Lions look to bring back explosive plays after they were limited in win over Jets

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions' offense is built around big plays in both the passing and running games.

Jahmyr Gibbs is a constant threat as a runner and receiver, and Jared Goff has plenty of other weapons in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta.

On Sunday, though, none of that was working. New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn was Detroit's defensive coordinator from 2021-24, and he has spent more time facing the Lions' offense than any other coach in football.

“AG did a great job,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday. “There's a lot to deal with when you're facing us, and he did.”

Gibbs had 164 total yards on 27 touches and scored three touchdowns in Detroit's 31-24 win , but his longest play was only 17 yards. Glenn's defense held St. Brown and Williams to 68 yards on eight catches, including only 4 yards after the catch. LaPorta had a 28-yard reception, but only caught two other passes for 16 yards.

“The defense is always focused on keeping (Williams) from getting over the top, so you have to protect yourself there,” Campbell said. “They did a good job of that and still kept us from getting explosives in the running game.”

The Lions, though, were able to keep the ball moving by averaging 4.8 yards per carry and Goff completing 78.1% of his passes.

“Goff just showed exceptional decision-making,” Campbell said. “He looked for a deep shot, but if it wasn't there, he checked down and kept the chains moving. The offensive line protected him and they were coming off the ball to make us very efficient in the run game.”

And when the Lions needed a big play, they got one.

The Jets tied the game at 24-all with 4:11 to play, but Goff hit Isaac TeSlaa for 49 yards on the next play from scrimmage. That put the Lions on the New York 16, and Gibbs scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard reception with 2:30 to play.

The Jets had one more chance and got to the Detroit 28, but Chuck Clark came free on a safety blitz and knocked the ball away from Geno Smith. Jack Campbell returned the fumble to the Lions 45 and Goff ended the game by taking a knee.

Detroit's pass rush sacked Smith five times for 44 yards, two weeks after sacking the New Orleans Saints' Tyler Shough five times in an overtime victory. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has 3 1/2 sacks, but his biggest impact is the number of blockers he faces.

“Hutch is a huge factor,” Campbell said. “They are doubling him, chipping him and rotating things toward him all the time. He plays hard on every play and it requires a lot of offensive resources to try to keep him in check.”

As good as the pass rush has been, the Lions are still struggling to cover receivers. Through three games, opposing quarterbacks are averaging 326 passing yards and a 70.7% completion percentage. Smith was even better, completing 31 of 37 passes (83.7%) for 321 yards and three touchdowns.

In their last two games, including a 41-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Lions have allowed 569 passing yards and six touchdowns without an interception. Smith has always given Detroit problems, averaging 314.6 passing yards in five career starts, and Josh Allen is 4-0 with 14 touchdowns (eight passing, six rushing) against them, but even Shough threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns.

Linebacker Trevor Nowaske played 33 defensive snaps, up from four against Buffalo, and had six tackles. He also had a team-high 17 snaps on special teams.

“He just does things the right way, and he's done that for a while now,” Campbell said. “He's grown a ton since he's been here and turned himself into a real solid player.”

Williams became a valuable part of the Lions' offense over the past two seasons, putting up 123 receptions for 2,118 yards and 14 touchdowns. One of the NFL's fastest players, nine of his 19 career touchdowns have gone for 40 or more yards, with only three coming from inside 15 yards.

This year, though, he has only caught 10 passes for 127 yards with a long reception of 22 yards. He's also dropped several passes and fumbled a pitch on an end-around.

Detroit didn't have any serious injuries against the Jets, but Campbell was especially grateful that St. Brown escaped the game without significant issues. St. Brown missed 17 offensive snaps and only caught four passes for 19 yards.

“Saint was dealing with a couple things, but we normally check guys like that out on Monday, and he didn't need to be checked,” Campbell said. “He's fine. If you ask him, he's always fine.”

31 — The Lions are averaging 31 points per game, and the math isn't hard. In Week 1, they beat the Saints 31-30 in overtime, followed by a 41-31 loss at Buffalo and Sunday's 31-24 win over the Jets. The last team to hit the same number three straight weeks was the Jets, who scored 34 in Weeks 10-12 in 2019.

The Lions don't play another home game until Oct. 25, heading to Carolina and Arizona before their bye. The Panthers and Cardinals are each 1-2, as are the Green Bay Packers, Detroit's next opponent at Ford Field.

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