Lions Prove They Can Make Deep Playoff Run

The Detroit Lions have fully embraced "next man up" mentality.

Sweet revenge. The Lions got just that by beating the Carolina Panthers Sunday, avenging a late-season loss to Carolina from a season ago.

The Lions didn't just beat the Panthers, either. They dominated from start to finish, controlling the line of scrimmage and imposing their will on both sides of the ball. 

Detroit lead back David Montgomery ran for 100-plus yards for a second consecutive game (109 yards and a touchdown), while Aidan Hutchinson unsurprisingly led the pass-rushing efforts and notched a sack for a third straight contest. The second-year EDGE also snatched an interception off of Panthers quarterback Bryce Young in the first quarter. In doing so, Hutchinson became the first defensive lineman in NFL history to accumulate four interceptions in his first two seasons.

Hutchinson & Co. also held the Panthers to under 100 total rushing yards (99 yards on 23 carries). 

It's always an impressive feat when a defense does that to an opposing rushing attack. Yet, it was even more notable for Aaron Glenn's defense on Sunday, after what the Panthers did to his unit a year ago. In case you forgot, in a late-season matchup last year, Carolina thrashed Detroit on the ground, to the tune of 320 yards and three touchdowns on 43 carries. 

To make matters worse, Carolina won the game, snapping a three-game winning streak for the Lions at the time. It also ended up being a crucial blow to Detroit's playoff hopes a season ago.

It was an embarrassing performance for the Lions, and one which they've been hoping to put behind them ever since it happened. They did just that on Sunday at Ford Field, and without several key players on both sides of the ball (i.e. Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Brian Branch). 

It was a spirited effort from Dan Campbell's team, and a performance that proved to him that Detroit can beat anybody at any time, regardless of how unfavorable the circumstances may be.

"I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: They don’t care who we play,” Campbell said, after Detroit's Week 5 win against the Panthers. “It’s competition, and they show up. They’re not worried about the elements, who they have, who we have, what the records are. I’m proud of the way we showed up.”

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Campbell's undermanned Lions outgained the Panthers, 377-342, in total yards on Sunday. They also still managed to score a staggering 42 points, extending their streak of scoring at least 20 points to 14 straight games (a new team record). 

To Montgomery, Detroit's undeterred effort on Sunday – and refusal to let up despite Carolina being winless – was indicative of the "next man up" culture that Campbell has established in the Motor City. 

"You get certain chances in life to have opportunities,” Montgomery told reporters, after Sunday's non-divisional tilt with Carolina. “It’s either you capitalize on ’em or you fold, and we got guys on this team who capitalize every chance that they get. … Injuries happen, and it happens throughout the season. But, you gotta make sure that you got guys that are ready, and we do have (those types of) guys.”

On the opposite side of the ball, Detroit limited its opponent to less than 100 total rushing yards for the fifth straight game. And perhaps even more impressively, the Lions have allowed a combined 342 rushing yards through the first five games of the 2023 campaign. It marks the fewest rushing yards that Detroit has permitted through the first five games of any season since at least 1932.

On top of all that, Glenn's unit generated three turnovers on Sunday, all of which later turned into points for the Lions.

Will Harris, who suited up at nickel corner in the place of the injured Branch, was responsible for one of those said turnovers (a recovered fumble). He wound up with nine total tackles in the Week 5 contest, to go along with a pass defensed and a quarterback hit.

Harris echoed Montgomery's sentiment that this Lions roster is littered with players who are ready to step up when given the chance. 

"This is a beautiful thing, man,” the fifth-year defensive back said. “I feel like everybody who you don’t see in the game is just scratching and clawing to get in the game, you know? That’s a beautiful thing when guys are ready, guys are competitive, guys are ready to make plays. That’s the precedent we have in the locker room.”

The "Same Old Lions" would've been susceptible to a letdown game against a woeful team like the Panthers. But, not this Lions team. This Lions team is different, and takes care of business against inferior competition. Just ask Jared Goff, who threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns in the winning effort. 

"I think we're becoming a more mature team, and understanding that when we play a team that, with all due respect to them, they're 0-4, and we feel like we can do some good things against, we do some good things against them," the Lions' veteran signal-caller commented in the postgame. "Again, with all due respect, we've been there, we know what that feels like. But, when we're becoming this team we hope to be, when we play a team we want to get after, we have to go do it. And, I thought we did a good job today." 

The Lions are brimming with confidence, and certainly should be after starting the season 4-1 for the first time since the 1991 campaign (Detroit started 5-0 in 2011). They've beaten last year's Super Bowl champion (Kansas City), have taken care of the Packers at Lambeau Field and now have refused to let down against Carolina.  

And, if Detroit keeps playing like it did Sunday, a day on which it played high-level complementary football, there's no doubt in my mind that it should win the NFC North and multiple playoff games. 

Yes, the Lions, playing like they are currently, could very well make a deep playoff run this winter.