Dan Campbell Had Blunt Comments After Lions’ Upset Loss to Vikings
The Lions cost themselves the opportunity to retake the lead in the NFC North on Sunday with a 27-24 loss to the Vikings. With the Panthers upsetting the Packers at Lambeau Field, a win at home off their bye against a quarterback making his third career start would have propelled the Lions to the top of the division.
Instead of the Lions capitalizing on a favorable matchup and making their statement in the division, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was the story of the game. In his first game back from a high ankle sprain, McCarthy scored three touchdowns and led Minnesota to a much-needed victory. Meanwhile the swarming Vikings defense and special teams came through, sacking Jared Goff five times, holding them to 65 rushing yards and blocking a Lions field goal attempt.
The Lions had plenty of time and chances to come back and win the game, but they were simply unable to get past their own mistakes to make it happen.
“We did everything we needed to do to lose that game. We made every critical error you need to at the right time to lose it. Perfect storm,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “When you don't play well in all three phases, that falls on the head coach. I did not have them ready coming out of the bye. We made too many critical errors, man. Some of our disciple, our penalties caught up to us. We never looked comfortable and we just didn’t make enough plays. We had multiple opportunities to and we made none of them, really. I gotta clean up some stuff up.”
Campbell went on to call it one of the Lions' worst performances he's seen "in a while."
"It's probably one of the worst games we've played in a while," continued Campbell. "We looked rusty... that's evident that I didn't have 'em ready."
Goff said of the offense, "No concern, there's certainly an urgency with fixing things. ... There's a ton to fix and a ton of things to get better at. It’s a long season and we gotta get to it.”
The Lions fall to 5-3 on the season, just trailing the 5-2-1 Packers in the NFC North while the Vikings improve to 4-4 on the year.
Detroit will look to get back on track against the Commanders next week in a rematch of last year’s NFC divisional playoff game. Fortunately for the Lions, the Commanders hold one of the NFL’s worst defenses which will make it an opportune time for the offense to rebound.
J.J. McCarthy Gets Blunt Message After Vikings Beat Lions
The Minnesota Vikings brought J.J. McCarthy back under center for a challenging road matchup against the Detroit Lions, with added pressure to prove he belongs as the team’s starting quarterback.
McCarthy completed 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards, threw two touchdowns, and had one interception, while also adding a rushing touchdown in the 27-24 victory over their NFC North rival.
After the Vikings’ win over the Lions, CBS Sports NFL analyst Danny Kanell shared a blunt analysis of what he saw from McCarthy.
“I thought he was really impressive, going on the road against one of the better defenses and one of the better teams in the entire National Football League,” Kanell said on “CBS Sports HQ.” “I thought he played with a ton of confidence. The throw he made to Justin Jefferson was a great ball.
“Now, you’re throwing Justin on the outside. He made a great catch there, but he’s throwing the ball with a ton of confidence. He is not afraid to take many of those chances because he does have some really good weapons out there. He knows what he can do mobility-wise because he can escape and run. And it was his first time back in the lineup for a while.”
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Now Has Confidence After the Win
Kanell elaborated even more that while there were questions regarding McCarthy, this game against the Lions is a confidence booster for the young quarterback.
“So I thought this was huge for his confidence,” Kanell added. “I don’t think he lacks any, but I still see a young player who’s a little more volatile out there. You get some good throws, you get some bad throws. He’s got to get more consistent, but I think he is playing with a ton of confidence right now for a young player.”
J.J. McCarthy Earns Praise From Vikings Teammate
After the victory over the Lions, Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson spoke with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and didn’t hold back on the praise for McCarthy.
“What a baller,” Hockenson said. “He’s a vet through and through. You wouldn’t think it by his age, but the way he carries himself, the way he performs on Sundays, and the way he operates our offense, it shows you that.”
McCarthy also spoke candidly about his own performance, but he didn’t hesitate to credit the team. The support from his teammates gave him the tools to produce at a high level and helped boost his confidence upon his return from injury.
“Obviously a lot of excitement … and I’m just so proud of the guys,” McCarthy said. “We fought, we had a different energy this week, a different level of focus. But there’s a lot more we can clean up. We haven’t reached our potential. We haven’t even gotten close yet.”
It will be interesting to see if McCarthy can carry this performance over into Week 10 when the Vikings take on the Baltimore Ravens. Moreover, the victory over the Lions puts Minnesota back in the NFC playoff picture.
