Lions flex offensive firepower in MNF win vs. Seahawks

DETROIT – Dan Campbell stared shyly at the lectern in front of him, looking like a toddler who knows he’s guilty.

He nervously stacked a few sheets of paper in his hands when asked about his quarterback’s performance. Then he took a deep breath and prepared to admit his mistake, as Campbell so often does. In the aftermath of Detroit’s 42-29 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night, it was time to face the music.

Jared Goff went a perfect 18-for-18 in the win. Campbell left him hanging in the locker room.

“I just gave the game ball to someone else,” Campbell said with a smile, as the local media room collectively laughed. “So I feel terrible now. I knew he was playing a great game. I didn’t know he was perfect.”

Coach Campbell on Jared Goff’s performance tonight pic.twitter.com/QCwkneojX8

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 1, 2024

Against the Seahawks on “Monday Night Football,” Goff set an NFL record for most completions in a game without an incompletion. However, the simple fact that there were several viable recipients of the game ball after the win tells you what kind of performance this was for the Lions – especially this Detroit Lions offense.

It was desperately needed.

Entering Week 4, Goff and this Detroit offense had not lived up to their lofty standards. This offense has been ranked among the top 5 scoring offenses for the past two seasons. They were league average in that department through three weeks, ranking 16th in scoring at just 20.7 points per game and scoring touchdowns in the red zone just 38.7 percent of the time (26th in the NFL). Their season high was 26 for tonight, and that required overtime in Week 1. The offense had not scored more than 20 points in regular regulation in three weeks.

The yards have been there. The consistency is not. This unit had yet to put together a full performance. They all wanted more.

“Our defense is playing great,” Amon-Ra St. Brown said after Detroit’s win over the Cardinals last week. “I feel like, as an offense, we need to put more points on the board. … Nice to win, but we feel like we can get a lot better as an offense.

Some of those fights took place on Goff. He had more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (3) through Detroit’s first three games. His passer rating of 79.2 during that span ranked 23rd among quarterbacks. His EPA per dropback early this season was 18th in the league after finishing seventh last year and fourth two years ago. When Goff is in rhythm, seeing the field clearly and not trying to overcompensate for an overall stagnant offense, he plays his best football. But sometimes he just looks away when things around him are in sync.

Monday night was a return to form for a quarterback and an offense that knows a high level of play is achievable week in and week out.

It started early. After a gritty three-and-out to start the game, you wondered what kind of night this would be, against a Seahawks defense that had taken care of business en route to a 3-0 start. But on the Lions’ second possession, the offense would remove any doubt, going 93 yards in 12 plays for a 7-0 lead. It was an impressive drive that ended with three consecutive David Montgomery goal-line runs, the last coming in from 1 yard out – vintage stuff.

The Lions scored on three of their five possessions in the first half to take a 21-7 lead at halftime. But this was the Seattle Seahawks on the opposing sideline. They have scored 51, 48 and 37 points in their last three games against the Lions – all Seattle wins. You knew they wouldn’t go down quietly. And they didn’t.

Geno Smith played at a tremendous level, completing pass after pass, escaping from pockets, navigating tight pockets and stepping up to extend plays when necessary. For a Lions defense that had kept the team afloat when the offense was struggling, this was a night when they didn’t have it. Penalties were taken. There were problems with finishing, problems with tackling. It was a sloppy effort by the defense, which gave up 516 yards and 38 first downs – two that fell short of tying the NFL record.

The offense had to keep scoring on a night like this. Not a given, given their problems in the second half.

But they did their best when it mattered most.

“We really had to show growth, especially in the second half,” left tackle Taylor Decker said of the offense. “Because we’ve had moments here and there where we’ve played really well, but we know we have to be able to play four full quarters to get where we want to go. And then the defense was really solid for us the first few weeks of the season, and we were able to grow a little bit today and bulk up a little bit more, so that feels good.

The Lions kept scoring. And score. And score some more. Each time Seattle drew closer, Detroit pulled away, flexing its offensive firepower.

Leading 28–20 after a Seattle score to start the third quarter, the Lions answered with a 70-yard drive, highlighted by a pass from wide receiver St. Brown to Goff, on a play that Ben Johnson’ Alcatraz’. The Lions waited to execute it, but needed the right look.

They have it.

Jared GO OFF#SEAvsDET | 📺ABC/ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/U0zwvFn75D

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 1, 2024

“That action has been around for a long time and we never got the right situation to make sure it was called,” Goff explained. “I think we’ve mentioned it before in a game, and if it’s not the right look, I’ll get out. But that was the right look.”

Seattle quickly responded with a score of its own, making it another seven-point game. At that moment you knew the defense wasn’t having it and that points were a prerequisite for a win. It didn’t take long to allay concerns about a comeback. Just one play.

Goff hit Jameson Williams with a pass over the middle. Williams flashed his trademark speed, starting with high strides on the 30-yard line and then dipping the ball through the goalposts – a tribute to Lions great Calvin Johnson, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Sunday and was inducted into the franchise’s Ring of Honor on Monday evening.

You knew the offense was back after that. If anything, it was a glimpse of how explosive this group can be when firing on all cylinders with a fully realized Williams in the mix. That play, and his blocking during the night, is why Williams received one of Campbell’s game balls in the locker room.

Waymo: Primetime Mode#SEAvsDET | #OnePride pic.twitter.com/D6S8q4PAud

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 1, 2024

And finally, it’s worth further analyzing how good Goff was in prime time. He had 18 pass completions for 292 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He hauled in his only target — likely for the season, although you can’t rule anything out if Johnson is calling plays — for a seven-yard touchdown. He hung in the pocket and delivered, making the right reads, playing within the structure of the attack and letting his playmakers do their thing. An 18-on-18 statistic isn’t sustainable, but this style of play is. It’s exactly what Goff’s offense needs.

“I don’t want to speak for Jared, but I would bet he knew he was going to have a good game,” Campbell said. “I felt like he got back into balance last week, got back in the middle. Take what is there, be smart with football, play fast, play efficiently, and before (it was), “Maybe I’m trying to do more than necessary.” … And so I felt like after last week, this was going to be the week, okay, now he’s found that happy balance and man, he really has. He came to life.”

In total, the Lions recorded 389 yards, averaged a whopping 7.8 yards per play and scored a season-high 42 points. Detroit’s running backs, Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, combined for 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns. They took care of business against a Seattle defense that had shut down several key pieces. And when Detroit’s defense needed a stop late in the game, they got one from Kerby Joseph – the other recipient of Campbell’s game ball. It was Joseph’s third interception in four games, with the Seahawks still fighting down 13, that sealed the victory.

Line them up and knock them off pic.twitter.com/59tOia82Yi

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 1, 2024

The Detroit Lions enter their bye week at 3-1. Most players and coaches will tell you that they prefer a bye later in the season, but an early bye game gives a team some time to rest, explore itself and prepare for a trip to Dallas against the Cowboys in week 6.

All things considered, the Lions are exactly where they need to be amid a season of sky-high expectations.

“We play a pretty physical brand of football,” Campbell said. “We have played against some physical opponents in the first four weeks and so I think it comes at a good time. And it’s good to get the three. It’s good to get to 3-1 with this farewell. We rest, we heal, we get fresh again and then we make a big push.

(Photo of Jared Goff after catching a pass for a touchdown: Junfu Han/USA Today via Imagn Images)