Stingy Lions take foot off gas, still cruise to 24-6 W over Colts

The Motor City Lions took their foot off the gas on Sunday. Toying with the Colts, Detroit seemed a little sympathetic in Sunday’s efficient 24-6 win at Indianapolis. Defensively, however, the Lions were callous and cold-hearted.

“What I kept thinking about was sitting here after Week 6,” said Yahoo Sports NFL insider Frank Schwab on Sunday’s Inside Coverage, “and saying, ‘Boy, Aidan Hutchinson just broke his leg; this Lions defense might really get bad without him.’ And all credit to Aaron Glenn, their defensive coordinator, the guys on that defense, Dan Campbell, too, this defense does not look like it misses Aidan Hutchinson, which is crazy.”

Crazy because since Hutchinson’s injury at Dallas on Oct. 13, the Detroit defense leads the NFL in red-zone percentage (33.3 percent), is tied for second in third-down percentage (30.0 percent) and ranks third in points allowed per game (15.3). In Sunday’s win, Detroit (10-1) held the Colts (5-7) to 3-for-12 on third downs and 0-for-2 in the red zone, shut out Indy in the second half and bottled up Jonathan Taylor (35 yards on 11 carries). They also extended their winning streak to an NFL-best nine games, longest by a Lions team since 1934.

“I thought this was a game the Lions were going to have a tough time with because how do you get up for the Colts? You’re on the road, you’re just kind of cruising along in your season and the Colts had some momentum after beating the Jets.”

Nope. Even though they weren’t the offensive juggernaut they’ve been in November, they still thrived on efficiency. Jared Goff was 26 of 36 for 269 yards while Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 172 scrimmage yards and three rushing touchdowns. And even though Amon-Ra St. Brown failed to extend his streak of eight games with a touchdown reception, Detroit has somehow scored points on 48.8 percent of its 121 offensive possessions this season (43 touchdowns, 16 field goals), and that includes drives ended by the clock. Tigers Cy Young Award winner Tarik Subal should be impressed with the Lions’ ability to beat an opponent with an assortment of pitches in their arsenal.

Gibbs became only the third player in franchise history, joining Billy Sims and Barry Sanders, with 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of his first two seasons. Gibbs now has 10 rushing touchdowns in 2024, matching his total from last year. And along with Montgomery’s 11 rushing TDs this year and 13 last season, the “Sonic and Knuckles” duo is the first pair of running-back teammates each with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons in NFL history. What’s more, only the Packers’ Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor (1960-61) had recorded 10-plus scrimmage touchdowns over consecutive seasons in league annals prior to Gibbs and Montgomery on Sunday.

The Lions also extended their streak to 25 games with a rushing touchdown, including postseason, the longest stretch in NFL history.

Detroit has a short week before hosting Chicago (4-7) as the leadoff hitter in the annual John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration (12:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

Pray for Chicago. In Detroit’s last two games at Ford Field, the Lions have outscored opponents 104-20.

For more information on the Lions and Colts, visit the Detroit and Indianapolis team pages at ProFootballPost.com.