2024 Week 14: Packers 31, Lions 34
This was another banger of a primetime game just days after the Browns-Broncos 73-point shootout. The NFL has been putting out some great content lately and it’s been incredible to watch… and this one featured the most entertaining HC in the league in Dan Campbell.
It’s time I gave my flowers to Dan Campbell. He’s the single best coach in the league and has built a staff around him that believes in the same principles he does. Do I think Ben Johnson or any other coordinator who leaves can recreate this magic? Absolutely not, DC is going to leave a line of failed HCs in his wake if they continue in this fashion.
When DC first found himself in the league and he was being uber-aggressive on 4th downs, faking punts deep on their own side of the field I thought it was a nice shtick that would catch up to him and eventually run him out of town… but the opposite has happened. As a result of DCs mentality, aggressiveness, motivation skills, etc. he has turned the Lions into the toughest, meanest, and confident team in the history of the NFL.
Most coaches that start their coaching career like this either lose their jobs or stop taking risks, DC never folded and built a culture that doesn’t fold under any circumstances. It’s a shame Coach of the Year isn’t actually about the best coach in the league because Dan Campbell would have it locked up. Detroit is going to be a dynasty for the next 10-15 years if they can find a QB after Jared Goff, and if they can’t, they’ll be a feisty team like Pittsburgh has been… a team you do not want to see late in your schedule.
Detroit (12-1) has won 11 straight games and is facing Buffalo next week as a possible ‘Super Bowl Preview’.
Green Bay (9-4) played as well as they could and wound up just short. This was an awakening for me, and I’m sure the Packers… they just aren’t as good as Detroit. We’ll see a lot about this team's mental toughness if they come out firing against the Seahawks.
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QB Report:
- Jared Goff (32/41 for 283 yards, 3 TD/ 1 INT) built on his case for MVP this game, with a nice stat line in a big game, and the clutch 4th down plays late to add the icing on top. Goff has 2+ passing TDs in 4 of his last 5 and 9 of his last 11 games… similar to what Jordan Love did to end 2023 and start 2024.
- Speaking of Jordan Love (12/20 for 206 yards, 1TD), he played a nice game overall and was close to having 1 or 2 more TDs, but receivers would get close and Josh Jacobs (18-66-3) would punch it in, stealing a nice FF-game from Love. Looking at total plays, Detroit ran 76 to GBs 45, the game script just went in a different direction…. again.
WR/TE Report:
- There’s nothing world-shattering to say about either of teams RBs so onto the WR/TEs
- What the heck has happened to Jayden Reed (0-0-0/1)? I wish I had an answer… I thought this was going to be a massive high-end WR1 performance for him this week but just the 1 target and no catches.
- Green Bay has so much talent at WR/TE that Romeo Doubs’ absence doesn’t affect the passing game too much, but could that have been the difference maker? We’ll never know. What I do know is that the Green Bay passing game is so unpredictable you can’t truly rely on anyone in it other than Tucker Kraft (3-41-1/5). Kraft has scored in 2 of his last 3 games and is one of the few tight ends that is actually finding the end zone this season (7).
- Christian Watson (4-114-0/7), Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks are all random events that fight over targets holding everyone back from FF scoring… you almost need a TD to get a useful game out of any of these players.
- On the Detroit side… The Packer defense did a nice job containing Amon-Ra St. Brown (5-43-0/6) but Goff did a better job utilizing his other weapons… elite level players like Tim Patrick (6-43-2/7) and Jameson Williams (5-80-0/8).
image source: (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)