Lions Gameday Live Postgame: Lions beat Vikings 19-15

Minnesota 7, Lions down 3, knocking on the door. Goff takes, fakes the give, sets in the pocket, floats end zone. Jamo caught, touchdown Detroit Lions. They got the lead back. What a drive by that football team. Beat Harrison Smith on the play, and the Lions lead at 18-15, extra point coming up. J-Mo beating everybody by a lot. Welcome one and all to your home of the Lions postgame. Alongside Fox 2's Dave Spencer, I'm Woody Woodruff. We'll check in with Fox 2 Sports Director Dan Miller in just a bit. But first, let's get the first reaction to what we saw from the Lions in this 19-15 win over the Minnesota Vikings. And Dave, for a team with no defense, we saw that the Lions did have some defense. Yeah, complimentary football right from the get-go. The defense helping out the offense when they needed them. And then the offense, after a traumatic. Situation that played out right there in the field with Jack Campbell being injured. We saw the defense do enough and then the offense respond right away. But getting back to that Jack Campbell thing, that was such a hard thing to see and watch that play out in real time and watch the emotions that poured out from the players. For more on that situation, let's go back to Ford Field where Fox 2 Sports Director Dan Miller is standing by. Dan, lots of concern today when we saw Jack Campbell go down. Yeah, there's no question, and transported to a local hospital. And I think right now, as Dan Campbell said a moment ago, players are looking for answers. We're all looking for answers, and hopefully the answer will be that Jack's okay, but we just don't know at this point. Let me first take you back to the podium a couple of moments ago, Dan Campbell's opening comments. Murray takes, fakes the give, boots to the right, looks downfield, throws complete to Jefferson. Jefferson shakes a man at the 15. Got a collision down there between a couple of Lions. Brian Branch and DJ Wannum, and Wannum is slow to get up. He took the worst of that. Put him on the cart, take him up to the locker room. That thing, the game Campbell just played, I don't think it was. That was the play that took out both. Brian Branch and DJ Wannum with concussions was kind of friendly fire. They came together there. Both were in concussion protocol. Neither was able to return to the game at that point. Dan Campbell did speak to the media a short time ago and said that they did not have any updates on Jack at this point. He said their thoughts were with Jack and his family. He was being taken care of at a local hospital, but we don't know what his condition is right now, and Dan Campbell did not add anything to that. He said clearly it was a subdued locker room. Because the players, while they're thrilled with the victory over the Vikings and it's a victory they had to have, they had questions about their brother, Jack Campbell, that there were no answers for at this point. So we are told from the radio postgame show that he was conscious and alert and breathing when he left Ford Field, but that is all we know at this point. And certainly, hopefully, that will be followed up by news that Jack is on the mend. Clearly a lot of concern. Let me take you back moments ago, Dan Campbell at the podium. You know, thoughts and prayers are with Jack and his family. He's being taken care of. We don't have any new information. Thank you very much. You know, we'll keep you updated as this goes. But we're thinking about him. We're thinking about him. All right, so there's Dan Campbell, and that is really all we got out of him other than, yes, this was a cloud that hung over this football team throughout this game today because, look, even from the Minnesota sideline, let's go back to when that happened. Number one, medical. People were out there very quickly. They are trained for these type of situations, something that appeared to be a neck injury, and we'll find out more specifics on that in the days to come. But very quickly, they brought a cart out. Very quickly, they brought a backboard out. Both teams were on their knees within 15 yards of Jack Campbell because when that happens, it's not the Lions and the Vikings. It's NFL players. It's a brotherhood. They're all... Players who understand what the risks of this game are and when they see somebody down like that, they all come together and they did in this case as well. Clearly emotions on both sides with Campbell being down like that and being attended to by a lot of well-trained medical personnel and that's something that you have to stress as the NFL. Really has these teams in place for situations like this. Derek Barnes, close friend of Jack Campbell, obviously a fellow in that linebacker room, also had this reaction after the game as well. Obviously, we know this is a violent game. Injury is part of it. Just kind of take me through the emotions of seeing your captain, your leader, Jack, go down like to be carted off the field, Derek. Yeah, I think first thing that comes to my head is family. You've got a child at home, you've got a wife, I know they're worried, because I was worried, but I can only imagine how they feel. Thank you. In those type of moments, forget football, it's about the person. Football was the last thing on my mind when that happened, it was all about Jack. Like I said, I don't even know what's going on, but I'm going to be there to support him. Like I said, you take all the... I take the football, all that, I love it. It's just about him and, you know, and about his family. And, you know, however I can be there for him, I will be. Oftentimes when there's a significant injury like that that stops play for so long, it's really hard to get back into it. You guys had just a spark, something lit under you. How much of that was for Jack, and what was the difference after that? It was all for him, all for the other guys who they got hurt. But particularly in his situation, you know, definitely, you know, When you see your brother go down like that, you know, there's a fire, lightning gets lit in your ass. It's time to go, really. And, man, everything, you know, we did out there was for him and for the other guys, too. We're just, you know, obviously, you know, you're still in the game. You got to go do what you need to do for him, and then you get to the locker room, and, you know, me and Malcolm were just talking. It just hit us, and, you know, I couldn't really control my emotions because I just know what he's going through. You know, I don't know what he's going through. And, you know, I wish he never had to go through that. Like I said, but we don't know anything yet. And like I said, you know, I got faith that he'll be fine. With all the talk about the defense on the Vikings sideline going into this one, did you guys have a point to prove? Yeah, of course. Of course. Yeah, I think that, you know, we just. Yes. I'm sorry, there's a lot of emotions going on right now, but I just think that we said we wanted to do and I think that we came out and achieved that. Like I said, it's always been about us, not about them or what they do or other teams. It's about what we're capable of doing as a team and as a defensive unit. All right, Derek Barnes right there talking about the injury to Jack Campbell. And I just stress, you saw the video there with Campbell being treated on the field and as he was carted off, both teams surrounding him and wishing him the absolute best. And clearly that was a dark cloud over that locker room and what otherwise was a terrific victory for the Lions today. And, you know, it was mentioned there by Hammer and by Derek Barnes. The Lions lost D.J. Vanham, Brian Branch, Jack Campbell, D.J. Reid, Jimmy Rolder. A number of players that were injured in this game, and we will see just how significant those injuries are, but they were really putting together a piecemeal unit towards the end there to try to close this victory out, and they did it. It was a gutsy effort by this football team, and one I guarantee you was done with a heavy heart as they were thinking about Jack Campbell as they tried to figure things out. So, guys, we're still waiting on just any kind of update that we can get on Jack Campbell. That'll be something we'll keep an eye on throughout the night. But right now, it is the Lions getting a big victory over the Vikings, one they really had to have when it comes to the world of the NFC North. But very quickly, as we said, thoughts are with Jack, and hopefully we get some good news here sometime soon. Alright Dan, we'll be back in a minute to talk with you down at Ford Field, but of course there's much more on this show to come. We're always concerned about Jack Campbell as we move on, but we will talk about this game as we move on. Lions get a big win over the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings. You're in touch with the Lions postgame right here on Fox 2. Behind center. Jared takes the snap, keeps it himself, fights for it. Ball game, baby! Ball game! They can kneel it out from here. A huge victory for the Detroit Lions, handing the Vikings their first loss of the year. You pump those arms, Jared. He's telling that crowd, let's go! Let's go! Welcome back to the Lions postgame. Detroit getting it done today against Minnesota. 19-15, the final. Woody Woodruff here alongside Dave Spencer. Dave, Lions win three in a row. Feels pretty good now, doesn't it? It certainly does. Jared Goff taking the leadership role. There was a couple times where he took it himself, that third and one, and there was another time that he did another QB sneak. And then seeing him out there leading the way for Gibbs was something else, that's what a leader does, and he did it. Jared Goff, I love it. Throwing blocks. Hey, let's get back down to Ford Field. Where Dan Miller is standing by. Dan, this was a game of like two halves. A tale of two halves. Because it started slow for the offense. But you got to love the way defense stepped up early. They did, and look, you're going to need all three units to beat the Vikings. You're going to need your offense, your defense, your special teams, and it's one thing Dan Campbell talked about, and you're going to hear his comments in a moment, and I just want to make clear, look, we're waiting on an update on Jack Campbell. We're going to talk some football because this was a big win for this team, but our hearts are with Jack. Our hearts are with 46, and as soon as we get something, we will have that for you. Dan Campbell was at the podium. You heard what he had to say about Jack. Jack also addressed this game, which was a big. A gutsy, defining win for his football team. Back we go for the head coach's comments. That's a good win. That's a really good win against a damn good opponent. He's been playing really good football. Well, um... You know, what they've been able to do over there and the way they've won these games in the fourth quarter. I'm going to go ahead and You know, we knew we were going to need to outlast them. We were going to need to hang in there, play outstanding defense, special teams, and let them bring it to the offense. And then when it was time to... Try to seal this out. The offense was going to need to be able to do it, and we really did. And I was so proud of the guys across the board. I mean, that's a tough, gritty win against a really good opponent who plays really good football. Man, I was proud of them. I mean, it took all phases, but it needed to start in two areas, and that was our defense and teams, and they really did. And to be able to get the run game going, that's part of the secret, man. If you cannot run it on these guys, you're going to struggle. And we were able to get it going, particularly in the second half. I was just proud of that old line, the tight ends. Obviously, Gibbs in the back, you know, and Vaki, man. Vaki, really, we were going to need to count on him. And our receivers blocking downfield. It was just a total effort. Golf getting us in the right play. So, but, man, I was really proud of a lot of guys. You know, defensively, we ended up losing some guys there. And we had to, you know, we had to make some moves, roll some guys, you know. I mean, Anthony comes in on a couple of things, and then, you know, D. Moore's coming in, and then we've got to move Barnes over, and we bring in Rodrigo, and now Nowalski's got to play a little bit. Anyway, I just thought they handled it well, and, you know, that was just a great job by our guys, man, across the board. I was proud of the coaches and the players. That's a dang good win, man. It's a damn good win. Dan, on your last touchdown drive, you ran the ball a lot effectively. How key is that when you've got that? It's huge. It's huge. Because it's such a problematic defense that is playing top tier. I mean, they're arguably the best defense in the league right now. And they just, the issues they cause, particularly when you're in known passing downs, they force you to pass. It's tough. It's just tough sledding. And if you don't find a run game or end a game, got to have it, you're not able to close it out. Thank you very much. It's going to be hard. So that was the key offensively. We knew going into this we were going to have to be able to run the football. We had to be able to run the football, and we did. We actually gained strength in the fourth quarter. I was proud of those guys. Thank you very much. How hard was that for you and the team to rally after what happened to Jack? Because that was a long time. Then you guys went back out there. Look, it's tough because you're in that moment. You don't know what's going on. You're with them all the time, and some of those guys, I mean, it's your teammates, so it's hard, but as athletes, coaches in this league, you have to lock back in. I mean, that's part of this, what it's about. Overcoming adversity, you know, in any shape, any form, any shape. And that was another version of it. And, you know, your instincts take over a little bit and you just get back to work. And so they did a good job because it's not easy. That's not easy to do. Can you explain what the emotions are like in the locker room after a win like that with all that? Yeah, there's a lot of excitement because that was a hard-fought win. Thank you. But they also, there's a lot of questions, like everybody wants to know, obviously. You know, everybody wants to know, and we can't really give any answers quite yet. So it's a little bittersweet, you know. It's a little bittersweet. Thank you. You were down four or five starters on defense. Yeah. Adding to the gut-check nature of this game, do you think? Yeah. Yeah, look, any time you can win a game like that... Like those, those are the wins. Like you, you need to find some of those wins. You need to have some of those wins because those are to learn how to hang in there when things are a little bit muddy and it's just kind of back and forth and the ebbs and flows and to just trust what you're, what you're doing, trust your training, trust the, your other teammates, the other units, and know that, man, this, the dam will burst. It will burst. You just got to hang in there and, and don't. Don't do anything that's going to put us at risk. You know, just play the next play. And I just thought they did it to a T, man. It was awesome. That was a great win. It was a great win for this football team, and in particular, the way they picked things up on offense. Their defense was stout that entire game. Offensively, that run game came through, and they started gashing that Viking defense. Just pick it up nine yards, seven yards, nine yards, ten yards. Jameer Gibbs ended up in that game. He had 11 carries for 37 yards in the first half. I'm looking down at my numbers here. 12 for 116 in the second half. That's turning up the heat. That offensive line certainly did a terrific job. Vaki had 65 yards rushing, so those two players alternated them, bringing them in, fresh legs as possible late in a game like that was a big part of this victory for the Lions. And, um... That's a tough defense they did that against. Dan Campbell, when I talked to him on Friday for the radio pregame, I asked him about two things. Lions' success against Minnesota when they won 4-0 in 23-24 and scored at least 38 a game, and their failures last year when they lost twice, he said the ability to run the ball was the biggest thing. They ran it in the second half. They won this game. Take a break. Come right back. Much more coming up. Lions postgame show as they get the victory over the Vikings. More right after this. We'll be right back. Back to the Lions postgame. Woody Woodruff and Dave Spencer. Dave, let's start talking about that fourth quarter because that's really where the turning point came. Minnesota had scored, made it 15-12, and then we saw the Lions run game. We saw Jameer Gibbs with a lot of solid running. We saw Jahmyr Gibbs with a lot of serious runs. And then they score, and then they force the Vikings to punt with 3-0-1 left, and that was really the turning point of the game. And let me bring Dan Miller back in. Dan, you're down at 4-5. And with 3:01 left and the Vikings have to punt, I mean, that was really a turning point in the game because I thought that the Lions' defense was solid at that point, looking really good. Yeah, there's no doubt, and listen, we know how much conversation there was about Dan Campbell going for fourth down last week. There's going to be conversation this week about Kevin O'Connell not going for fourth down because the analytics said that was the play there with fourth and five with Minnesota at their own 33 and 3-0-1 to go because what happened after that? Even with Minnesota having three timeouts and the two-minute warning, they never got the ball back. And while there was four minutes plus, four minutes and 50 seconds plus in last week's game against Green Bay, that was the fear Dan Campbell had, was that the Packers would just be able to run out the clock. So I think there'll be some energy spent this week talking about that decision by KOC. I don't know if it'll be as much as there was spent last week talking about Dan Campbell, but that was certainly a break for the Lions, I think, because, again, the recommendations are. I'm reading it here, strong that you go for it. And if you look at the analytics, basically a 19% chance to win if you go for it, a 16% chance if you punt. So the analytics were in the favor of going for it. They did not. They punted the ball away. The Lions got it, and they burned out the rest of the clock, and that was the ball game. I believe coaches. Ultimately want to have the ball in their hands and have their guys dictate what happens. Minnesota clearly has a terrific defense and trusts their defense, but with the way the Lions had run on that previous drive, you've got to wonder if that was the call there for Kevin O'Connell. Again, I understand, certainly, the faith that they have in their defense, but the analytics say that was an opportunity to go for it on fourth down. They did not. They did not get the ball back, and that's the worst nightmare you have is you don't get another chance to come back and win this game. Yeah, no doubt, Dan. And you know what? When the Lions did force that punt, they went right back to Gibbs. I mean, all of a sudden, it was Gibbs for eight yards, Gibbs for more yards. I mean, chewing up the clock. Controlling the clock and not allowing Minnesota to get the ball back, that's one of those decisions, Dan, where Campbell's probably saying, you know what, I cannot let them have the ball back. I have to run this thing out. No. You want to find some way to kill the clock, and guys, I don't think we can state strongly enough just what this Lions offensive line and Jahmyr Gibbs and Sione Vaki did in this game and the plays being called and the way that they were able to really take over in the second half against a defense that it's very difficult to do that against. But, man, those guys, in particular when they did not have much success running the ball in the first half, in the second half they did a heck of a job. And that offensive line was moving that defensive line up the field, and the point of contact was a couple yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and they were running through a lot of that. Just a really impressive effort by everybody from the play calling to the offensive line to those running backs to the wide receivers and tight ends that were blocking down the field again. Dan, you mentioned the play calling, but what about the play design by Drew Petzing? I mean, I saw a lot of formations where receivers were together going out on similar patterns, and then all of a sudden it was a break and somebody was open. So I'm watching this thing and I'm looking and Amon-Ra breaks the huddle and starts running to the sideline and I'm thinking he's coming out of the game. Well, he stops 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage and lines up and I'm like, what in the world? They snap it. He takes off. They fire it to him. He converts a critical third down. And the thing is. In Canadian football, you can do that, but you can run before the snap. In the NFL, you can't start until the snap, but that was Canadian football adjacent right there is what I said on the air. Lomas said in all his years he's never seen anything like that. It was crazy, but it was such a beautiful design. And you could see Kyle Van Noy was just lost in there. He had a chance off the edge to try to make a play and didn't get it done. But, I mean, just throwing something at the Vikings that they had never seen the Lions do on tape. Obviously, through that. That defense for a loop at a critical time in that game when they absolutely needed to convert, and then they were able to convert, and the 30-yard touchdown run came shortly after that. So just big-time stuff by that offense. And as you said, Drew Petzing with the play call, the play design. I'm not sure who came up with that. We'll find out. Sometimes it comes from some other place. But Petzing calling it and taking that defense and putting them back on their heels in that moment was absolutely huge. Huge, but... Second half, the job they did after getting golf sacked four times, no sacks in the second half, and they were able to find a way to come from behind and win this game. And look, it's tooth and nail against this Vikings team. They are really tough. They don't give you much, and the Lions found some way to just make one or two more plays than the Vikings today. Yeah, they did, Dan. They rode their horse, Jameer Gibbs. And let's hear from him in the Lions locker room. John, this was a game that I talked to Penny about, and he said, Coach Campbell told us all week long what it was going to be like. And it lived up to it. Kind of a rock fight in there. You guys just had to bide your time. What was it that allowed you guys to get the run finally working in the second half, mostly in the fourth quarter? I mean, I don't know. That's a question for the whole line. They did a great job there, moving them all around in the second half. Yeah. Me and Vaki, we didn't have to do much. Just stay in our tracks. It was at least five every time. We just had to do the rest. It seemed like you were really running with purpose and mission. I know you always do, but just knowing what Jack had gone through, how much did that play into it? Yeah, I wanted to get the win for him. I told him I got him. You know, We came in together, and it was a hard thing to see. When you look at this game, just the way that you guys were able to persevere, I mean, this is an offense that many people thought would be able to run all over. pass all day against them, but to be able to play that style of game, how important is it for you guys confidence-wise in just going down the stretch? Yeah, that's what we've always done. I mean, we can get the pretty wins or we can get the gritty wins, where it's not like you know, a lot of points that we're used to. So, I mean, that was just one of them games. Gotta imagine you're happy for your buddy Vaki to see him get going. Yeah, and I'm not used to it. I see him work every day. There's needed opportunities. Jahmyr Gibbs with 153 yards on the ground. We'll be back with much more of today's Lions postgame, but first, this break. Patience care. Goff takes the snap, tosses it back. That is Gibbs weaving through traffic. 25-yard line to the left at the 20. Outside the numbers at the 15. Down to the 10. Down to the 5. Still playing. End zone. Touchdown Detroit Lions. Oh, baby, what a run. Gibbs. The Lions offense flowing late against the Minnesota Vikings. Woody Woodruff and Dave Spencer here. Let me get Dan Miller back in, who's down at Ford Field. And Dan, you know what? Jared Goff's numbers may not have been the best, but he did find some offensive rhythm late to get this team the victory. You know, you're not going to have great numbers against Minnesota. That's just kind of how it works. You just need to find a way to gut out a victory, and the Lions did that today. And, look, Goff did it while taking some heat. Four sacks in the first half, none in the second half. That was key, but he was 18 for 25 for 176 yards. Did have a touchdown pass to go along with the first interception that he has thrown this year when J-Mo slipped coming out of a break and they ended up picking one off. So, look, it's all about the victory, and the Lions got that. Jared addressing the media a short time ago. Jack Steele was definitely scary and just brings you back to reality for a moment of, you know, that he's a he's a he's a husband and a father and it's scary. We're praying for him and hope he's going to be all right. And if I know anyone that's tough enough to get through something like that, it's going to be him to regroup. And I think a fourth down was coming up. How hard is it to get back out there? Yeah, it's always so surreal. Stuff like that happens. And then they blow the whistle and we're off again. And Yeah, it's hard. It's really hard, and I think, you know, you've got to remember these guys are humans and deal with stuff, and we are humans as his teammates and deal with that emotion. Thank you very much. Yeah, it's hard. I guess that's the only way I can put it. Yeah. Yeah. Every time you turned over, it was 5 here, 10 here, 17, 10, just working it right down. How did you guys get that run game going in the second half? How or why? Both. Well, um... You know, I think... They're so good at what they do on defense that if you try to drop back past the whole game, it's going to be uphill battle. So we knew we had to be able to run the ball if we wanted to win this game. And, um... We were running it okay in the first half. We just weren't getting those chunks that we were in the second half. And then I think Drew and our whole offense kind of felt the dam broke at some point in that second half where it was like, oh, we can just keep leaning on this run and good things are going to happen. Valky ran his tail off, and when he's able to do that, it just gives Gibbs that much more of a breath on the sideline to come back and do his thing at his full capacity. Thank you. Yeah, and the O-line loved it. They loved the challenge of, like, we're going to keep leaning on you guys, and I thought they played great. Great. Four times in the first half, none at all in the second. Was there anything that you guys figured out that allowed you to, I guess, just play a little cleaner in the second half? No, I don't think so. I think it probably, being able to run the ball pretty well, it allows the play action to kind of, They have to respect the run a little bit more so you're able to have a little bit more time back there. I'm going to stop there. If they're able to stop the run, again, it's an uphill battle against a defense like that. The way they play, the aggressiveness, the amount of pressure they bring. Thank you. We knew it was going to be a four-quarter game. The whole thing we talked about all week was just be patient. At some point, the dam's going to break. Stick in there, and, you know, we're so used to scoring, you know, 30-plus points, and we knew this game may not be that way. We're going to have to be patient and just keep stacking, or keep chopping wood, keep chopping wood, and I thought we did exactly that. There's a number of different guys out there. The only 15 points allow you guys an opportunity to key three and out there. Yeah, yeah. Their play all game. They were phenomenal, and they have been phenomenal for, you know, what, three weeks now? Yeah, they've been phenomenal, and certainly carried us today. Thank you. Those guys fight, man. It's fun to watch, and Shep had them going today, and they're playing aggressive, they're playing fast, they're playing physical, the whole thing. It was fun to watch, and we were leaning on them. How long had you been working on that play with Amon-Ra? You've been around 15 years. About three days. Thank you, sir. A couple of them, right? You starting to stack them? Yeah, I'm starting to get real comfortable out there. Thank you, Heather. No, I got a little bit of, yeah, no. I got to keep it easy, but those were good. Was that a pancake, officially? I don't know. You tell me. It was a legit block. We were laughing at each other, me and Metellus. He's a great player, but we were laughing about it. Jared Goff talking about the block he provided just to help Jameer out on that incredible run where he went right and then came all the way back around the left side for 17 yards. That's what he does, man. He's an incredible back. There's not many guys in the league that can do that, but everything was shut down to the right side of the formation, and he was able to finish that thing with a big run for the Lions. We'll take a break, come right back. It is a big win for the Lions over the Vikings. They had Minnesota their first loss of the season. More coming up. Postgame show rolls on right after this. For the content of this ad. 19-15. The Lions get the win over the Minnesota Vikings. Lots of heroes in this game. But Dave, one of the unsung heroes might be Sione Vaki. We heard his name mentioned earlier in this show. But 11 carries 65 yards. Is he maybe the new set of knuckles for Sonic? Yes, I think he is. And all season long, we heard about how we need a second back. And we saw him on full display today, and he answered the bell. He was hitting the holes, but then he was breaking tackles and moving piles. That was the most impressive part, is that even when the defense knew he was getting the ball, and you don't always do when he's in, but they couldn't stop him. I think one of the best parts about the way he ran, it was north and south, no to the sidelines or anything like that. He wanted to get through the line, get to the second, third level of Minnesota's defense. And, you know, he made a statement. I mean, let's be honest. And speaking of a statement, let's go back to Dan Miller down at Ford Field. Hey, Dan, it's I think with Vaki, Coach Campbell said that he challenged him this week. What does that do to develop the trust needed to keep him in there? Well, what Dan Campbell also said was he earned trust today with his coaching staff and he earned trust today by the way that he played it. And you're right. Dan Campbell did say that they challenged Sione Vaki this week. They said, look. They needed him to carry the ball. They needed him to be there in pass protection. And he did both those things. You had a feeling coming into this game that because of the number of collisions that Jameer Gibbs was involved in last year with the blitzing Minnesota Vikings defense, that Vaki was going to be on the field for more snaps, and he was. But what you were hoping was that that would also be mixed in with some production. And here's the key thing, guys. He was in that game late. When you are at absolute crunch time, and there's got to be absolute trust in the player as you're handing them the football, that they can make a play, and that there's going to be ball security. And he checked both those boxes for this team, and it was a massive, massive... A wave of the run game that started to snowball against Minnesota and the ability the Lions had to use Vaki and use Gibbs and use Gibbs and use Vaki and go back and forth and allow them to be just a little bit fresher because they were coming off the field at times, I think was huge. So we may have seen one of the big turning points in the career of Sione Vaki. Look, his first couple of years, injuries have been an issue. He's been able to stay on the field this year. Now you get to be on the field more when you have production like this. So what Dave said is the absolute truth. And what Woody added, north and south, yes, but breaking tackles. They weren't just arm tackling him and getting him into the ground. He was able to make plays, run for yards, yards after contact, and it was all part of this victory today. Yeah, definitely something that we were looking for with this team as far as who was going to help in the run game. Hey, look, I've got to squeeze in another short break. You're plugged into Fox 2 in the Lions postgame. Enjoy getting the win over the Vikings 19-15. We'll be right back. Action coverage. We talked about the Lions' offense quite a bit in the 19-15 win over the Vikings, but Dave, what about the Lions' defense in that D-line? Three sacks by this team. Yeah, super impressive, and I was really impressed with the run D, as I have been all year. They held them to 81 yards rushing, and when you make them one-dimensional, it makes it a lot easier for the Lions' D to pin their ears back and just go at it. And the Lions' D was able to get in on Kyler Murray. Let's go into the Lions' locker room for the comments from Skylar Gil Howard. I like to consider myself a pass rusher, but stopping the run is just as fun, too, because that kills a drive, for sure. So, for sure, sack them. Skyler, was there a little bit of a chip on the shoulder for this Lions defense? All the talk all week long was about how good the Vikings defense was. When they're getting that kind of accolades, and you guys have played two really good games, where does it put you guys mentally going into this one? I mean, we've had a chip on our shoulder the whole season, just the way guys have been talking about us as a whole. It's been frustrating, honestly. We see it, and that's how the media is, but our whole thing was just playing our standard of defense this week. Obviously, Coach challenged us to be the better defense out there, and that's what we're focused on, and I believe we did that. We broke their offense down in the fourth quarter, but we've just been trying to play up to our standard, and that's what it's going to look like if we do that. I described this one as a rock fight. How would you describe this game? Gritty, like Coach Campbell said. It was a gritty win. We fought out to the end, and that's what we're all about. What does it mean that you were able to beat the last unbeaten, not only in the league, but a team in your division that you ultimately will be trying to keep up with? It's definitely a momentum shift because we needed that win. All these games are important, especially in the division. I'm still learning that myself. I'm a rookie, but it's super important to beat a team like that. It's a really good team, so we just got to keep stacking up this momentum. Was this one for Jack? Oh, for sure. For Jack Winham, all those guys that went down today, We love each other. Like, our defense is super close. You can see the way we played. This one was for all those guys. Jennifer Hammond running things in the Lions locker room with Skylar Gil Howard. All right, Dave, let's talk about the best part of the Lions defense coming into this game, the front four and the front five or whoever's going to be out there. I mean, three sacks by this team today, that was big. It was super big, and it came at crucial times when they had the lead still, and we needed that ball back, we got it back, able to run it down their throats again and take the lead back and then hold that lead. But, yes, it all starts with that. Defense and making them one-dimensional, and then Kyler Murray had to do things that he just wasn't comfortable doing, and holding onto the ball for too long and getting sacked just like you saw there. I think one of the other best parts of this is that the pressure's coming from the middle, straight up the middle. I mean, Jimmy Roelder did get in here from the outside, but for Gil Howard and Aleem McNeil's sack, it came right up the middle, and that's something that's really key. You can shut a quarterback down that way. No doubt. Hey, look, got to squeeze in another break. You're in touch with the Lions postgame right here on Fox 2. We'll be right back. Welcome back to the Lions postgame. Dave, last week we saw Brian Branch with an interception. Today, we saw DJ Reed with an interception. And Dan Miller, let me throw this to you. Is there some more juice in that position group as we're seeing guys step up? Yeah, I mean, D.J. Reid left with a hip. That concerns you a little bit. We're going to have to get the update on these injuries. Obviously, at the top of the list is Jack Campbell. But, Woody, man, they were rolling some guys in on that defense because they lost Branch, they lost Wanham, they lost Roelder, they lost D.J. Reid and obviously lost Campbell. That was five guys on their defense that went down in this game. So the answer to your question is yes, they have been trending up for several weeks now in the secondary. Secondary, but... Who's going to be available next week when they take on Miami is going to be a question. Dan Campbell said afterwards he didn't think anything was necessarily long-term, Campbell aside. We don't know anything about that, but I just don't want to give the wrong impression there. But he said whether or not guys are going to be able to play next week, talking about the other four, we'll have to wait and see. But look. This defense is stacking performances now, and that's what you love to see. They've got to keep doing that, and that'll be the goal as they get in this week before they head to Miami for their game against the Dolphins next week. Oh, and it will be a huge game next week, Dan, because this team needs to keep stacking wins. As you said, so far they've won three in a row and done it in the NFC North against the Packers and the Vikings. This has been big. Final thoughts, Dan, what do you think? Listen, they did what they had to do. We talked about this two-game stretch against Green Bay and against Minnesota. If you had designs on winning the NFC North, you needed to win these games. You couldn't lose today and consider yourself a serious contender without a lot of help. They handled their own business today. Still work to be done. All right, the clock is running, but there's still time for your final thoughts, Dave Spencer. Yeah, we're halfway through the season, and I like what we're seeing, and I love to see that we have a second running back that we can rely on to give Gibbs or Gibbs, excuse me, some time off and just a play or two here. That's going to come to fruition in the long term. All right, that'll have to be the final word. Lions with a third straight win, 19-15 over the Minnesota Vikings. We'll have much more on this one. And we'll try to update the condition of Lions linebacker Jack Campbell tonight on SportsWorks Sunday night. Up next, Fox 2 News at 6.