A. Detroit Lions 2023 NFC North Champions Shirt

Detroit Lions (11-4) won the division by defeating Minnesota Vikings (7-8) 30-24 on Christmas Eve in Week 16 at U. S. Bank Stadium. Game grades from MLive Lions beat writer Ben Raven are here. Jared Goff quietly played well at quarterback against a tough Vikings defense. Goff completed 30 of 40 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown. In some shots, he was high and didn’t look downfield. Goff spread the ball, used his one-two running back punch, and fed St. Brown on third down. Recipe for success. Goff started well too. He created pocket time, stepped up, and extended receiver openings. He led four scoring drives without a turnover in double-digit snaps. Grade: A-
Running backs: Jahmyr Gibbs was versatile and forgot that early fumble. Not many newbies run businesses that way. Gibbs caught 4 for 20 and ran 15 times for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. He tackled quickly and powerfully. David Montgomery did the dirty work, including nice pass protection on the game rewatch. Craig Reynolds led Montgomery with 55 yards and a touchdown. Lions won and dominated possession with this one-two punch. Grade: A-
Wide receivers: Remember those two quiet Amon-Ra St. Brown games? Neither do I. St. Brown overwhelmed the Vikings’ short-handed secondary on third down and over the middle. St. Brown led all categories with 12 catches for 106 yards and one touchdown on 14 targets. Timing routes and indescribable trust unite the Sun God and his quarterback in crucial moments. No offense clicks like this. Jameson Williams’ growing share is hard to ignore. He was second on the team with five catches for 43 yards on six targets. Williams’ hands, speed, and offense knowledge expand Ben Johnson’s offense. With daylight ahead, Williams missed a shot out of bounds and should work on it. Kalif Raymond deserves credit. Box score wasn’t bright. Raymond caught some tough passes from Goff’s high throws. Sam LaPorta, a rookie, worked quietly. His limit was three 18-yard catches. However, he handled all three looks and looked comfortable blocking as the Lions ran 36 times and grinded the Vikings. Offensive line: Taylor Decker was emotional after winning the division and making the playoffs. Decker was a Minnesota stud. In pass protection, Decker is one of the game’s most underrated tackles. More than this team’s longest-tenured player, he’s a future pillar. The Detroit offensive line dominated Brian Flores’ defense. Goff had three hits and one sack. Early-down blitzes helped them weather the storm and set up a controlling day on the ground to exhaust the Vikings. Defensive line: Vikings ran 17 yards (1 first down). The defensive line filled gaps and played disciplined as linebackers and defensive backs raced to the line. Late Romeo Okwara strip-sack should have iced the game. Aidan Hutchinson may not have tackled or sack. But the star edge defender hit Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens four times. Having an impact. Linebackers: Barnes’ shoulder injury held him back. Lions’ Alex Anzalone, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jack Campbell, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin took those reps. Four tackles from Anzalone. Rodriguez made three tackles, including a perfect open-field tackle on fullback C. J. Ham, to stop the Vikings. Flying Campbell added three tackles. Fourth quarter Reeves-Maybin blocked a downfield pass. Sunday, this group impressed me. In the secondary, defensive backs had a wild ride. Honestly, this was the full Kerby Joseph experience. In the first quarter, Joseph was late on everything and off in coverage, like on another planet. But he led the team with nine tackles, two pass breakups, two interceptions, and an on-brand in-play celebration. After the game, Joseph declined an interview. Mixed performance, especially in coverage masked by those two takeaways. Brian Branch had another great day with six tackles, one interception, and a strip-sack after dropping an easy play in the end zone. His interception caused Lions worry and set them back. Branch saw his receiver running downfield, saw the ball, and made a play, unlike home fans or press box reporters. Keep that all day. On one series, Vikings receiver K. J. Osborn defeated Khalil Dorsey. Kindle Vildor made two impressive run-stopping stops at the line. Home stretch defensive backs for the Lions are hungry and aggressive. No one shows that better than Ifeatu Melifonwu this month. Three straight starts for the former third-round pick in place of Tracy Walker. He had three sacks in two weeks, made the game-winning interception in Minnesota, and played well in coverage and on the ground. Melifonwu deserves defensive back snaps regardless of health. Special teams: That missed extra point was hard to swallow when the Vikings got the ball back, trailing 30-24 with two minutes left. Michael Badgley connected on three point-afters and his first field goal of the season. Thanks to punter Jack Fox for this high grade. Along with Detroit’s relentless ground game, he pinned the Vikings deep twice. Fox recovers from setbacks to prove his superiority. Fox’s three punts averaged 46 yards. Grade: B+
Coach: This game’s coaching is hard to fault. Team Dan Campbell was ready to defeat generational demons. Ben Johnson’s offense and personnel knowledge will make him a successful head coach when he wants to be. Aaron Glenn’s perfect secondary plan against Minnesota’s rushing attack pressured his fourth quarterback of the season. Glenn hates ” adjustment,” but his group has thrived since making changes. Campbell, Brad Holmes, and the staff led the Lions to 11 wins and their first division title in 30 years in Year 3. Detroit Lions 2023 NFC North Champions Shirt

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Detroit Lions 2023 NFC North Champions Shirt. Third-year safety Ifeatu Melifonwu made his biggest play of his young career Sunday in Minnesota in his third game as a starter for Tracy Walker. In the final minute of the fourth quarter, Melifonwu intercepted Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens at the Lions’ 5-yard line, the biggest play of a Detroit Lions season that will now win the NFC North for the first time. A 30-24 Lions win and their first division title since 1993 was saved by Melifonwu blocking a pass to Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Sunday’s Melifonwu performance was massive. He had two sacks, five tackles, and two passes defended in addition to the winning interception. This after a sack, nine tackles, a forced fumble, and two passes defended last week. ” Another outstanding performance,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of Melifonwu. “He’s not just playing football and performing well. He’s relevant. ” He keeps improving. Athleticism and instinct are evident. His play is physical. He’s improving, really. Ducey (C. J. Gardner-Johnson)’s return will be a good problem. ” Next week in Dallas, Gardner-Johnson should return to the Lions. That would allow defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to create fun three-safety packages with Kerby Joseph, who had two interceptions Sunday, Melifonwu, and Gardner-Johnson. Sunday saw third-year wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown catch 12 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. His 14th career 100-yard receiving game ranks fifth in team history. His 102 receptions make him one of the only franchise players with multiple 100-catch seasons, joining Herman Moore. ” He’s important to us,” said quarterback Jared Goff. ” He’s important to our culture and offense. A lot to me. He runs great routes and opens up. He has great hands and tells me what he likes and dislikes. I trust him on every throw you can make. ” He’s a hell of a player and is only going to continue to get better and that’s exciting. ” Frank Ragnow, a Vikings fan from Minnesota, had 20 family members at the stadium to watch him win his first division title in high school, college, or NFL. ” I was a diehard fan growing up and this is my first win here in Minnesota,” said. Making it for the division is special. It’s cool that my and my wife’s families are here. ” Gameday saw rookie quarterback Hendon Hooker in uniform for the first time this season. Emergency third quarterback for the Lions. Hooker joined the active roster this week after being on the non-football injury list all season. Despite not playing, he dressed and warmed up. That benefits a young quarterback. The second-half hand injury suffered by defensive lineman Josh Paschal in Sunday’s win over Minnesota is hoped to be minor, but he didn’t return. Paschal played his best ball of his young career in recent weeks. Newcomer Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 80 yards on 15 carries (5. 3 average) and caught four passes for 20 yards. He passed running back Mel Farr (1,177 yards in 1967) for the fifth-most rookie scrimmage yards. Detroit Lions 2023 NFC North Champions Shirt