Lions’ defense takes its turn on stage, hammers Colts

On By Littum

Indianapolis – They can strike from any direction, any way. Power running, precision passing, even the weekly 56-yard field goal. The Lions scored more than any team in the NFL, but they didn’t become Super Bowl favorites just because of their fancy-schmancy offense.

Have you officially met their defense? It introduces itself, forcefully and repeatedly now, even when injured guys leave and new guys step in. On a day where the Lions’ offense stretched a bit, the defense stepped up. And don’t look now, but it becomes a bigger part of who they are.

It takes everything and everyone to win nine straight games and go 10-1 for the first time since 1934, and the Lions keep proving it. They rolled, 24-6, Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, systematically squeezing the energy out of the Colts.

They did it with touchdown runs from both of their standout running backs, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, of course. They did it with crisp passing from Jared Goff (26-for-36 for 269 yards), of course. They did it with another booming kick from former brick-and-mortar salesman Jake Bates, who hasn’t missed a field goal all season. They did so with another raucous group of Lions fans filling at least a third of the stadium. Hard to say because Colts fans had the audacity to interfere in wearing their own shade of blue.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons the Lions are 12-3 on the road the past two seasons – they don’t really play road games. The football reason is more succinct – they hit and run. Aaron Glenn’s defense was missing two more starters Sunday — cornerback Terrion Arnold and linebacker Alex Anzalone — and lost cornerback Carlton Davis in the fourth quarter with a knee injury that could bother him but likely won’t sideline him.

The Colts (5-7) are no offensive juggernauts, but the Lions hit them in the ‘nauts anyway, holding them to 98 total yards in the second half. The Lions haven’t allowed a touchdown in 10 straight quarters, which may not resonate like the 52 points the offense tallied twice, but we’re getting to the point in the season where defense often takes over.

“Our offense is just so good that they get that attention, and they should,” Davis said. “It’s football, everybody loves touchdowns and all that good stuff. Plays like that we show up and it’s good to get our praise where we can actually show, you know, we play too.”

I’ll summarize as simply as possible why the Lions’ offense and defense complement (and compliment) each other so well: They win all the big downs. Well, almost all of them.

The Lions converted nine of 15 third downs Sunday and piled up 390 rushing yards. The Colts converted three of 12 and filled out an understated stat line: The Lions lead the league in third-down defense and are sixth in third-down offense. They also rank fourth in fourth down conversion percentage.

The Colts’ Anthony Richardson is raw and a rare athlete, the type of quarterback who will make plenty of mistakes if you force him to. He ran for 44 yards on the Colts’ first drive as they took a 3-0 lead. He ran for just 17 yards the rest of the game, and while the Lions didn’t sack him or intercept him, they chased him. Richardson, never an accurate passer, was 11-for-28. Star Jonathan Taylor was held to 35 yards rushing

Richardson could find nowhere to run, nowhere to throw, nowhere to hide.

“When you play quarterback, you have to be able to maneuver in the pocket, find lanes to get the ball out to the receivers,” Richardson said. “But Detroit has a great defense. They did a great job just bringing in some guys and getting back there.”

It is power football and it is the base of the Lions. When Montgomery scored on a 6-yard run late in the first half, it was 14-6 and it already felt like it was over.

Sonic (Gibbs) and Knuckles (Montgomery) have become symbols of the team’s style as the Lions have recorded a rushing touchdown in 22 straight games, the third-longest streak in NFL history. But the fascinating thing about Ben Johnson’s offense is that the Lions manage to be predictably unpredictable, running when others throw, throwing when others run, running when others hit.

They are masterful at surprising teams in passing situations. On third-and-8 from the Colts’ 31, Gibbs burst up the middle for 16 yards and set up his touchdown. Soon after, on third-and-6 from Indianapolis’ 19, Montgomery plowed forward for 13 yards and set up his touchdown.

“I think it’s a testament that Ben (Johnson) trusted those guys up front and me and Jah (Gibbs) to get the job done,” Montgomery said. “I think it’s just who we are. We happen to be really good at running the ball. We have the best o-line in the league and we have some nasty, tenacious wide receivers and tight ends that come to to block every chance they get. We take pride in that.”

Dan Campbell calls it the Lions’ curveball, and they throw a lot of them, as well as the occasional knuckleball. But when they need the fastball, they have plenty on offense and growing numbers on defense.

Alim McNeill anchors a line that is fifth in the league against the rush. With Anzalone out, Jack Campbell stepped into the role along with Malcolm Rodriguez, and they led the team with eight tackles each. The Lions suffered a pair of injuries Sunday, but only Kalif Raymond (foot) appears to be a possible long-term deal.

Essentially, the Lions are missing five starters on defense since the start of the season after playing without Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport and Derrick Barnes. Other teams also have injuries. Not many have the depth that the Lions have developed.

“I think it starts with AG (Aaron Glenn) and that staff,” Campbell said. “We’ve been around each other long enough to know exactly what we’re looking for. We have an identity around us. We’ve got a bunch of guys that are pretty rough, man. They play hard, they run, they hit. They’re pretty smart guys too.”

The Lions are smart enough to know the numbers and respect the numbers, and the analytics suggest they extract every possible edge. Then there is the realm beyond the analytics, the emotions and culture that Campbell evokes and the fans inhale.

“Let’s go, lions!” and “Yes-save Goff!” chants from different sections started in warm-ups and became more insistent as the game progressed. At times it actually sounded like Ford Field. It’s been going on for over a year now and the Lions are still in awe of it.

“The way they’re showing up, it’s really incredible,” Goff said. “Our fans don’t just go to the game, they go to the game to impact the game. They definitely do that at home, and so even today, and I’m going back to Houston and Arizona. The love that they show me and the love that they show our team is something I will never take for granted.”

The Lions still pass road markers and now get a chance to erase a home marker. The Bears (4-7) enter this week and the Lions have lost seven in a row heading into Thanksgiving. They are also aware of that number, stacked on top of all the other obstacles. All they can do is keep lining them up, sizing them up and knocking them down.

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