Aaron Glenn, Lions Defense Praised for Pressuring Russell Wilson

NFL media reacts to Lions' win over Denver.

Here is a sample of the national reaction to the Detroit Lions' 42-17 win over the Denver Broncos.

Sports Illustrated

"Surprisingly, Detroit (10–4) leaned on its defense before building a 21–0. The Lions produced a shutout in the first half behind a pass rush that was on point from the opening kickoff. After a sluggish first quarter, the Lions’ offense broke the game open, as Jared Goff threw touchdowns to multiple playmakers, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs, who also had a rushing score. The Lions might have quieted the narrative of them being postseason pretenders after the dominant performance. They can make a louder statement by beating the Vikings on the road next week. Detroit plays in Dallas in Week 17 before ending the regular season at home vs. the Vikings."

CBS Sports

"Good Jared Goff was back in full force. Well-protected, the QB looked totally comfortable delivering quick-strike darts to St. Brown, LaPorta and perimeter outlets Jameson Williams and Josh Reynolds, taking everything Denver gave him (which was a lot). And all of their offensive speed was apparent, with St. Brown virtually untouchable in open space and Jahmyr Gibbs averaging more than eight yards per carry deep into the contest. Aaron Glenn's defense was equally impressive, nearly logging double-digit hits on Russell Wilson and tightening up in the most important situations, including third downs and a second-half red-zone trip by Denver."

Lions Approaching Playoff Game against Matthew Stafford

The Athletic

"Talk about a bounce-back effort. Goff threw five touchdowns, shaking off a rough start for arguably his best game of the season. Rookies Gibbs and LaPorta combined for five touchdowns. The defense was stellar, holding the Broncos to 17 points and 287 total yards. What we saw from the Lions on Saturday evening was arguably their most complete game of the season. It comes after a stretch of two losses in three games — a period where you didn’t know which unit would perform. But the Lions were firing on all cylinders tonight. The end result? A comfortable 42-17 win.

The Lions needed that. They needed a comfortable win. They needed their best players to perform in December. They got all of that and more. The stars are aligning, and it’s all because the Lions took care of business this evening."

ESPN

"After a 13-point performance that Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown described as "disappointing" and "frustrating" during last week's loss to the Chicago Bears, the Lions responded with a strong win at home over Denver with a solid output on both sides of the ball. St. Brown was coming off a season-low 21 receiving yards while veteran QB Jared Goff committed nine turnovers over a four-game stretch before facing the Broncos. They both stepped up as St. Brown registered 102 receiving yards with a TD while Goff threw five touchdowns without a turnover."

NFL.com

"After watching two losses and 10 turnovers over the past month of games, Lions fans would be forgiven for sweating a bit when the first quarter yielded three punts from the offense. Jared Goff and Co. assuaged any lingering concerns the rest of the way, however, going into hyperdrive against a defense that has been dominant since the middle of October. They attacked in a variety of ways, all of which were resoundingly successful, to at one point score five straight touchdowns on drives of 80, 61, 81, 75 and 75 yards. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs continued to evolve as one of the league’s most fearsome backfield duos, combining for 185 yards and a Gibbs rushing score on 28 carries. Gibbs was especially electrifying, breaking ankles with regularity to average 9.1 yards per tote, zipping around containment and also scoring on a TD reception. Goff, who has been responsible for four of the aforementioned turnovers during Detroit’s sketchy patch of play, was a surgeon. He was especially good throwing quick, and he finished the night 24 of 34 for 278 yards, a 134.6 passer rating and five scores. An incredible three of those went to Gibbs’ fellow rookie standout, Sam LaPorta, and the others went to Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown, who put Denver to the torch with seven catches for 112 yards. It’s hard to stop the Lions when even a few of their stars are performing. Tonight they all were."