Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-28 · by Dave Hogg The Associated Press
The Detroit Lions’ offense is built around big plays in both the passing and running games.
asserted
offense → build → games
Jahmyr Gibbs is a constant threat as a runner and receiver, and Jared Goff has plenty of other weapons in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta.
asserted
Goff → have → Brown
On Sunday, though, none of that was working.
asserted
none → work → that
New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn was Detroit’s defensive coordinator from 2021-24, and he has spent more time facing the Lions’ offense than any other coach in football.
asserted
he → spend → football
“AG did a great job,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday.
asserted
Campbell → do → job
“There’s a lot to deal with when you’re facing us, and he did.”
asserted
he → ’ → us
Gibbs had 164 total yards on 27 touches and scored three touchdowns in Detroit’s 31-24 win, but his longest play was only 17 yards.
asserted
play → have → win
Glenn’s defense held St. Brown and Williams to 68 yards on eight catches, including only 4 yards after the catch.
asserted
defense → hold → catch
LaPorta had a 28-yard reception, but only caught two other passes for 16 yards.
asserted
LaPorta → have → yards
“The defense is always focused on keeping (Williams) from getting over the top, so you have to protect yourself there,” Campbell said.
asserted
Campbell → focus → yourself
“They did a good job of that and still kept us from getting explosives in the running game.”
asserted
They → do → game
The Lions, though, were able to keep the ball moving by averaging 4.8 yards per carry and Goff completing 78.1% of his passes.
asserted
ball → keep → passes
“Goff just showed exceptional decision-making,” Campbell said.
asserted
Campbell → show → making
“He looked for a deep shot, but if it wasn’t there, he checked down and kept the chains moving.
asserted
he → look → chains
The offensive line protected him and they were coming off the ball to make us very efficient in the run game.”
asserted
us → protect → game
And when the Lions needed a big play, they got one.
asserted
they → need → one
The Jets tied the game at 24-all with 4:11 to play, but Goff hit Isaac TeSlaa for 49 yards on the next play from scrimmage.
asserted
Goff → tie → scrimmage
That put the Lions on the New York 16, and Gibbs scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard reception with 2:30 to play.
asserted
Gibbs → put → 2:30
The Jets had one more chance and got to the Detroit 28, but Chuck Clark came free on a safety blitz and knocked the ball away from Geno Smith.
asserted
Clark → have → Smith
Jack Campbell returned the fumble to the Lions 45 and Goff ended the game by taking a knee.
asserted
Goff → return → knee
What’s working
Detroit’s pass rush sacked Smith five times for 44 yards, two weeks after sacking the New Orleans Saints’ Tyler Shough five times in an overtime victory.
asserted
rush → work → victory
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has 3 1/2 sacks, but his biggest impact is the number of blockers he faces.
asserted
he → have → blockers
“Hutch is a huge factor,” Campbell said.
asserted
Campbell → say → ?
“They are doubling him, chipping him and rotating things toward him all the time.
asserted
They → double → him
He plays hard on every play and it requires a lot of offensive resources to try to keep him in check.
asserted
it → play → check
What needs help
asserted
What → need → help
As good as the pass rush has been, the Lions are still struggling to cover receivers.
asserted
Lions → struggle → receivers
Through three games, opposing quarterbacks are averaging 326 passing yards and a 70.7% completion percentage.
asserted
quarterbacks → oppose → yards
Smith was even better, completing 31 of 37 passes (83.7%) for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
asserted
Smith → complete → yards
In their last two games, including a 41-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Lions have allowed 569 passing yards and six touchdowns without an interception.
asserted
Lions → include → interception
Smith has always given Detroit problems, averaging 314.6 passing yards in five career starts, and Josh Allen is 4-0 with 14 touchdowns (eight passing, six rushing) against them, but even Shough threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns.
asserted
Shough → give → yards
Linebacker Trevor Nowaske played 33 defensive snaps, up from four against Buffalo, and had six tackles.
asserted
Nowaske → play → tackles
He also had a team-high 17 snaps on special teams.
asserted
He → have → teams
“He just does things the right way, and he’s done that for a while now,” Campbell said.
asserted
Campbell → do → while
“He’s grown a ton since he’s been here and turned himself into a real solid player.”
asserted
he → grow → player
Williams became a valuable part of the Lions’ offense over the past two seasons, putting up 123 receptions for 2,118 yards and 14 touchdowns.
asserted
Williams → become → yards
One of the NFL’s fastest players, nine of his 19 career touchdowns have gone for 40 or more yards, with only three coming from inside 15 yards.
asserted
three → go → yards
This year, though, he has only caught 10 passes for 127 yards with a long reception of 22 yards.
asserted
he → catch → yards
He’s also dropped several passes and fumbled a pitch on an end-around.
asserted
He → drop → around
Detroit didn’t have any serious injuries against the Jets, but Campbell was especially grateful that St. Brown escaped the game without significant issues.
asserted
Brown → have → issues
…and 8 more, not listed.
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