Fresh off a sixth straight victory to push the Detroit Lions’ record to 7-1 on the season, head coach Dan Campbell spoke to the media Monday a day after his team went on the road and beat the Green Bay Packers, 24-14, to remain in first place in the NFC North and atop the NFC.
Here are all the key questions from Campbell’s Monday press conference:
How big is getting another road win within the division?
Detroit’s win Sunday in Green Bay comes on the heels of a Week 7 victory on the road in Minnesota to push Detroit’s record to 2-0 in the NFC North.
“It’s huge,” Campbell said. “Division games are so important. They really are. We put a lot on those. They mean a lot to us because those are the big ones, man. Then to be able to go and get them on the road and feel like we are continuing to play a little better every week, that’s encouraging.”
The next division games for the Lions will be back-to-back home games against Chicago Week 13 (Thanksgiving) and the following Thursday vs. Green Bay Week 14.
Campbell on playing good football
Are the Lions the best team in the NFL?
There are a lot of NFL experts around the NFL that believe so, but what does Campbell think?
“I feel like we can beat anyone in the league,” he said. “I think that’s what it’s about.”
Will the Lions be active before Tuesday’s trade deadline?
They are certainly trying to add help and GM Brad Holmes is working the phones, according to Campbell, but it takes two teams to tango when it comes to a trade. Campbell reminded reporters of that on Monday.
“I can tell you we are trying, and Brad is trying,” Campbell said. “We’ve looked at everything. We really have. We’ve made a ton of calls. He’s been rolling on it. We’ll see. We still have a little bit of time here. We’ll see what happens.”
The Lions have lost eight significant players on defense but continue to win games and make plays on that side of the football. It’s certainly a credit to defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and his coaching staff.
“There’s things we are not as good at overall but yet there are things that matter to getting off the field defensively and limiting points that we are damn good at,” Campbell said. “And that’s the most important thing about playing defense. Credit to the coaches and those guys.”
If a trade doesn’t happen, Campbell said they have their players and they are rolling and could search around the league via other teams’ practice squads to supplement some help if needed.
Does wide receiver Jameson Williams step right back into the offense with a full complement of snaps following his two-game suspension?
It seems that way.
Williams hasn’t been able to practice during his suspension, but he’s been in the building working out and running, and Campbell expects him to jump right back into the fray on offense.
“He’s going,” Campbell said. “Let’s go. We’re going to kick him out there with the offense and get him going. I expect him to be ready to roll.”
Lions at Packers: Locker room celebration
How good has linebacker Jack Campbell been the last few weeks?
He recorded his second straight double-digit tackle game Sunday in Green Bay and has been really playing the MIKE linebacker role at a high level of late.
“Sometimes you forget he’s a young player,” Campbell said of his second-year linebacker. “At least I fall into that trap at times. He’s still growing and still learning and still developing. That’s what you’re seeing, a player who is continuing to get better. The more he learns and the more he plays, the faster he plays. We can see it.
“He’s a finisher, you know? He is snap to whistle, he’s all out, he’s a violent player and he does the same thing on (special) teams. He just continues to get better for us.”
Campbell leads the team with 62 tackles after eight games.
Who impressed Campbell after watching the tape on Monday of Sunday’s performance?
Offense: Running back David Montgomery, quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, tight end Sam LaPorta and the offensive line across the board.
Defense: Safety Kerby Joseph, defensive tackle Alim McNeill, linebacker Jack Campbell and cornerback Carlton Davis III.
Special teams: Campbell, cornerback Khalil Dorsey, punter Jack Fox, wide receiver Isaiah Williams, linebacker Trevor Nowaske and defensive lineman Pat O’Connor.
