Dan Campbell acknowledges that having such a dominant team is a luxury, but it’s starting to become the norm for the Detroit Lions, who’ve now secured three large victories in the past six weeks. For instance, second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker has come in during the fourth quarter in three of those blowouts.
“This is one of those strange situations we’re running into,” Campbell remarked. “It’s not something that usually happens, but this is the third time this season, which is a good problem to have.”
Campbell continued to explain that, while it’s great to be playing well, managing the game late becomes tricky: “You want to finish strong, maintain the rhythm, and when the time comes, you pull the starters. But it’s tough when you’re playing well, then suddenly take a dip, and you start thinking, ‘Do we pull them out to avoid injury, and how does that affect the next game?’”
Jared Goff and the starting offense were virtually unstoppable, scoring touchdowns on their first seven possessions, a feat not seen since the 2007 New England Patriots.
Goff’s final play came with about 13 minutes remaining in the game, when he connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 9-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 49-6.
After that, most of the starting lineup was sidelined, with Penei Sewell staying in to finish the game. Graham Glasgow was the only other offensive player to take all 79 snaps. Campbell offered insight into his decision-making.
“After the last touchdown, I told the team, ‘Let’s get them out,’ with 13 minutes left,” Campbell said. “At that point, you just do what you have to do to finish the game. There’s only so much you can worry about, and ideally, I’d love to get Sewell out, but we only have three backup linemen. You have to manage things carefully, pulling out older players or those with injuries when you can.”
With Decker missing last week’s game due to a shoulder injury, and both Zeitler and Ragnow having dealt with injuries this season, Campbell’s approach makes sense.
