Bob Wojnowski: By ground or by punt, Lions' explosive offense can't be stopped

DETROIT — This wasn’t a football game. This was a video game, and everyone got a turn at the joystick. If the Lions don’t beat you by conventional means with their conventional stars, they have other options.

Lots of other options.

It was half domination and half abomination, replete with huge plays, crazy numbers and further evidence of the behemoth the Lions have become. This is what great teams do to sadsack squads. If one button doesn’t work, you push another.

The Lions pummeled the Titans, 52-14, for their fifth straight victory, and when a fan raised a sign that read, “Ford Field, Happiest Place on Earth,” it was hard to argue. It also was the Strangest Place on NFL Earth, producing a raft of stats we’ve almost never seen.

The Lions won with Jared Goff throwing for only 85 yards, the second-lowest total of his career. They won with Amon-Ra St. Brown catching only two passes and with Dan Campbell barely even bothering to gamble. They won with Kalif Raymond returning punts for 190 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown, and Khalil Dorsey returning a kickoff 72 yards.

The Titans outgained the Lions, 416-225, because return yardage doesn’t count toward the total. The Lions recovered two fumbles and intercepted Mason Rudolph twice, but they haven’t solved their pass-rushing issues, sacking him only once.

It was an inauspicious start, and in the opening minutes, Goff was looking up from the turf, sacked three times. Next time he looked up, a 14-14 game had turned into a 35-14 rout, as the Lions kept taking over deep in Tennessee territory.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of something like that,” Goff said. “With that being said, we score 52 and there’s still like, ‘Eh, eh.’ I know that sounds kind of hollow after scoring 52, but there are some things that we can do better on offense.”

Campbell said similar things, and they’re both probably right. The Lions (6-1) were outgained partly because they had such short distances to drive after turnovers and Raymond’s magic. The defense got gashed a bit by receiver Calvin Ridley (143 yards) and Tony Pollard (94 yards rushing), but for the most part, the Lions did what they had to do.

They head to Green Bay next week for a showdown, and if the Titans (1-6) presented a trap, it was firmly shut. When you win by 38 without playing at your highest level, that’s as rare a feat as the Lions have accomplished in the past three years.

“It’s bittersweet because you know you weren’t at your best, so there’s a little bit of that empty feel,” Campbell said. “It’s like I told them — ‘That’s what champions do, you don’t care what time of day it is, what the records are, what the surface is; you just come out and handle your business.’ … It’s a hell of a team win, and once again, this team knows how to complement itself, and all three units were humming pretty dang good.”

It’s getting easier and easier to compliment them, too. This was the Lions’ widespread firepower on graphic display. Jahmyr Gibbs was his standard, splendid self, rushing for 127 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown. The Lions hung on to first place in the NFC North, while the Titans lived down to their record, as well as the fakest stat in the NFL. They came in with the No. 1 defense based on yards allowed, which doesn’t account for return yards, penalty yards, turnover yards, or, apparently, any yards of consequence.

It was a game deserving of hyperbole, as the Lions nearly topped their franchise regular-season record of 55 points. (They scored 59 in the 1957 championship game.) They were merciless and relentless, and they did what other teams did to them over the years. If you’re into full-circle imagery, the Titans romped, 47-10, on Thanksgiving in 2008, helping push those Lions toward their infamous 0-16 mark.

These Lions have larger goals than erasing dreary markers, and every week, they look more and more like a Super Bowl favorite. Last week, they won at Minnesota, 31-29, and before that, rolled into Dallas and squashed the Cowboys, 47-9.

Six different players scored touchdowns Sunday — tight ends Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright, running backs Gibbs and David Montgomery, St. Brown, and two by Raymond, including a 7-yard reception. Raymond has seemed on the verge of this, well, forever. At 30 and a veteran of five NFL teams, he was ready to quit the sport seven years ago.

Pushed by a large family and large ambition in his 5-foot-8 frame, Raymond persevered and has become one of the team’s most popular players. He had a 64-yard punt return in addition to his 90-yarder and became the first player in NFL history to post a touchdown reception and punt-return touchdown in the same game.

“I’ve been ready for that (touchdown) feeling too many times,” Raymond said. “It’s kind of surreal. It’s kind of like, ‘Oh, oh, it’s happening, it’s happening,’ and I’m saying, ‘Don’t mess up, don’t mess up.’”

The Lions made plays in every phase of the game, didn’t turn the ball over and committed only three penalties. They were helped by some buffoonish play-calling by the Titans and head coach Brian Callahan. With the Lions leading, 35-14, in the closing seconds of the first half, Tennessee had first-and-goal from the 1, and rather than run it in, Rudolph threw four straight incompletions.

It probably wouldn’t have mattered the way the Lions were hitting holes and busting tackles. With Jameson Williams suspended two games, Raymond was going to get his shot, and Campbell was ecstatic to give it to him.

“Leaf has been outstanding, his confidence level and everything that he brings,” Campbell said. “I can stand up here and go all day talking about Leaf. What a stud he is. He’s just one of those guys.”

The Lions have quite a few “one of those guys.” On this day, it was the reliable Leaf. Next game, it could be someone else. On the most explosive offense in the NFL, the options are endless, and so are the limits.

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