Lions prove capable of competing 'with the big boys' by booking second-ever trip to NFC title game

The roar is indeed restored in the Motor City.

The Detroit Lions slammed the gas pedal in the second half, generating three consecutive touchdowns to drive past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23, at Ford Field. Detroit now heads to its first NFC Championship Game since the 1991 season where the Lions will face the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers.

“I envisioned that we would have a chance to compete with the big boys, and that’s where we’re at,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said on Sunday in his postgame news conference. “All you’ve got to do is get in. It’s about placing yourself in the very best position to where you can move. … Here we are. Now, we get a chance to go to San Francisco. We know what kind of team that is, but we’re in a great position. We’ve got a great opportunity.”

A week ago, the Lions got off to a hot start. Sunday, it was the inverse. Detroit struggled to move the ball for spells in the first half, heading to the break, 10-10. After a three-and-out on the opening possession, Ben Johnson’s offense kicked into fifth gear.

Jared Goff diced up the Bucs’ defense, converting big third downs and propelling a 10-play 64-yard TD drive capped with a Craig Reynolds 1-yard plunge. After Baker Mayfield responded for Tampa, it was rookie Jahmyr Gibbs‘ turn. The dynamic back zoomed through the defense. On second-and-2 from the 31, Gibbs cut into a massive hole, dashed to the second level, put a move on All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and burned for a TD.

After Aaron Glenn’s defense forced a three-and-out, Goff cooked the Bucs. The QB found checkdowns and hit Jameson Williams for 24 yards to get the Lions out of trouble. On a pivotal third-and-15, Goff looked for his favorite target, Amon-Ra St. Brown, who caught a wobbler and moved the chains. Four plays later, Goff dropped the hammer, lofting a perfect ball to St. Brown for a 9-yard TD.

“We know if it’s not quite there, it’s coming,” Campbell said of his offense. “It’ll come. That dam will burst. We’ve just got to continue to harp on the little things, clean up a few things here and there. But it’ll come. We always feel that way. I think there’s a lot of trust in that regard. Ben (Johnson) did a hell of a job calling the game. Those guys held on. Goff, in the fourth quarter he really showed up there. Made some big throws. And we knew we need to throw the ball to move it today.”

The Bucs made it interesting late, getting the ball back with 1:59 remaining and trailing by eight. Still, the Lions’ defense stepped up huge again, with linebacker Derrick Barnes picking off Mayfield, giving Detroit multiple postseason wins for the first time since 1957.

“It’s over. We knew it was over,” Goff said on the field after the game. “Our defense stepped up there at the end. I thought our defense played a helluva game all night and got us the ball back there to finish it.”

Goff and the offense couldn’t find consistent traction in the first two quarters. Detroit elected to take the ball after the coin toss but went three-and-out on the first possession. The Lions sputtered in the red zone and punted twice more in the second quarter. Goff threw for 99 yards with a TD in the first half while taking a rough sack. Then the Lions leader lit up a banged-up Bucs’ D for 188 yards in the final two quarters.

Goff handling Todd Bowles’ blitzes in the second half was key. The QB went 4 of 10 for 24 yards versus the blitz in the first half, per Next Gen Stats. In the final two quarters he went 10 of 13 for 123 yards and a TD. Goff was blitzed on over half of his dropbacks (52.2%) but limited the pressures by getting it out quick (2.51-second average) and was pressured just five times on those instances.

Gibbs showed his difference-making talent, making good defenders look silly in space. After just 17 yards in the first half, the first-round pick blazed for 57 yards and a TD as the Lions’ offense found a new gear. The RB’s day could have been even bigger if it weren’t for several shoestring tackles by Tampa’s D.

Super Wild Card Weekend was about the Lions breaking generations of ineptitude. Sunday, they proved it wasn’t a one-off.

“We’re not here by accident,” Goff said.

As it has for his entire tenure, Campbell’s crew faced adversity time and time again. Each time, they picked each other up. The offense stalled early? The D stood tall. The defense gave up points? The offense answered. Rookies, unheralded players and stars all showed up for the Honolulu Blue.

“Dan’s the greatest leader I’ve been around and has cultivated this culture we have and our belief in each other pretty significantly,” Goff said. “You think about the dark times early there in 2021. A lot of people calling for his head. A lot of people in this room calling for his head. It’s pretty good to be able to sit up here and be able to play in an NFC Championship. It feels good.”

Now Campbell takes his Grit crew to face the heavyweight 49ers next Sunday.

It’s not a dream, Detroit. The once-lowly Lions will play for a right to go to the Super Bowl.