Jared Goff Playing 'Fearless' Helps Lions Win

Goff bounced back from recent struggles.

The Detroit Lions had to overcome turnover issues in Week 11 and Week 12. Quarterback Jared Goff struggled to take care of the ball. Against the Bears in Week 11, he threw three interceptions. 

The following week, he lost three fumbles, and the Lions were dealt their third loss of the season. 

However, Goff bounced back with a strong showing against the New Orleans Saints in Week 13. He avoided the turnovers, and threw two first-quarter touchdown passes. It helped the Lions earn their ninth win of the year. 

"I was so fired up. That's not the easiest thing, to go (through) what we talked about the last couple weeks. The trick is, man, take care of the football, be smart, pocket movement, but, man, don't take away what you are," Dan Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday. "You don't want to neuter the guy, because he was one of the biggest reasons we had eight wins in the first place. I thought he did that. I thought he took care of the football. He set strong in the pocket like he has, but he played fearless."

Goff kept a balance between being conservative with the ball and leading the offense. He was dialed in, and made two clutch throws on the final drive to ice the win.

"I just think that's the trick. That's the hard thing to do," Campbell stated. "It's easy enough to dial back and say we need to take care of the football, and then you go into a shell and you're not even close to the player that you were. I thought he did a great job of that. Ultimately, that last drive, he helped win us the game." 

Campbell is 'natural fit' at MIKE linebacker

With Alex Anzalone sidelined due to injury, the Lions turned the reins of the defense over to rookie Jack Campbell. 

A true middle linebacker in college, Campbell had been forced to play out of position as the team's SAM backer, out of necessity for much of the season. 

He finished Sunday with nine tackles, two for loss, and had a hand in an interception on the team's first defensive play. 

"I thought Jack, that was one of his best games. He played real well. Look, we weren't worried about him," Campbell explained. "The flow of the game, getting the call in, getting it to the guys, that's right up his alley. He handled all of that spotless. The key and diagnose, they gave us a lot of the fast motion stuff, so being able to see it and hit some of these runs without delay. And then, watching him a little bit in space in the pass game. They tried to put 'AK' (Alvin Kamara) on him a couple of times, and, man, his patience to sit there, force him to make a break and then drive on the ball. I thought he did well."

The Lions have enjoyed the luxury of being able to play him at multiple spots, but Campbell pointed out that the MIKE position is the most natural for the Iowa product. 

"Look, part of the allure is he can play all of them," Campbell explained. "I would say he's probably, for us, we love seeing him at MIKE. We know he's got versatility, but the MIKE, that's a natural fit for him." 

Film Review: Jack Campbell Plays Fast, Has Best NFL Game

Bruce Irvin's encouraging debut

Sunday marked the Lions debut for 36-year-old Bruce Irvin, who was signed to the team's practice squad in Week 11. After spending recent weeks ensuring that he was in football shape, Detroit elevated the veteran for Sunday's game.

Irvin recorded a sack on one of his first snaps, and finished with two pressures. One of them resulted in a roughing-the-passer penalty, as he was a step late in getting to Derek Carr on a hit that would result in the quarterback leaving the game with an injury. 

"That was good to see. We watched him in practice here the last three weeks, and we've seen it," Campbell said. "It's just about, let's make sure that we don't set him up for failure and make sure he's got his football legs under him. This was the week, and I tell you what, he did, he got some pressures. You saw the sack, actually a couple of sacks, and he can still bend the corner. He's got a quick first step, and he's violent. Listen, it's encouraging, and it's a piece that we can certainly use here."