The Detroit Lions‘ steady march in the NFL shows no signs of slowing down, as they continue to position themselves as title contenders week after week. This time, the Houston Texans were the latest victims, unable to hold on despite a subpar performance from QB Jared Goff. Head coach Dan Campbell was euphoric after the win and made it clear where he stands on his QB’s performance.
In a game worthy of a movie script, the Lions secured their eighth win of the season, improving their record to 8-1—an achievement few can claim. What’s even more impressive is that they pulled off the victory despite an overall underwhelming performance from their players.
After the game, head coach Dan Campbell spoke with the media, sharing his thoughts on the contest and addressing Jared Goff‘s situation and his interceptions: “Forget the one right before halftime. That was a hail mary. We were just trying to get it up, hope and a prayer. Didn’t work out. So now you’re down to four. Really only one of them was kind of, eh, okay, I got it.
“The rest of those, it just kind of was circumstance. There’s some things that happened. The one to (Lions TE Sam) LaPorta, it was a good throw. That’s what we tell him to do. LaPorta was a little late getting his head around, and then he didn’t quite get himself to the ball, but the timing says, rip that ball. We were a little off,” Campbell continued.
Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions walks on the field prior to the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 10, 2024 in Houston, Texas.
The head coach Dan Campbell finally concluded: “For me I’m not going to tell him anything because I don’t feel like this is, oh, man, what are you doing? These weren’t ill-advised throws. It wasn’t our day. When it’s not your day and you can still win, that’s a sign of a good team.”
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Campbell and his thoughts on the performance of his players
While the coach acknowledged that it wasn’t the team’s best day despite the win, he also expressed his confidence in the caliber of players he has and emphasized that they are going all in this season.
“I feel really good about our team. They haven’t done anything that would surprise me negatively. They’re exactly what I thought they would be, the fight they got in them, the ability to reload, reload one more time on the road,” Campbell said to the press.
“Like every week for us we just have to stay focused on what’s right in front of us, and I really believe if we do that, we’re always going to have a really good shot. The odds are going to favor us that we can win every week. We’re in it now. There are no byes. There’s no nothing. We’re in the meat of it. Head down, and we just keep plowing forward,” he finally stated.
Jake Bates #39 of the Detroit Lions celebrates with teammates after kicking the winning field goal during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 10, 2024 in Houston, Texas.
A tough game for Jared Goff
One of the key factors in the Lions‘ success this season has been the strong play of QB Jared Goff. However, in yesterday’s game against the Texans, Goff struggled, throwing five interceptions. Despite this, the QB showed himself positive regarding this situation.
After the game, it was the player himself who addressed the situation in statements to the press: “I never lost confidence because I felt like I was doing what I was supposed to do on most of those plays.”
“I honestly don’t feel I wasn’t playing that bad. I had some unfortunate things there early, but I’ve been through a whole lot worse than that. I’ve been to the bottom mentally; some unlucky plays aren’t going to throw me off my game,” he finally concluded.
Sam LaPorta’s injury update
It wasn’t all sunshine for the Lions in their game against Houston. While the victory was crucial, the injury report was a setback, as TE Sam LaPorta, a key piece in Campbell’s scheme, was forced to leave the game with an injury. Head coach Dan Campbell addressed the situation following the game.
“I don’t know how significant it will be. It’s not something like — this is not, ‘He’s going to be out four weeks, whatever.’ He might miss this week. We’ll see. He’s got a little sprain in here, kind of the AC joint. He tried to go back in, and it wasn’t quite right. Didn’t quite feel right. We’ll get it checked tomorrow, see where it’s at, see how significant it is and just take it day-to-day,” Campbell stated.
