Amazing what a difference a little more than a month can make.
Before October turned to November, Lions' head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes seemed doomed to fail. Campbell was making poor in-game decisions an art form. Holmes' roster looked shaky, especially defensively, and the Lions' field goal kicking situation was inexplicably bad.
What's happened since has been a stunning turnaround.
The Lions have won four of their last five games, including destroying Jacksonville 40-14 at Ford Field on Sunday.
It's not just the fact that the Lions are winning that has been so impressive, but how they're doing it – with solid defense and a steady offense.
The Lions have been, dare we say, fundamentally sound and resilient over the last few weeks. The only blip on the screen was a Thanksgiving loss to Buffalo during which Campbell reverted to his poor game management ways.
Yet, the Lions were close against a genuine Super Bowl contender.
The best part is the progress of young players. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 11 of 12 targets for 114 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. He is one of the best slot receivers in the NFL; a touchdown-making, first-down receiving, hard-nosed machine.
Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston were in on sacks of Trevor Lawrence. Kerby Joseph was the Lions' leading tackler. Alim McNeill, Jerry Jacobs and Malcolm Rodriguez played well.
The Lions' offensive line has been terrific. It's gotten to the point where it's typical for the Lions to control both sides of the line of scrimmage.
And to his credit, Jared Goff has taken full advantage of the situation. He was at his best Sunday, hitting 31-of-41 passes for 340 yards and two scores, all while avoiding turnovers. It might have been his best game as a Lion.
The Lions have a big litmus test with back-to-back games against the Vikings and Jets, who combined are 10 games above .500.
They have nothing to lose, certainly not draft position, given the collapse of the Rams. The Lions would only benefit by continuing to win.
Give Campbell and Holmes credit. They are making progress. The real kind, not the fake stuff this town has bought so much in the past from this franchise.
There is hope where there was little but despair not long ago. Enjoy it. The Lions appear to very much be on the right track. Honestly.
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