Detroit Lions do enough to comfortably beat Indianapolis Colts, 24-6, on injury-filled day
INDIANAPOLIS – Jahmyr Gibbs keeps getting better, and the AFC South is no match for the Detroit Lions
Gibbs ran for 90 yards and two touchdowns, handling the bulk of the work at running back after David Montgomery left with a shoulder injury as the Lions won their ninth straight game, 24-6, over the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
At 10-1, the Lions have the best record in the NFC and double-digit wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
On Sunday, they finished an impressive sweep of the AFC South, more than tripling up the Colts. In total, the Lions beat the Colts, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars by a combined score of 154-49.
The Lions, who also lost cornerback Carlton Davis III (knee) and punt returner Kalif Raymond (foot) to injuries Sunday, have beat all four AFC South teams in the past five weeks.
They host the Chicago Bears on short rest Thursday in their annual Thanksgiving game and kick off December a week later with a Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers.
Here are three thoughts from Sunday’s game.
Sloppy Joes
It struck me watching Sunday’s first half that one difference between the Lions and some of the mediocre teams in the NFL like the Colts is how few points the Lions leave on the field.
The Lions led 14-6 at halftime, but easily could have trailed, 21-14.
Indianapolis settled for a field goal on its opening drive after marching to the Lions’ 4-yard line; the Colts got stopped on a run for no gain on second-and-2, then committed a penalty on third down. Anthony Richardson missed a wide-open Alec Pierce on Indianapolis’ second possession on a play that might have gone for a touchdown with a better throw. And the Colts settled for another field goal later in the half when Drew Ogletree dropped a pass on the goal line.
The Lions don’t capitalize on every scoring opportunity they had. They failed to convert a fourth-and-1 from the Colts’ 14-yard line in the third quarter. But they mostly avoid the big self-inflicted mistakes that are often devastating to a team’s chances of winning.
Another example: The Colts had 10 penalties for 75 yards Sunday, including an offensive pass interference that negated a 30-yard gain with the game still in the balance. The Lions had five penalties for 45 yards, one a taunting penalty by Gibbs after his touchdown, three for false starts (one before a punt) and the fifth a reputation-earned unnecessary roughness call on Brian Branch for leading with his helmet.
Against the grain
Third-and-long is a passing down for almost every team in the NFL, but not the Lions.
The Lions hit three big plays on third-and-long runs Sunday, a testament to the confidence they have in every aspect of their offense and in Dan Campbell’s willingness to go for it on fourth down.
Gibbs ran for 17 yards on third-and-8 to set up the Lions’ first touchdown, David Montgomery had a 13-yard run on third-and-6 to set up the Lions’ second score, and Gibbs scored on a 5-yard run on third-and-goal in the second half.
The Lions have the toughest offense to defend in the NFL, not only because of the multitude of weapons they have – Gibbs, Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta – but because of how they deploy them. It’s often said Ben Johnson calls first-down plays like it’s second down, and second-down plays like it’s third down, and the opposite is true, too. Against light boxes or as a way to catch defenses off guard, Johnson and the Lions believe they can convert on third down via the run in the right situation.
Defense mechanism
The Lions have been lights out on defense most of the past three weeks. They held the Colts to two first-half field goals Sunday, extending their streak to 10 straight quarters without a touchdown allowed.
But there are some underlying concerns that were evident Sunday, the biggest of which is their eroding depth due to injury.
Already playing without front-seven starters Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes and Alex Anzalone for at least the rest of the regular season, the Lions lost Davis to a knee injury and played Sunday without cornerback Terrion Arnold due to a groin injury.
Arnold should be back before long, Davis’ status wasn’t immediately known, but the Lions finished the game Sunday with Kindle Vildor and Khalil Dorsey as their top two cornerbacks – and Vildor had a rough go of it playing the entire game.
Vildor got beat on an over route in the first quarter for what might have been a touchdown with a better throw from Richardson and allowed a 40-yard catch to Alec Pierce later in the game.
Vildor and Dorsey are two of the best gunners in the NFL, but there’s a reason the Lions overhauled their cornerback room this offseason, after Vildor had a pass bounce off his facemask for a completion in the Lions’ loss to the 49ers in January. The Lions have a slew of games against top-half-of-the NFL quarterbacks upcoming, including one against potential MVP Josh Allen, and those will be the ultimate tests for their defense.
Dave Birkett will sign copies of his new book, "Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline" from noon-2 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Troy Sports Card Show at the Balkan American Community Center. Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
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