DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions were fighting from a hole for most of the game against the New York Giants on Sunday.
New York punched them early and kept reaching into its bag of tricks to maintain its lead. Detroit didn’t take its first lead until Jahmyr Gibbs’ 69-yard touchdown run on the first play of overtime in the 34-27 win.
And while Gibbs and kicker Jake Bates were the heroes who saved the day, the defense salvaged an ugly day with some clutch stops down the stretch.
Despite giving up 517 yards of offense, allowing the Giants to convert 50% on third down and allowing Jameis Winston to throw for 363 yards and catch a 33-yard score, the defense found time to recover.
Safety Thomas Harper’s fourth-quarter interception stopped a Giants drive at midfield. The Lions came up with a game-saving stop on fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line with 2:54 remaining in the game. Then, passer Aidan Hutchinson got home for the team’s only sack on the final play of the game in overtime after a pass-rush free day.
The defense managed to bend without breaking when the Giants weren’t hitting them with trick plays, forcing two short field goals to keep pace.
MLive’s Dungeon of Doom podcast returns with another postgame podcast after Sunday’s wild finish. Hosts Kory Woods and Ben Raven try to make sense of it all as they discuss Gibbs and Bates’ heroics, where there are concerns and what they make of a win against a two-win team in that fashion.
“Yeah, you got the win. You got the win,” Raven said. “And sometimes a resilient win can be a wake-up call. Sometimes it can remind you what you’re capable of because they haven’t had to win a game like that this year.
“I know (Jared) Goff didn’t have five interceptions, but this was very reminiscent of Houston last year, where they just kept finding ways. The defense, you know, struggled but made stops. The offense struggled but hit big plays. Jake Bates delivers. Gibbs goes to the house. Lions are 7-4.”
Woods compared Gibbs and his 264 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns to a Dominique Wilkins-type of highlight-worthy takeover. Raven loved that comparison and made sure to give linebacker Jack Campbell some love for his work stuffing the run, with the hosts saying he’s a Dan Campbell clone playing defense.
When the Lions needed it the most to avoid a truly bad loss, their best players stepped up and delivered. The defense struggled and gave up a ton of explosive plays, but they delivered in the clutch.
**Want to hear more about Gibbs’s historic performance and why we believe he should be the offensive focus moving forward? Listen to the full episode of MLive’s Dungeon of Doom podcast for more insight into the Lions’ thrilling OT victory:**
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