Everything Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the win over the Vikings

Here's everything head coach Dan Campbell said after the Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31-29 at US Bank Stadium on Sunday.

Opening speech

“That was a good win. That was a good win. I told the team that to say I was proud of them was a massive understatement. We knew this team; They played good football and have now been coming back from the break for five weeks. Bye, and we knew it would matter. We talked about patience. We didn't seem to bat an eyelid. In the end we got the ball back, which was huge defensively. Line leads us with Gibbs and St. Brown, what a kick man, great team win when we need it I'm really proud of these guys. It's a huge road, a tough environment – I don't want to say we need to win, but we needed that in a lot of ways.

Speaking of trusting Bates, sending the kicker out, the game is on the line…

“I think I said it, right? I think that's what I said. He felt good about it. When you – we had five games with him, NFL games. And then when you see him every day in training and you give him the crowd noise and you're moving the court and I'm yelling at him and you just apply pressure, you watch him, he keeps making those kicks. It's not the same, but it's like his confidence has grown. He's really proud of him.

What about Jared today? His production has dipped because he hasn't posted a 150 passer rating like he did the last two weeks. But he was 140 today, 22 of 25. Every week it seems like he's making the right decisions in the right places to put you in a position to win.

“He’s a stallion. I was just asked a question: What did you see? This goes back to what you saw in 1921 when Brad and I took over? What does it matter? And the guy has arm talent, that’s true.” No question. But it's what he's got here (points to head) and what he's got here (points to heart), and that really makes him one of those guys that you can build on because he's a winner, man. He will find a way to put the offense in position to win the game. He's just competitive. He is reliable. And I love the guy. And once again he is making a big contribution for us on the road.

After this difficult start, there was only a first down in the last minute of the first quarter. Is that true in terms of four consecutive touchdown drives? Is someone saying something?

“No, you see, some of this was a bit our own fault to begin with. Look, they played well, believe me. They played good defense. But there's a few things we thought we should have gotten some conversions. “We should have made some plays there that were our own mistakes, particularly two different series. Once we felt like we had it done, all we needed was a change. Sometimes getting the ball first is enough.

Can you also tell us a bit about Brian Branch, what he's been up to in the last few weeks?

“Confidence grows enormously. He's getting better and better. He’s still pretty young and new to us at the safety position. Sometimes you forget that. You notice how quickly he is growing in the position. And I'm telling you: there are no limits for him. He understands the game. He's a great tackler I thought it was a touchdown, but even after that you had a feeling he was going to find a way to make another one He's a guy, a player type.

The defense got big stops. How would you rate their efforts?

“Man, they fought. These guys fought and we knew very well what was over there. And Jefferson is not at all easy to tame. You have to think about him constantly and join in with him. You I have to switch to him. Oh, and don't let him run the ball, by the way. This is not an easy task. I thought these guys executed a few things. But man, I'll tell you what, when we needed a crucial stop at the end of the game to get the ball back after we left the field to score, our defense did that. I thought at the end of the day they played pretty well, you know And Jefferson always thought we were competitive and those guys stepped up.

Gibbs had two touchdowns and had the block on the other touchdown as well. How big was he for you today?

“He was huge. He was huge. Whatever it was, 160 all-purpose yards. Came to life. We felt like Gibby was about to just explode and we felt like that was the right thing for us to do. He really came to life when we needed it the most. That was perhaps Kalif Raymond's best play. You know, otherwise you get a penalty. And then Leaf is a weapon for us.

I also wanted to ask about the cut he had. Two things. David obviously struggled with some things after he left. Did that contribute to the fumble at all?

“No. No no. I wouldn't ask him that. No, you see, none of us want that to happen. Certainly he doesn't. He's sick because of it. But that's why you teach it, work at it, and he'll come back stronger than ever. Unfortunately, things like this happen all the time.

And then you mentioned AG and the defense. Obviously the work they did. Do you think your edges are exerting enough pressure? Can you say that in real life? Time?

“I need to watch the tape to digest this. There were a few moments where it felt a little too long to me, like we were hiding a little bit, but I can't say I noticed that, so I'll have to watch the tape. “I know we are there fought inside. So I thought the guys there really did what we needed to do what I needed to do for today, for this win.”