For Derrick Barnes, the Detroit Lions’ 37–24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals wasn’t just another victory; it was personal. The Louisville native returned home (Louisville is only an hour and a half from Cincinnati) to play in front of nearly a hundred friends and family, and in true storybook fashion, sealed the game with a walk-off safety.
It was the kind of performance that reflected everything Barnes has become under defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard: smart, relentless, and accountable. And according to Barnes, he didn’t do it alone.
“Man, and I want to first of all shout out Trevor Nowaske,” Barnes said after the game. “He set that play up all game with what he was doing with the games he was doing with Hutch. I just happened to go back to see what he was doing, asking him about what he was doing, and capitalize off that. So I want to give a huge kudos to him and shout out to Trevor Nowaske. But, oh man, I mean to be able to do that, to come home and make a play like that means a lot to me.”
Derrick Barnes Detroit Lions Derrick Barnes Explains Emotional Homecoming
Homecoming Hero
Barnes’ energy after the safety said it all, pure joy mixed with pride. Playing in front of his so many friends and family added emotional weight to the moment.
“Playing in front of a lot of friends and family and people here to support me, I owe it to them,” Barnes said. “That actually made me realize what’s my why and why I do it, and this is the reason. There were a lot of emotions flowing through the air.”
He estimated roughly 100 friends and family were in attendance:
“I said about a hundred. I’m not going to lie to you. This is the most. My mom said she saw a lot of 55 jerseys. I don’t really see them when we go other games, even at home, and I’m kind of disappointed about that. So, fans watching, go buy my jersey!”
Barnes couldn’t hide his pride seeing his name across the stands:
“We were driving there on the bus and I’m seeing 55 jerseys out there, man. That’s love, man. My main goal today was just to make the people here that came to support me proud.”
‘Why Not Me?’ — The Linebacker Mentality
Barnes said his coaches preach making a play when it’s needed most, a message that hit home on Sunday.
“Coach Shep and my linebacker coach always tell us, somebody’s got to make a play,” Barnes said with conviction. “Why not you? Look deep into yourself and be the reason. I took that to heart.”
That attitude has defined Detroit’s defense under Sheppard, who has emphasized turnovers, discipline, and unity. Barnes explained how the linebackers have made takeaways a weekly mission.
“We preach it all the time. We do this tradition where we watch all the turnovers on Saturdays,” Barnes said. “We come in as a whole defensive unit and we watch all the turnovers around the league. We always look at each other’s linebackers like, ‘Man, we got to start getting the ball out and getting interceptions and sacks.’ We got a phenomenal group. We just have such an amazing group of guys, man.”
He went on to add:
“We got guys who make plays on special teams, guys who make plays in games,” Barnes said. “We have high expectations for ourselves. When we’re out there, we’re competing about making a play, but also doing it within the scheme. We love to see each other win. It’s nothing makes me more proud to see our linebackers making plays.”
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Complementary Football at Its Finest
Barnes echoed what Dan Campbell’s Lions have made their calling card: playing for each other.
“We always say that the defense runs through us. The level we play at determines how our defense will play. Shep has high expectations for us, and we learned a lot from him. We know what the goal is.”
And when asked about watching turnovers every week, Barnes explained the purpose:
“We got one of the best offenses in the league. So when you can keep giving them the ball and allow them to get their explosives, get our running backs going, wide receivers going, get JG (Jared Goff) going, the sky’s the limit. That’s what we preach. When something happens on offense, we go over to JG and tell him, ‘Get you a shot of water, because you’re about to be right back on the field.’ We live by that and truly mean that.”
That sense of brotherhood between offense, defense, and special teams is what makes this Lions team so cohesive.
“If defense is down, offense got our back,” Barnes said. “If offense down, defense got their back. And then special teams also. We got a great special teams coach, Coach (Dave) Fipp, man. He’s amazing. We treat all the defense, offense, and special teams the same because it all combines. If we continue to play complementary football among those three groups, the sky’s the limit.”
Holding Each Other to the Standard
Even in victory, Barnes said the defense knows it can be sharper, especially when it comes to closing games.
“We have a standard on defense. We don’t live up to that, even with the win. When we play teams like the Chiefs or Philly—those small mistakes can beat you,” Barnes said. “There’s a lot of things we can correct, a lot of things we can get better at, and we will. That’s what we do. We go back to the drawing board, back to practice, and eliminate those mistakes.”
That accountability is part of what Sheppard instills in his players every week.
“We know what kind of coach we have, and he doesn’t allow those things,” he said. “You kind of almost feel like, man, I let him down, and we don’t ever want to do that when it comes to Coach Shep. But he knows how to calm the storm and build confidence in moments like that.”
Derrick Barnes Derrick Barnes Detroit Lions
The Bottom Line
Derrick Barnes didn’t just make a big play; he made the play with his people watching. His safety was more than a stat; it was a statement.
The Lions’ defense has become a reflection of his mindset: unselfish, relentless, and accountable. And when Sheppard asks, “Who’s going to make the play?” Barnes has already given his answer.
“Why not me?”