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They say a wounded lion is more dangerous than an uninjured one, and Dan Campbell's group is somehow proving that to be true through the first half of the 2024-25 NFL season. Following an impressive 24-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers on a soaked Lambeau Field, the passionate Detroit Lions head coach hyped up his team.
“I don't think it matters where we play at,” Campbell told the locker room after the game, via ESPN's Adam Schefter. “Doesn't matter about the conditions. We knew that coming in here. We didn't want to know if we “validated” anything. Are we gonna “validate” being able to play in the weather? It doesn't matter, man. That's just the way you're built… That's an outstanding win, two divisional wins. I am unbelievably proud of you guys. That's a way to come in and just ball.”
Try staying calm after that speech. Considering all the pain Lions fans have endured over the years, they surely feel “validated” for sticking with this franchise. Detroit football is enjoying a renaissance few people anticipated just a few years ago.
Under the leadership of the man who talked about biting kneecaps in his introductory press conference (metaphorically of course), the Lions are inspiring more hope than they possibly ever have in their more than 90 years of existence. The rise emphatically continued on Sunday, as rain poured down on Green Bay.
Lions bulldoze the Packers in Week 9
Detroit overcame an early 3-0 deficit and survived the ejection of safety Brian Branch by relying on its depth and ferocity. Jared Goff remained conservative but extremely accurate in the pocket (18-of-22 for 145 yards and one touchdown), while two-headed monster David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 138 rushing yards against the Packers' defense (Gibbs also had a TD). And the defense, not to be outdone, completely seized momentum.
Kerby Joseph stepped up after Branch was thrown out for a late helmet-to-helmet hit on wide receiver Bo Melton, recording a pick-six off quarterback Jordan Love at the end of the first half to give his team a 17-3 lead. The outcome never felt in doubt for the remainder of the game. Such a sentence should not make sense given all the adversity Detroit has absorbed to this point of the year.
Despite being without star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson and promising wide receiver Jameson Williams, albeit for different reasons, the Lions are sitting atop the NFC. Coach Dan Campbell is instilling belief in his relentless players, as his postgame address perfectly illustrates, and the results are showing up on the field. The road ahead is still perilous, but it seems foolish to underestimate this squad any longer.
One of the historically worst-run organizations the NFL has ever known now deserves the benefit of the doubt. The phrase “culture change” does not even begin to describe what is taking place in the Motor City.
