With “haymakers from all areas,” the Lions continue to show that they are tough to beat

DETROIT – The latest wave of “YES-RED GOFF” chants erupted toward the end of the third quarter, during QB1’s final drive of the afternoon. The possession stalled just outside the red zone and Detroit settled for a field goal. Back on the sideline, Goff swapped his helmet for a Honolulu Blue ballcap and took the rest of the day off. He had 85 yards to his name.

It certainly wasn't a typical, sing-song performance or perfect game. But that wasn't necessary. Not if you play like the Lions did on Sunday.

“This is the best team I've ever been a part of,” nickel corner Amik Robertson said with a smile on his face after the Lions' 52-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans. “The attack helps the defense. The defense supports the offense. Even special teams. I mean, we could send a haymaker from anywhere.”

Haymakers from all angles – that's the perfect description of what it's like to play against the Detroit Lions these days. The Titans (1-6) are one of the worst teams in the NFL. All week long, head coach Dan Campbell and his players tried to give credit to the Titans. There has been talk that the Tennessee defense might be Detroit's best counterplay this year. There have been comparisons to the Lions' rebuilding effort a few years ago and the 1-6 start they got off to before getting things straightened out. The most important takeaway: Don't overlook anyone in your schedule.

Good advice for most teams. Maybe not necessary for this one.

They know where they were and where they came from. There are enough guys from the early years still around to make sure things don't go back to the way they were. They have witnessed how this team has developed over the last three seasons from ambitious overachievers to division favorites and Super Bowl contenders. You used to look through Detroit's schedule and zero in on all the teams that would be tough to beat.

The Lions are now the team for everyone else on their schedule.

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Case in point: The Titans held the Lions – one of the NFL's best offenses – to nearly 200 yards under their per-game average (411.8). The Lions managed just 225 yards of offense against the Titans on Sunday. Tennessee had allowed 272.2 yards per game entering the week – the lowest in the NFL – and held the Lions to nearly 50 yards under that mark. Both Campbell and Goff said it wasn't the offense's best day, and frankly, it wasn't.

They still scored 52 points. All you can do is shake your head. Demoralizing in every way.

“That’s how you get beat by a really good football team at your place,” Titans head coach Brian Callahan said, trying to summarize what went wrong Sunday. “Turn the ball over four times, they don't take it away once, they give up an incredible amount of return yardage in the return game on both kickoffs and punts, they put our defense on short fields, and they scored five touchdowns.” All of them five possessions were down there.”

That's all, but give us a moment. That was a bloodbath. The Lions were considered favorites to win. And perhaps some predicted what we ultimately saw. But such one-sided games are rare in a league where a 1-6 Browns team can defeat a Ravens team that has won five straight. There are no guarantees, but with the way these Lions play, you just expect them to get it done no matter who stars that week.

A prime-time game against a 3-0 Seahawks team that was your No. 1 team for the third straight year? Start the bye week with a convincing 42:29 win. Away against a Cowboys team, the Lions were 0-2 under Campbell? Give Jerry Jones his worst home loss, 47-9. No Aidan Hutchinson on the road against a 5-0 Vikings team looking down on the rest of the NFC North? No problem. Rely on star power to secure a 31-29 win in Minneapolis. Possible trap game against the Titans? Stick to 52 on them with defense and special teams leading the way.

The Titans were able to move the ball 416 yards, but there was an air of inevitability as those pushes unfolded. You were always waiting for something to go wrong. It won't always look pretty, but the Lions still have playmakers throughout the defense even without Hutchinson. And they were active on Sunday.

Trevor Nowaske's interception set up the Lions' first touchdown of the game. (Lon Horwedel/Imagn Images)

A pressure from Levi Onwuzurike up the middle forced a bad throw from quarterback Mason Rudolph, which landed right in the arms of Sam linebacker Trevor Nowaske and fell into coverage on the play. It provided an early touchdown for the Lions and gave the team a 7-0 lead. There would be three more turnovers forced by the defense – an interception return by Kerby Joseph deep in Tennessee territory (his fifth of the season) and two punch-outs by Robertson that were recovered by the Lions. After allowing a touchdown with just over 14 minutes left in the second quarter, the Lions held Tennessee scoreless the rest of the way.

“This game is about the ball, man, and we have guys in the room that are always, always close to the ball,” Robertson said. “So when you see these guys making plays, it becomes contagious and once you get one, they come in droves. You just have to take advantage of your opportunities whenever they come.”

It makes life easier for the offense. Goff orchestrated a unit that went 5 of 5 in the red zone and scored touchdowns through six different players. Goff finished the game with three touchdown passes – one to Brock Wright, one to Amon-Ra St. Brown and another to Kalif Raymond. Jahmyr Gibbs took one to the house for 70 yards, the longest run of his career. David Montgomery ran an in and threw one to tight end Sam LaPorta on National Tight Ends Day.

And yet not her best performance. Demoralizing.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of something like this where we start with the ball, not only in plus territory but in the red zone,” Goff said. “I don’t know how many times – probably four or five – and we did our job and pounded them in for touchdowns. That's what was asked of us today and we did it well. With that said, we scored 52 points and there's still the same “Eh, eh.” I know that sounds pretty hollow after 52 points, but there are some things we can do better on offense , if we are not in this red zone.”

Turnovers helped, but that's not how you get a 225-yard, 52-point performance. On a day like this, all three phases must be humming. Detroit's special forces may have been the real stars.

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Khalil Dorsey had a rare kick return opportunity in this game and almost converted it. He went 72 yards to the Tennessee 25 with the offense taking care of the play in the red zone. Punter/field optimization specialist Jack Fox routinely had the Titans starting deep in their own territory. Kicker Jake Bates continued his strong start and remains perfect on field goal attempts. He sparked things off with a 51-yarder in the third quarter, starting a long career.

Then there is the man of the hour. Three years ago, just over a month into her time with the franchise, Lions general manager Brad Holmes reached out to Campbell to get his opinion on a free-agent special teamer in Tennessee with some upside as a receiver . His name was Caliph Raymond.

“Hey, take a look at this guy from Tennessee. He's really a returning character, a gadget of sorts. Do you think there’s a place for him on offense?” Holmes asked Campbell.

“Yes,” Campbell told him that it only took him ten viewings of the film to know that Raymond was a good fit. “There definitely is. I’ll take this guy right away.”

Raymond emerged as a leader on a Lions team that went 3-13-1 and was one of its early tone setters. He is one of the hardest workers on the roster and is often a player that Campbell recommends to young players to watch and learn from as they try to navigate life as a professional.

Three years later, when Raymond took the field as game captain against his former team, he rushed for 190 yards and a touchdown as a punt returner and then caught two passes for 14 yards and a touchdown on offense. He is the ultimate reminder of everything the Lions are about.

“Bringing Leaf here has been a blessing ever since,” Campbell said. “What a professional he is. Boys love him – coaches, players. Man, you talk about reliable, and he's consistent, and the way he prepares, the way he works, and he does everything for us, man. He can play all positions on offense and is a dynamic returner. That was good to see. It's been a while since we got some big ones. He's just, man, he's the best. That was great, the team is excited for him.”

“It was just – it was a really cool game,” Raymond said. “Playing a team game like this is so much fun. Special teams, defensive players, offensive players – it’s just fun to be part of a football team like that.”

It certainly looks that way these days. In their final five games in Weeks 3 through 8, the Lions averaged 38.4 points per game on offense and allowed 18.8 points per game on defense (ninth in the NFL). In three of these five meetings they have scored 40 or more goals. During that span, there were an average of 0.4 giveaways (second lowest) and 2.6 takeaways (highest in the NFL) per game. They are a perfect 5-0 in these contests, winning by an average margin of nearly 20 points per game.

The Lions do what is expected of them week in and week out. There's a lot to be said for that.

“It's like I told them, 'This is what champions do,'” Campbell said after the game. “When you come out, you don’t care what time it is, what the records are, what the surface is, you just come out and mind your business. And that’s what we did.”

They have that been do that. And they are designed to continue to do so.

(Top photo by Kerby Joseph: Lon Horwedel / Imagn Images)