FIRST DOWN: ST. BROWN'S WEEK
It was almost poetic Sunday that the first time Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown touched the football he made a defender miss, cut inside, saw a seam, picked up a block from wide receiver Jameson Williams and willed his way into the end zone.
St. Brown has been looking forward to this week ever since the game was announced. St. Brown took that first reception 56 yards for a touchdown and the Lions never looked back in a 35-10 win over New England in Munich.
St. Brown also found the end zone later from 28 yards out. He finished with four receptions for 98 yards and those two scores.
"It was three days I'll never forget," St. Brown said after the game. "My first game in Germany, a place that I call basically my second home. It was amazing from the start. Start of the game to the end, the way we played as a team … Being in Germany, number one was a blessing, it was amazing. But being able to win like that with the guys, with my teammates in front of the fans here in Germany, it's like a dream come true."
St. Brown showed up to the game in traditional Bavarian lederhosen, along with teammates wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa and long snapper Hogan Hatten. He also ran out of the tunnel carrying the German flag.
To have the game St. Brown did with two touchdowns and for Detroit to notch their fifth straight victory, it couldn't have been a better ending to the week for St. Brown.
SECOND DOWN: STACKING GOOD PERFORMANCES
The Lions' defense just keeps stacking good performances on top of good performances going on five weeks in a row now after holding the Patriots to 10 points, 151 total yards (61 rushing) and sacking quarterbacks Drake Maye and Tommy DeVito a combined five times in the contest.
"The coverage has been tighter just schematically," cornerback Rock-Ya Sin said after the game. "That front seven, they are just ballin, man. Those dudes are unblockable, man. I'm serious. From inside and outside. Whenever you can get those guys humming and then playing tight coverage in the backside. That's a recipe for success."
That's certainly been the recipe for success for Kelvin Sheppard's defense the last five games — all Lions wins. After Sunday's win, Detroit's defense has allowed their last five opponents to average 14.4 points per game and 67.0 rushing yards per game.
Before New England found the end zone in the fourth quarter Sunday, Detroit's defense had gone 17 drives without allowing a touchdown dating back to Week 8 against Minnesota.
The Lions' front seven was dominant, accounting for five sacks and nine tackles for loss. Credit pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend's group for their play too. They were all over Patriots receivers the entire game and at least a couple of those sacks were due to New England quarterbacks having nowhere to throw the football.
THIRD DOWN: GIBBS GOES OFF
"You could feel our O-line running off the football," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game. "Listen, if you run off the football and you get guys on blocks and put a hat on a hat, (Jahmyr) Gibbs will do the rest. He'll do the rest."
Gibbs certainly did the rest against the Patriots to the tune of 252 total scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns and also had seven receptions for 99 yards as Detroit's leading receiver.
"I think we have to pinch ourselves sometimes and not take for granted how special he is," quarterback Jared Goff said of Gibbs after the game. "He's just so explosive with the ball in his hands. I throw a check-down to him, and he goes for 50 yards. That's so rare for a guy to be able to do all the things he does."
Gibbs passed Terrell Davis (62) for the most touchdowns a player has scored through four-career seasons in NFL history and is just the third player to reach 50 rushing touchdowns before turning 25 years old, joining Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith.
Sanders. Smith. Gibbs. Not bad company.
FOURTH DOWN: STEPPING UP
Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson left the game with a knee injury on the Lions' first defensive series and did not return.
Campbell did not give an update on his status after the game other than to say they wanted to wait until they got back to Detroit to get further imaging done.
Any long-term absence would certainly be a blow to the Lions' defense, but it was encouraging to see how Detroit's defensive line rallied Sunday without their leader.
Rookie Derrick Moore stepped up and contributed two sacks. He now has two sacks in back-to-back games.
DJ Wonnum recorded his sixth sack of the season and defensive linemen Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams continue to play good football along Detroit's interior. McNeill recorded his team-leading 6.5 sack Sunday against the Patriots.
If Hutchinson misses significant time, the rest of the defensive line will need to continue stepping up.
