14–10 when Washington, a second-year man and former sixth-round pick from Penn State, streaked 96 yards on a punt return. Washington’s sister Ashton is a scout for the Chicago Bears.

— Drake Maye caused some chuckles when he said that the British fans should root for the Patriots because England is part of the name New England. Maye hit 26 of 37 passes for two touchdowns and no picks in his second start, and he ran a 94-yard TD drive, so he probably won’t need a history degree anytime soon. 

— Trevor Lawrence was sharper, however, and connected on 15 of 20 passes. He also got help from Tank Bigsby (118 yards, 26 carries). A struggling Jacksonville defense also got one of Devin Lloyd’s best games, with a sack and 11 tackles.

Buffalo 34, Tennessee 10

— The Bills moved to 5-2 as Josh Allen introduced himself to new teammate Amari Cooper with a 66-yard TD pass. Allen also found rookie Keon Coleman for four catches worth 125 yards. But it was only a 17-10 game in the third quarter when a Titans’ drive was snuffed by two consecutive offensive line penalties. Allen got it back and immediately completed a 27-yarder to Cooper, and a 25-yarder to Dalton Kincaid, and the Bills made it 24-10 three plays later.

– Mason Rudolph replaced Will Levis as the Titans’ starting quarterback. Calvin Ridley, who was complaining about never getting the ball two weeks ago, was targeted nine times in this one, but only caught three.

– The Titans are 1-5 and haven’t beaten a team that was playing with its regular quarterback. 

Indianapolis 16, Miami 10

— The 2021 Mr. Irrelevant winner, Grant Stuard, was one of the most relevant players in this one. The last person picked in that draft, after a stellar career at Houston, participated in 18 tackles. Zaire Franklin, alongside him, was in on 16. That was too much for the Dolphins (3-4), who lost quarterback Tyler Huntley in the midst of one of his better showings and didn’t score in their last seven possessions.

–= Anthony Richardson, who has been banged-up frequently in nearly a season and a half, had his usual scatter-armed game but got the Colts down the field when it mattered. Two second-half field goals put the Colts ahead by six. Miami had a fourth-and-two on the Colts’ 33 at the end, and Tim Boyle couldn’t complete a pass to Malik Washington.

— The Colts are 4-3 and could go either way. Richardson hasn’t been as productive as Joe Flacco was. But they do have a win over the Steelers, and they’ve given up only three explosive plays in the past two games.

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