The Lions aren't kings yet, but they're prowling

Confetti from an NFL weekend.

Lions coach Dan Campbell

Alaska and Hawaii were two years away from statehood. The Soviets suddenly launched a rocket called Sputnik, while America was still on the launching pad.

A postage stamp was three cents. There were baseball teams called the Brooklyn Dodgers, Milwaukee Braves, Washington Senators and New York Giants.

And Joe Biden turned 15 in November.

It was 1957. There was no Vince Lombardi Trophy because he wasn’t even in Green Bay yet. The Super Bowl wouldn’t come along for nine seasons. What the heck, the American Football League wasn’t even an idea.

And the Detroit Lions were the champions of the NFL.

They didn’t mess around. After they came back from a 27-7 deficit to beat San Francisco, 31-27, the Lions pulverized Cleveland, 59-14, in Briggs Stadium, for the biggest title they could win. The people flooded the field, picked up linebacker Joe Schmidt and carried him around the field. For thirty minutes, they did that. The Lions held Jim Brown to 29 yards and won despite the fact that quarterback Bobby Layne had broken his ankle, which didn’t hamper his drinking. Tobin Rote replaced him and played as well as Layne would have.

The most crestfallen man in the world was Buddy Parker. He was the coach of the Lions in training camp. He had coached them, in fact, to the 1952 and 1953 titles. But at a boosters’ luncheon the week before the season opener, he announced. “There is a situation here I can’t handle,” and resigned immediately. Thus, the title fell into the lap of George Wilson.

No Lions’ coach has been as fortunate since. In fact, that glorious day in 1957 was the last time a postseason game was played in Detroit or its environs until the Super Bowls of the 1981 and 2015 seasons. The first one was San Francisco’s first Super Bowl win. The latter was the Steelers beating Seattle, with the Rolling Stones performing at halftime. Lions fans felt the pang when they heard, “You Cant’t Always Get What You Want.”

Dan Campbell could have handled that 1957 team. He came to coach the Lions in January of 2021. He announced the Lions would “kick you in the teeth, all right,” and if that didn’t work they were “going to bite a kneecap off,” and they’d respond to getting knocked down by getting up to “take your other kneecap.”

Kneecaps were safe in 2011 and most of 2022, but in the 17th game the Lions went to Green Bay and not only knocked the Packers out of the postseason but ejected Aaron Rodgers from Titletown.

General manager Brad Holmes, who had worked for the Rams, had traded Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Aaron Goff and draft picks. He also drafted Aidan Hutchinson, the Michigan pass rusher, with the No. 2-overall pick in 2022. Thanks to Holmes and those who had preceded him, the Lions suddenly had two things they hadn’t had in decades: An elite offensive line and a swarming, ball-seeking defense. And, in Tampa, the Lions finally unleashed Jameson Williams, the frequent flyer from Alabama who had torn a knee ligament in the 2022 BCS championship game. He caught a TD pass from Goff on Sunday.

On Sunday the 49ers and Eagles lost for the first time this season. The Lions went to Tampa Bay and throttled the Buccaneers, 20-6. Suddenly they had a 5-1 record just like the 49ers, Eagles, Dolphins and Chiefs, and they had beaten the Chiefs in the first game. They’d be undefeated if not for a 37-31 loss to Seattle, in which they never had the ball in overtime. They also lead the NFL in pass plays of 20 or more yards.

Goff is third in NFL quarterback rating and in yards per pass attempt. Amon-Ra St. Brown had 12 catches for 124 yards at Tampa Bay and is tenth in catches. The Lions’ defense denied Tampa Bay twice in the red zone and held Baker Mayfield’s team to two third down conversions out of 12, dropping the Bucs to 3-2.

People in Detroit will tell you that North America never has seen a party like the one Motown would stage if the Lions ever won a Super Bowl. To say such a thing is imminent is, of course, to flip off history. There’s a very troublesome game with Baltimore coming up on Sunday, and the decades have shown us that the Lions’ rare moments of competence are usually capsized by bad luck. But there are sore kneecaps in Tampa Bay this week. And, come to think of it, 1957 was also the year Buddy Holly sang “That’ll Be The Day.”

More confetti from an NFL weekend:

Cleveland 19, San Francisco 17

– The 49ers picked up a touchdown on their first possession and went ahead, 10-0, after an interception by Fred Warner. It didn’t seem likely that they would score only one other touchdown, on an 8-yard drive, or that they would lose after a missed 43-yard field goal by rookie kicker Jake Moody.

– It was the end of a 15-game regular season win streak and it came, nominally, at the hands of career backup and XFL refugee P.J. Walker, who was intercepted twice as Cleveland’s quarterback. But Walker managed drives of 14 and nine plays to get the field goals that put Cleveland ahead.

– Brock Purdy’s first regular season loss was an ugly one, as he went 12 for 27, but he didn’t have Deebo Samuel (shoulder) or Christian McCaffrey (oblique) at the end. No sympathy from the Browns (3-2), who are missing Nick Chubb for the season. Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah had three tackles for loss and has had five in the past two games, as Jim Schwartz’s NFL-best defense limited San Francisco (5-1) to 215 net yards and a 3-for-12 showing on third down.

N.Y. Jets 20, Philadelphia 14

– The Jets trailed 14-3 in the second quarter and seemed destined to sink to 0-13, lifetime, vs. Philadelphia. But gradually their defense got a handle on Jalen Hurts and intercepted him three times. The third one, by Tony Adams, came on third-and-nine as the Eagles were trying to chew up the clock. Breece Hall then scored with 1:46 left for the lead. The only Jets’ touchdown was on that 8-yard drive.

– Hurts then went 0-for-4 in the Eagles’ last possession and wound up 28 for 45 for 280 yards. The Jets also controlled the Eagles’ running game, giving up a manageable 80 yards and no run over 12. Quinnen Williams stood up to one of the game’s best offensive lines and participated in 12 tackles.

– A 37-yard field goal by Jake Elliott could have put the Eagles up 17-12 but went wide right. Meanwhile, Zach Wilson was under control, surviving five sacks and going 19 for 33 without a turnover. The Jets have a 3-3 record that seemed improbable when Aaron Rodgers was hurt on the first series of the year.

Dallas 20, L.A. Chargers 17

–  The Chargers had just penalized themselves out of a possession in the fourth quarter when Jalen Tolbert of the Cowboys muffed a punt on his own 20. Justin Herbert, on fourth down, hit Gerald Everett with a one-yard touchdown to tie the game 17-17 with 7:11 left.

– That just let L.A. invent a new way to lose. An illegal-contact foul on Ja’Sir Taylor took the Cowboys off a third-and-18 hook, and Dak Prescott converted a third-and-8 with a pass to Brandin Cooks. The resulting field goal made it 20-17, and Micah Parsons sacked Herbert on a second-and-two. Herbert followed by throwing a pick to Stephon Gilmore, and the Chargers fell to 2-3.

– Dallas (5-1) held the returning Austin Ekeler to 27 yards in 14 carries, and Prescott outplayed Herbert, with an 18-yard option TD run and then a superb 60-yard pass play to Tony Pollard that set up his scoring pass to Cooks.

Buffalo 14, N.Y. Giants 9

– The Bills (4-2) almost followed the Eagles and 49ers into the twilight zone on Stranger Sunday, even though the Giants were missing QB Daniel Jones and were so threadbare on the offensive line that they welcomed back tackle Justin Pugh, who was out of the game when the season began. On the NBC lineup introductions, Pugh identified his alma mater as “straight off the couch.” But Tyrod Taylor was 24 for 36 with no interceptions, and Saquon Barkley returned to run 24 times for 93 yards, and the Giants came within a yard of the upset.

– On the final play, Taylor found tight end Darren Waller in the end zone, but Taron Johnson held onto Waller’s arm, and there was no interference call. But the Giants had also botched the final yard at the end of the first half, with no points, and they came up 0-for-5 in the red zone.

– Josh Allen was not sacked and hit Stefon Diggs 10 times for 100 yards. The Bills’ defense had nine tackles for loss, including three by Terrell Bernard, and became the third unit in six games to deny New York (1-5) a touchdown.  

Cincinnati 17, Seattle 13

– A new name in the NFL cast: Andrei Iosivas, a tight end from Princeton whom the Bengals picked in the 7th round. Iosivas is from Honolulu, attended the Puhanou School and was a 3-time state heptathlon champ. Here he caught a three-yard TD pass for a 14-7 lead at the half, and Joe Burrow made sure he got the ball afterward.

– Seattle drove smartly to a touchdown on its first possession and didn’t score another. Down four in the fourth quarter, Geno Smith was sacked on fourth down from the Bengals’ six by Sam Hubbard. The Seahawks got it back on their own 40 with 1:39 left, and Smith misfired to Tyler Lockett on third and fourth down.

–  Trey Hendrickson had three tackles for loss for Cincinnati, and Hubbard had five hits on Smith, and the Bengals joined the Seahawks at 3-3 on a day when Joe Burrow only passed for 185 yards.

Miami 42, Carolina 21

– The Dolphins (5-1) spotted Carolina (0-6) 14 points before they cranked their engine, which was missing a piston in rookie Da’Von Achane. Raheem Mostert filled in by running for three touchdowns, and Tyreek Hill bolstered his NFL lead in receiving yards with 163, on six passes, including a touchdown.

– Carolina’s opponents are 9-for-9 in red zone trips in the past two games. Bryce Young played reasonably well, going 23-for-38 with a TD pass to Adam Thielen, but was sacked four times. Thielen, cut loose by the Vikings in the off-season, has two consecutive 100-yard games.

– The Dolphins bring their light show to Philadelphia on Sunday night. They are averaging 37.2 points. But their defense has allowed only one quarterback to reach a 100 passer rating (Josh Allen).

Jacksonville 37, Indianapolis 20

– The Jaguars might be ready to take command of the AFC South after two theraputic wins in London. They’re now 4-2 and they lead the NFL in takeaways, and they got four more in this one.

– Gardner Minshew was forced to hoist 55 passes for the Colts (3-3), who fell behind early and never got their running game on point. Jonathan Taylor got only 19 yards in his eight tries, his second game back. The Colts also learned that Anthony Richardson’s rookie year is over, thanks to his shoulder, which means he’ll still be a raw second-year QB in 2024.

– Foyesade Oluokun has led the NFL in tackles the past two years. On Sunday he was involved in 15 of them for Jacksonville, and also defensed a pass. 

Kansas City 19, Denver 8 

– Kansas City’s 15th consecutive victory over Denver (1-5) was a snoozer, especially when matched against Phillies-Braves Game 4. The most dynamic play might have been a 60-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.

– The Chiefs (5-1) were 1 for 5 in the red zone and got only three points in their first three trips, against the worst defense in the league. Denver’s sclerotic offense (three plays of 15 yards or more) actually got to within 16-8 in the fourth quarter, but Patrick Mahomes found Rashee Rice and Skyy Moore to get within Butker’s range with 1:55  left. Then Trent McDuffie caused a fumble by Samaje  Perine to wrap it up officially.

– Russell Wilson managed 95 air yards on 22 attempts and threw two picks. Mahomes was 30 for 40 for 306 yards and found Travis Kelce nine times in nine targets  for 124 yards. Rookie Rice, from SMU, has become a favored wide-out target, with four catches, 72 yards.

Washington 24, Atlanta 16

– The Falcons (3-3) are still getting mixed signals from QB Desmond Ridder, who was terrific last week against Houston but threw three interceptions against Washington (3-3). Because of that, and because of a 61-yard punt return by Jameson Crowder, the Commanders could score touchdowns on drives of 11,52, and 27 yards. Since Atlanta beat Carolina in the opener, it has been on the wrong end of a 0-10 turnover margin.

– Sam Howell, another 2nd year quarterback, endured five sacks and threw three TD passes. He only passed for 151 yards but stayed out of harm’s way. However, he has been sacked 34 times already.

– The Commanders were given credit for 10 passes defensed, including three by safety Kamren Curl. The defense rescued Washington late in the fourth quarter when Atlanta had a second-and-goal on the Washington two yard line. After a delay of game penalty, Benjamin St. Juste intercepted Ridder’s throw to Drake London (nine catches, 125 yards) in the end zone.

Houston 20, New Orleans 13

– A sign of maturity is a victory when not everything is firing. C.J. Stroud finally threw a pick on his 192th pass of the year, and Houston had one field goal and four punts in the second half. But Steven Nelson had his fourth interception of the season to stop one Saints’ drive, and the Texans (3-3) stopped Alvin Kamara for two yards on a fourth-and-four. New Orleans (3-3) was 0-for-3 in the red zone, negating Derek Carr’s 353 passing yards.

– Blake Cashman was one of Kamara’s tacklers on that play, and he was in on 15 tackles, two of them for loss, and was credited for two passes defensed. 

– Stroud went 13 for 27 for 199 yards after Zack Baun broke his pick-less streak. He threw first-half touchdown passes to Dalton Schultz and Robert Woods.for a 17-10 lead.

Las Vegas 21, New England 17

–  The Patriots (1-5) put the gearbox on low and oozed downfield on a 17-play drive that ended in Rhamondre Stevenson’s touchdown plunge. At that point they were within 19-17 of the homestanding Raiders with 3:33 left. They forced a punt, got the ball back on their own nine, and then lost their chance when Mac Jones was sacked in the end zone by Maxx Crosby and Bilal Nichols, a safety that infuriated Bill Belichick.

– Jimmy Garoppolo was hurt again. This time it’s his back, and he was hospitalized during the game. Brian Hoyer finished up for the 3-3 Raiders, but no word on next week.

– Before the safety, Jones threw a dream pass down the sideline to DeVante Parker, who dropped it. A holding penalty by Hunter Henry wiped out Jones’ 74-yard touchdown connection with Ezekiel Elliott. The Patriots continue to learn how the other 96 percent lives.

Baltimore 24, Tennessee 16

– If Londoners wanted to watch people kick, they probably could have found annother match. The teams combined to make nine field goals and punt eight times. That’s a combined 1-for-10 performance in the red zones. The difference was that Baltimore (3-3) converted 8 of 16 third downs and Tennessee (2-4) one of nine, which allowed the Ravens to keep the ball for almost 36 minutes.

–  The Titans’ only touchdown drive went 25 yards, after Sean Murphy-Bunting picked off Lamar Jackson. Derrick Henry scored from 15 yards. Their offense won’t be helped by Ryan Tannehill’s ankle sprain. Malik Willis, first-round pick in 2022, relieved him in the third quarter but didn’t look ready. Jadeveon Clowney sacked him twice on the final drive, giving Baltimore six.

– Nick Folk of the Titans has now made 70 consecutive field goals from inside 40 yards. That ties the record set by Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, who kicked six field goals Sunday. 

L.A. Rams 26, Arizona 9

– Arizona (1–5) only trailed 16-9 early in the third quarter and had a first down on the Rams 12. Joshua Dobbs tried to find Zach Ertz, but the pass was behind him, tipped off Ertz’s hands and into those of Rams linebacker Christian Rozeboom. The Rams then pounded out 88 yards, using Kyren Williams for seven carries, including a 5-yard touchdown for a 23-9 lead.

– Williams rumbled 20 times for 158 yards. The Notre Dame alum is another useful fifth-round draft pick by general manager Les Snead.

–  Aaron Donald threw three Cardinal ballcarriers for losses, and Cooper Kupp continued his comeback with seven catches for 148 yards and a touchdown. The Rams are 3-3 with losses to Philadelphia, San Francisco and Cincinnati.

Minnesota 19, Chicago 13

– Rookie Tyson Bagent got his chance halfway through the third quarter, after quarterback Justin Fields hurt his hand. Chicago (1-5) was only trailing, 9-6, and had the ball on its own 41. He picked up a first down, but then was sacked by safety Josh Metellus and fumbled. Jordan Hicks scooped it and scored from 42 yards, and the Vikings (2-4) were basically home free.

– With Justin Jefferson hurt, the Vikings did not run a play longer than 21 yards, so they relied on a defense that hit Chicago quarterbacks eight times and had five sacks and four takeaways. They were 2 for 13 on third down and had only 55 snaps but still won.

– Fields was 6 for 10 for 58 yards and was sacked four times. The only keepsake from this one was a ground game that picked up 162 yards. That and, of course, the real possibility that the Bears will get the top two picks in the 2024 draft.

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