When the call came in from Dan Campbell on Detroit's 26-yard line, a fake punt with a direct snap to C.J. Moore, "I'm like, 4th and 8, sh*t, aight, let's go," said Moore.
"It just shows how much he believes in us, and I appreciate him for that," Moore said afterward.
If the call backfires and the play fails and the Vikings promptly tie the game, it's foolish. It's fearless because it worked. It's daring because Moore darted his way through a hole thanks to a clutch block by fellow special teams ace Jason Cabinda and turned up field for a 42-yard gain to extend a drive that yielded a touchdown and a two-score lead for the Lions midway through the third quarter. It's bold because Campbell grabbed hold of Sunday's game and flipped it firmly in Detroit's favor.
"Yeah, huge play," said Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. "A lot of respect for that. The special teams coordinator over there, it’s pretty well documented that they’re going to try and steal a possession at some point. And they were able to do that against us, which was unfortunate.”
The special teams coordinator would be Dave Fipp, the coach Campbell hired from the Eagles two offseason ago. The Lions are 6 of 7 on fake punts since he arrived. Fipp is the brains behind the play; Campbell, in this case, was the guts. Or in the words of Penei Sewell, whose silky-smooth mitts finished off another trick play to finish off the Vikings, "Dude’s got some nuts on him, bro."
"Dan Campbell’s gonna be him and nobody's gonna change that, and that’s what I love about him," said Sewell.
Moore, 26, has been a key special teams cog for Detroit since signing with the team as an undrafted free agent four years ago. That was back in the Matt Patricia era, when the Lions' spirit was battered and their locker room was broken. Campbell's locker room got stronger last season amid the Lions' 0-10-1 start, which is why it didn't fracture when they started this season 1-6. Now that the Lions are winning, spirits are higher than they've been in years.
Taylor Decker, Detroit's longest-tenured player, said he's waited "maybe my whole career" to be part of a team full of this much belief. Moore, who was cut out of training camp this season after a leg injury and re-signed with the Lions in October, said it's the most confident locker room he's experienced in Detroit.
"I was not even here the first six games because of an injury settlement and I knew when I was at home, I want to go back to Detroit," he said. "Everybody was like, 'Man, you got opportunities to go somewhere else,' and I did. I was literally telling my agent, 'I want to come back to Detroit,' because I know the type of confidence we have in this locker room.
"I was like, 'I’ve been here when we’ve lost, I’m gonna be here when we win.'"
Moore returned to the Lions from the Texans' practice squad when Detroit was 1-5. The club bottomed out the next week in a loss to the Dolphins. The Lions have since won five of six to roar back into the playoff race, like there was never any doubt. For Moore, there wasn't. After spending 17 games here last season under Campbell and GM Brad Holmes, he knew better times were ahead.
"Just the coaching staff, man, the faith and the believe they have in us and what we’re building here. Coach Dan and Brad, they’re building something so special and it’s something that I want to be a part of. That’s really why I came back," said Moore. "You could feel it last year. We ended the season well and this season didn’t start off too well, but we’ve known it’s been here and it’s showing."
For Moore, Sunday's win was no small deal. Beyond his big play, it marked the first time in his career that he's enjoyed six wins in one season. "And I've been here four years," he said, "so this is special." The Lions have four more games to add to that total and chase down a playoff spot. They are undaunted and dangerous, following the lead of their head coach.
A fake punt from your own 26? In the third quarter? Leading at home against a first-place team?
"We knew the look they were going to give us," said Campbell, "and I’ve got a lot of trust in our guys."
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