Campbell: Lions 'Won as a Team' against Rams

Dan Campbell was pleased with Lions' effort in playoff victory.

Lions fans, you can finally exhale. Your NFL franchise has won its first playoff game in 32 years.

It wasn't easy, but Detroit, carried by the arm of Jared Goff and a strong red-zone defense, knocked off Matthew Stafford and the Rams Sunday night at Ford Field.

Goff completed 22-of-27 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. Also, he connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for an 11-yard completion on the game-sealing first down with 2:00 to play.

Meanwhile, the Lions kept Los Angeles out of the end zone on all three of its trips to the red zone. Aaron Glenn’s defense held the Rams to Brett Maher field goals in each instance.

Dan Campbell was pleased with his team's relentless effort in front of its home fans.

“The guys hung in there. We won as a team. We did what we needed to, took all three phases, got our special teams involved in the second half. I thought Jack Fox was unbelievable,” Campbell told reporters after the game. “Defensively, we kept them out of the red zone, which was huge. That’s an explosive offense. We knew Stafford was going to be hard to contain. I thought Puca (Nacua), he’s a heck of a receiver. And that defense, man, they were flying around. Aaron Donald, he’s an issue, no matter how many resources you try to put his way.”

Detroit’s offense and defense both experienced their fair share of struggles against the Rams.

Lions Defeat Rams, 24-23, in Front of Frenzied Ford Field Crowd

Goff & Co. scored just three second-half points, while Glenn’s unit allowed L.A. to produce 425 total yards of offense.

The Lions' defense also had no answer for wide receiver Puka Nacua. The rookie standout finished the playoff tilt with a game-high nine receptions and 181 yards. He was also on the receiving end of one of Stafford’s two touchdown passes.

Despite these various shortcomings, Detroit still managed to secure its first playoff win since the 1991 season.

“Ultimately, we did what we had to do to win that game, and played it the right way,” Campbell expressed. “In the critical moment, to seal the game, we put it in Goff’s hands. He gets it to ‘Saint’ (St. Brown), and we’re able to kneel on it. So, it's an outstanding job.”

The third-year head man also credited the 66,367 loud-and-proud fans at Ford Field for helping the Lions top Stafford & Co. 

"That's arguably the best environment I've ever been in," Campbell said. "That was absolutely electric. And, I think what's crazy is that I was coming down from pregame warmup, and you could just feel it. It was humming. The building was humming. And, I swear you could feel the electricity down the tunnel from where I was coming down. 

"Man, our fans showed up in a big way. That was clearly -- and I thought, man, for two years now that building's been rocking -- it was different today. That was a whole 'nother level. It's what the playoffs are all about."