Lions need to keep getting big plays in all phases to win the tough NFC North

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions were about to fall to drop to 4-2 and lose crucial ground to the unbeaten Vikings.

With five minutes left and Minnesota leading 29-28, the Lions were facing fourth-and-20 at their own 20. Not even Dan Campbell was willing to go for it in that situation.

Punter Jack Fox took the snap with 4:25 to play and the Lions didn’t make another mistake.

Fox kicked the ball 63 yards and Brandon Powell could only return it to the Vikings 27 with 4:16 left. Aaron Jones rushed twice for 6 yards and Sam Darnold’s pass to Justin Jefferson fell incomplete.

Kalif Raymond returned Minnesota’s punt to the 30 with 2:41 to play, and the Lions controlled the game from there. They ate up all but 15 seconds of the clock before Jake Bates hit a 44-yard field goal for a 31-29 win.

“That was all three units of our team coming through when we needed them,” Campbell said Monday. “Fox with a 63-yard punt and our guys get down there to cover it, the defense gets us a three-and-out and the offense does an outstanding job to set up Jake for the field goal.”

“All three of our coordinators had a great plan, and the guys went out and executed.”

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After the Lions won two home playoff games last season — the first time they had done that in franchise history — Campbell doesn’t want to leave Ford Field this year until the Super Bowl. To do that, his team has to win what has become the toughest division in football.

“You talk about the endgame and where you want to be at the end of the season, and then you work backwards to figure out the steps to get there,” he said. “It starts with winning your division. Everything needs to run through Detroit, and to do that, you have to win your division games to be home in the playoffs.

“So this was big.”

The Lions still have to host Minnesota and play two games each against Green Bay and Chicago.

What’s working

Jared Goff is on one of the NFL’s greatest hot streaks for a passer. In the last three games, he is 58 of 68 (85.3%) for 887 yards and seven touchdowns. In that stretch, he also has more touchdown receptions (one) than interceptions (zero).

“It’s interesting, but I guess I’m just not surprised,” Campbell said. “I hear these numbers and I’m just like he’s playing really good quarterback. I expect that from him. He’s playing at a very high level, he’s tough, he’s competitive and when it is crunch time, his heart rate just levels out.”

What needs help

No one expected the Lions’ pass rush to continue operating at a high level without Aidan Hutchinson, who is out for the season with a broken leg, but Darnold had too much time in the pocket. Three of Detroit’s four sacks came late in the game and weren’t enough to stop scoring drives.

“It wasn’t perfect, but my God, those guys competed and gave us a chance,” Campbell said. “But we know we can be better. We asked our coverage to do a whole lot. We need just a little more.”

Stock up

With RB David Montgomery dealing with a minor knee injury, Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 44 yards.

Stock down

The Lions run as many fake punts as anyone in the NFL and rarely miss, but Jalen Reeves-Maybin was stopped for a 1-yard gain early in the game. Campbell said he’d do it again.

“I’m disappointed that it didn’t work — everybody is — but the look was there,” he said. “We’re going to keep looking for it, keeping coaching it up and giving the guys a chance.”

Injuries

Montgomery had to be helped off the field after injuring his knee, but was back after just two possessions.

“He obviously had pain in the knee, so you need to get it checked out,” Campbell said. “But it turned out he got kneed in the back of his knee, so it was just a bruise or a contusion and he was able to come back.”

Key number

7.4 — Minnesota’s average yards gained per play. The defense hadn’t given up more than 6.6 yards per play in any other game and held the Cowboys to 3.9 last week. That’s not all because of Hutchinson, but they definitely need to do a better job up front.

Next steps

Avoid looking past the Tennessee Titans next weekend at home.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl