Lions-Colts Key Matchup: Jack Campbell vs. Jonathan Taylor

Campbell assumes increased responsibilities in absence of Alex Anzalone.

Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 15, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions (9-1) will do battle with the Indianapolis Colts (5-6) on Sunday, looking to record their ninth straight win.

If the Lions are able to secure the victory, they'll need to make a concerted effort to curtail the production of Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.

Taylor, a 2020 second-round pick, has been Indianapolis’ lead back since his very first days in the NFL. 

The Wisconsin product took the league by storm as a rookie, rushing for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns. He then followed that up with a career-best campaign, amassing a league-high 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing TDs and earning first-team All-Pro honors for his efforts.

Although his production has tailed off a bit since, Taylor still has continued to be a tough matchup for opposing defenses. In eight games in 2024, he's rushed for 673 yards and five touchdowns on 150 carries, equating to 4.5 yards a carry. He's also added another 111 yards as a receiver.

The fifth-year pro will be tested on Sunday against the Lions’ fifth-ranked run defense, which has allowed just 948 total rushing yards on the season.

“Those guys, they get after it,” Taylor said about the Lions’ defense. “They're a physical group up front. They play hard, they're going to play all four quarters. So, it's going to be a physical matchup for sure. They like to bring the noise. Good thing about it, though, we're at home, feed off the energy of the crowd. We're going to have to definitely be on our ‘A game,’ though, for sure.”

Linebacker Jack Campbell, the de facto leader of Detroit's defense with Alex Anzalone out, will play a major role in slowing down Taylor in this Week 12 affair.

Campbell, with a team-leading 78 total tackles through 10 games, has put together a solid sophomore campaign. The second-year pro has been especially stout against the run (83.0 Pro Football Focus run-defense grade), and has recorded a PFF overall grade of 75.7. That overall mark ranks 11th-best among all qualified linebackers (82 total LBs).

In place of the injured Anzalone, he'll wear the green dot on Sunday, and relay the defensive calls made from the sideline by Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. 

Lions head man Dan Campbell believes the former Iowa linebacker will be up to the task and “thrive” in the role.

"He is a smart football player, and he studies it, he works at it,” Campbell said of the second-year defender. “He was that way when he walked in, though. He's an instinctive player that really understands ball.”

In this Week 12 matchup, I'm predicting that Taylor rushes 21 times for 101 yards and a score. Meanwhile, I believe that Campbell will end up with eight total tackles, including one for loss, in a Detroit victory.