Lions Playing Best Football Can Be Scary in Playoffs

Lions played a complete game against Broncos.

At last, it happened: On Saturday night against the Broncos, the Lions played a solid game on both sides of the ball – a complete game – for the first time since their Week 9 bye.

For starters, after turning over the football a staggering 10 times the past four weeks, Jared Goff cleaned up his act. He played turnover free, and tied his career high with five touchdown passes (a feat he had accomplished only once before: as a member of the L.A. Rams in 2018).

Then, there was the Lions' two-headed monster at running back – featuring Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery – which delivered an extremely efficient day on the ground. Gibbs and Montgomery each rushed for at least five yards a carry, and the duo combined for 185 yards on the ground. 

Gibbs led the way with 100 rushing yards (on just 11 carries), his second career game with at least 100 yards as a ball-carrier. With the performance, he now leads all running backs – yes, all running backs – with an average of 5.8 yards per rushing attempt. 

Gibbs’ rookie counterpart, tight end Sam LaPorta, also once again delivered a noteworthy performance. 

Most notably, the Iowa product was the recipient of a career-high three touchdown passes from Goff. He also caught five balls for 56 yards, becoming the first rookie tight end in NFL history to accumulate at least 70 receptions, 700 receiving yards and nine receiving TDs in a season. 

The only rookie TE in #NFL history to produce at least 70 receptions, 700 receiving yards and 8 receiving TDs in a season:

- @Lions TE @Samlaporta #OnePride#ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/uvV1MjrbYA

— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) December 17, 2023

“We married the run and the pass very well today. We were efficient in both of those areas. I felt like we could open up a lot of things in the offense today and anything that Ben (Johnson) called was going to work for us,” LaPorta told reporters after the Week 15 win. “Certainly, we had some plays that didn't work for us. But, from my perspective, it’s hard to stop the offense when everybody’s playing complementary football and doing their job. And yeah, a great team win.”

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the ball, Detroit got after Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson early and often, and finished with two sacks of the veteran passer. The Lions, via the efforts of safety Ifeatu Melifonwu and defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, also came up with a fumble from Wilson early in the first quarter.

Melifonwu, who started for just the third time this season, delivered a masterful performance. He not only delivered nine total tackles, but he also came up with a sack, the aforementioned forced fumble of Wilson, two pass breakups and two total QB hits. 

Melifonwu got the start in place of veteran safety Tracy Walker, who has experienced his fair share of struggles throughout the 2023 season.

“You trust your gut and go with it, and we felt like that was the right move and Iffy’s continued to grow,” Dan Campbell said of the decision to start Melifonwu. “And, look, Iffy, his thing really has been the durability. Well, he’s been healthy, he’s been able to stay on the field and his body’s holding up and he’s a smart, athletic, physical player. He’s got length and range, and him being back there with Kerby (Joseph), look, we’re getting better. We’re getting better.”

Along with being an impact performer against the pass Saturday, Melifonwu helped Detroit stymie the efforts of Denver's run game in the Week 15 matchup. He and his defensive counterparts held Samaje Perine, Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin to under 100 total rushing yards (and a measly three yards per carry).

It was reminiscent of the Lions’ strong play against opponents’ ground games earlier this season. Remember, through the first six weeks of the season, Aaron Glenn's unit failed to allow a team to accumulate 100 total rushing yards. And, prior to Detroit's primetime tilt with the Broncos, Glenn's unit had gone four straight weeks of allowing opponents to amass north of 100 rushing yards.

It was a return to form for the Lions defensively, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Not only is the regular season winding down, but the magic number for Campbell's team to clinch its first division title since 1993 is down to just one.

And, how about this: The Lions will have a chance to capture the NFC North division crown next Sunday in Minnesota. If Detroit takes care of business and prevails victorious in the Week 16 game, it will be division champs. 

“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Campbell said of the opportunity to beat the Vikings to clinch the division. “Go out there, on the road, tough environment, and we got a chance to get the next one. So, man, we’re going to be looking forward to it. I know I am, and I know our guys will. We did what we needed to do today against a hot team, to get to 10 wins, and now we got to figure out how to get to 11.”

Saturday night was an example of what the Lions can be when they play complementary football. It was also highly resemblant of the winning brand of football that they consistently displayed throughout the first half of the season.  

At this present juncture, I'm not going to guarantee that they'll get back to playing that kind of football on a consistent basis. But, if Campbell's team finds a way to do so, it will prove to be a team capable of doing damage in the postseason.  

Remember, these aren't your father's or grandfather's Lions. These are the “Brand New Lions,” which are not going to roll over to any opponent. 

And, if these Lions return to playing consistently solid football on both offense and defense, it should be a scary thought for the rest of the NFC.