5-1 start: Detroit got a huge win on the road Sunday against the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings to take control of first place in the NFC North after Week 7. The win improved Detroit's record to 5-1 on the year and the Lions have now started consecutive seasons at least 5-1 for the first time since the franchise relocated to Detroit in 1934. GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have certainly turned things around in the Motor City.
Best in the NFC: Are the Detroit Lions the class of the NFC? There's still a lot of football left to be played, but it would be hard to make a case otherwise after seven weeks of football. They've given the only other team in conference with one loss that loss. Detroit's lone defeat, 20-16 to Tampa Bay Week 2, was self-inflicted as they went 1-for-7 in the red zone in a one-score loss. San Francisco has dealt with injuries and Philadelphia looks to be putting it together after a rough start. Washington and Green Bay look good too, both at 5-2, but if the playoffs were to start next week, Detroit would be the No. 1 seed in the NFC and have looked the part after six games.
Fake punt: Campbell talked all week about how good Minnesota was playing and how they were forcing opponents into bad turnovers and mistakes and taking advantage of teams early. That's why the fake punt he called at his own 34-yard line that was sniffed out by the Vikings' defense and led to a touchdown just two plays later was a little surprising of a call. Campbell's earned the right to be aggressive (9-of-12 on fake punts since 2021), but I thought that one was ultra-aggressive on the road, especially after Detroit motioned before the snap and it looked like Minnesota knew something was up.
Goff's play: Jared Goff completed his first 15 passes Sunday and finished 22-of-25 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and a 140.0 passer rating to join Aaron Rodgers, Kurt Warner and Roger Staubach as the only players in NFL history to post three consecutive games with a 140.0-plus rating. Goff is playing the position as well as anyone I've seen over a one-month span. He's poised, accurate and making big-time throws. If he continues to play like this, Detroit will be hard to beat.
Gibbs' big run: Jahmyr Gibbs has been so close this season to breaking a big run. An arm tackle here or a good angle by an off defender there has prevented Gibbs from reaching paydirt on a long run. That ended Sunday when he left Vikings safety Camryn Bynum reaching for air as he put a terrific inside juke move on him in space in the third level and found the open field for a 45-yard touchdown, the longest run of his season and career so far.
I asked Gibbs about it in the locker room after the game and there was almost a little bit of relief in his face talking about it because he's been frustrated with how close he's been. Gibbs had 160 total scrimmage yards and two touchdowns Sunday. He averaged 7.7 yards per rush against the Vikings and is now the first player in franchise history to produce a rushing average of at least 5.0 yards in five straight games with a minimum of 10 rushing attempts.
Tough start: Kayode Awosika has stepped in and played really good football for Detroit over the past two seasons when needed and was asked to do it again Sunday, replacing Kevin Zeitler at right guard after Zeitler injured his groin in practice this week. Awosika was flagged for holding, gave up a sack and had a false start in the Detroit's first two series. Credit to him for settling in the rest of the way and playing much better the next three quarters.
Replacing Hutchinson: Detroit got one sack (Josh Paschal) and one quarterback hit (Paschal) from the edge rushers tasked with trying to replace some of the production lost by Aidan Hutchinson's injury. Defensive tackle DJ Reader had a quarterback hit, but Detroit's three other sacks and quarterback hits came from linebackers Jack Campbell, Malcolm Rodriguez and Trevor Nowaske. Maybe that's a formula for success moving forward, but it can also be risky. Isaiah Thomas, who the team signed off Cincinnati's practice squad this week could help moving forward too, but it just seems to me more help off the edge could an option with the trade deadline approaching Nov. 5.
