Lions Can Win Out

Read more on the increasing chances of the Detroit Lions winning the remainder of their games this season.

During the Detroit Lions' clash with the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, only one team looked like it belonged atop the NFC North standings, and it wasn't Minnesota.

Instead, it was the usually hapless Lions. Dan Campbell's squad was seemingly in control from start to finish in the Week 14 tilt, en route to beating the Vikings, 34-23.

It might've been a surprising development to some fans and pundits, but it surely wasn't to Campbell.

"Look, I don’t think there’s a surprise here," the Lions' second-year head coach told reporters after the game. "I’ve said it before: It’s hard when you get down in the dumps and you were where we were at, it’s easy to lose faith. But, these guys never did, and we stayed true to what we’re about and they knew, they believed we were one play away. And, that’s where we’ve been.

"And so now, we’re making the play, we’re making the one extra play, this -- it’s not costing us. And, we’re able to overcome some of these mistakes we were making earlier. So no, our guys, they know they belong. They know they belong, and they know when they play football like we’ve been playing the last six weeks, we can play with anybody. That’s the truth.”

Kirthmon F. Dozier, USA TODAY NETWORK

Making things even sweeter is the fact that Detroit, with the win Sunday, prevented Minnesota from clinching the NFC North division crown.

I believe it can be officially said now: These aren't your father's or grandfather's Lions. This is a new Lions breed that can compete with anybody, on any given day.

The team's starting left tackle, Taylor Decker, echoed the sentiment in the postgame.

"Absolutely, because we’re going up there and we’re trying to play our game," Decker said, when asked if the Lions can currently compete with and beat anybody. "We’re going to go out there and do what we do. I mean, I’ve said this just as an offensive lineman going into D-ends. Like, I’m going to go out there and do what I do. I think as a team, that’s what we’re doing. We’re just playing our game and playing confidently. It was close early (Sunday), and there were some body blows back and forth. Ultimately, we were able to kind of just play the game we wanted.”

This moxie that Decker and his teammates play with can certainly be attributed to the man in charge on the sidelines: Campbell.

Campbell, in case you've been living under a rock, carries himself and coaches in an ultra confident fashion. And, his bravado and never-say-never attitude have permeated the locker room in the Motor City this season.

"He's the same guy every week, and approaches everything with energy and confidence and enthusiasm," Detroit signal-caller Jared Goff said of Campbell after the game. "And, I think when things were bad, he did things -- he made tweaks, and he tried different things. He tried this, and he tried. And sometimes, that’s what it takes as a head coach. You have to try different things and see what sticks, and I think whenever it was that he changed, whatever it was, I can’t put my thumb on it. But, something in the last six weeks has changed. And, it’s been -- you can feel it. It’s different, and I said this after the game, like the work speaks to it, and the results speak to it."

Campbell's boldness was on full display in the Lions' win over Minnesota in Week 14.

First, there was the Dave Fipp-designed fake punt that was called at the beginning of the third quarter.

At the time, Detroit was up by just a touchdown, 14-7, and was facing a fourth-and-8 at its own 26-yard line.

Campbell summoned the punt team for the play. But, low and behold, Fipp dialed up a fake punt that ended up being a direct snap to reserve safety and special teams ace C.J. Moore.

It was perfectly orchestrated, as the Vikings were caught completely off guard and Moore ran for 42 yards before being pushed out of bounds.

Kirthmon F. Dozier, USA TODAY NETWORK

Fifteen of the 42 yards ended up being negated because of a taunting penalty called against reserve defensive back Jarren Williams. However, the long run from Moore still set up the Lions with prime field position, and eventually led to a touchdown.

Campbell and his coaching staff came up with a bit of trickery to end the game, too.

The Lions were leading, 31-23, at the time, and were coming out of the two-minute warning. They faced a third-and-7 at the Vikings' 41-yard line.

Detroit needed to get a first down to help seal the deal. Everyone who was gathered at Ford Field, including Minnesota's coaching staff and players, could've predicted Campbell & Co. were going to draw up a pass play.

However, no one could've seen what happened next: Goff dropped back, faked the hand-off to running back Jamaal Williams and found a wide-open Penei Sewell for the first down. Detroit proceeded to cap off what was a seven-play drive with a game-clinching 48-yard field goal from Michael Badgley.

It took some courage for Campbell -- as Sewell expressed, in so many words, in the postgame -- to trust in the right tackle to come down with the pivotal catch.

"Wow, I was about to say something bad. Dude's got some nuts on him, bro. That's as simple as that," Sewell said, in reference to Campbell's bold, late-game play call. "I couldn't find another word. But, yeah, Dan Campbell is going to be him, and nobody's going to change that. And, that's what I love about him."

Campbell & Co. are now winners of five of their last six, and it's gotten Lions fans from all over thinking that this once-downtrodden bunch can win each of its final four games.

This Detroit team, remember, was just 1-6 earlier this season, with basically no excitement surrounding it and absolutely no chance of making the playoffs.

The Lions have morphed into a different team since, however.

“I think we’re playing complementary football, offensively and defensively,” Detroit receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown told All Lions after the game. “You know, when we don’t make a play on offense, the defense steps up, like you saw on that turnover toward the end of the half (fumble forced by Isaiah Buggs, recovered by Kerby Joseph). If they score that, that’s huge for them. But, our defense makes a huge play, stops them. We almost get a chance to score, (just) missed a field goal. But, things like that, that weren’t happening for us those first few weeks, are things that are happening for us now.”

On Sunday, the Lions did just what St. Brown said above: They played “complementary football.”

It allowed Detroit to get sweet revenge against its divisional rivals, which came from behind to beat the Lions in Week 3. Additionally, in winning the Week 14 contest, Detroit passed a huge test against the NFC North-leading Vikings, which some didn’t think was possible (even yours truly).

Optimism continues to grow among the Lions fanbase, and at this present juncture, a large sect of fans believes the team can win out.

You can’t take any of Detroit’s next four games for granted, especially its contest next week with the 7-6 N.Y. Jets (at MetLife Stadium).

However, with how the Lions are presently playing, it’s hard to deny that something that was once wildly outlandish is now plausible. Yes, I’m talking about the feasibility of Campbell’s squad going undefeated the rest of this season.

All bets are now off.