Lions Defense Answers the Bell Without Jack Campbell in Miami

Lions fans, they said they would play for 46, and they did. Without their defensive leader, Detroit held Miami to nine points in Sunday's 19-9 win, the fourth straight.

Our Take: This was the best answer the Lions could give to the Jack Campbell injury: no drop-off in the middle and a pass rush that finally has help.

Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com reported that Sunday was the first game Campbell has missed in his NFL career after his neck injury against Minnesota. Derrick Barnes took over the green dot and the defensive calls, and Malcolm Rodriguez stepped into the MIKE role and led Detroit with eight tackles and a pass defended.

Up front, Alim McNeill notched another sack, giving him a career-high 5.5 with nine games left, per Twentyman. Three rookies, Derrick Moore, Anthony Lucas and Skyler Gill-Howard, each had a quarterback hit in the same game for just the second time since QB hits began being tracked in 2006, and Moore finished with two sacks, the first of his career. NFL.com added that Detroit held Miami to 77 rushing yards on 21 carries and sacked Malik Willis three times, all in the fourth quarter.

The bigger picture: in the last three wins over Green Bay, Minnesota and Miami, the Lions allowed 17 points or fewer, something they had not done in three straight games in one season since 2021. Jared Goff put it simply: "that's the hallmark of a good team is when you're able to find different ways to win repeatedly."

What to watch: Campbell's recovery timeline, and whether the offensive line that allowed three first-half sacks builds on its cleaner second half.

Sources: DetroitLions.com — Twentyman: Week 9 observations, NFL.com