John Niyo: Lions in their element as NFC North reign continues at Lambeau

Green Bay, Wis.— When it rained, they roared.

And when this one was over, after the Lions had survived all the elements — the rain, the wind, and even the NFL replay officials in New York — the forecast was remarkably clear: Detroit rules the NFC North now, no doubt about that.

But once the storm finally had passed Sunday night at Lambeau Field, leaving the stands drenched in Honolulu Blue and the Lions sitting alone atop the conference standings, what stood out most was how predictable this all felt. How comfortable they looked.

The Lions throttled the division-rival Packers on their home turf Sunday, running away with a rain-soaked 24-14 victory that a few years ago would’ve seemed monumental here. But this time it simply confirmed something Dan Campbell already knew about his Super Bowl-contending team.

“I'm not shocked one bit that we came out here and played pretty good football out in the elements,” the Lions’ head coach said after notching his third straight win in Green Bay, something that hasn’t happened since the Daryl Rogers era in the mid-1980s. “We’re built for this, man. And just because we play indoors, it doesn’t matter. We can play anywhere. We can play in the snow, play in the rain, play in the mud. That’s just us. We're built to win.”

They’ve also built a commanding lead in their division now, effectively two games up on both the Packers (6-3) and the Minnesota Vikings (6-2) after winning their sixth in a row and capping arguably the most difficult stretch in their schedule.

This was the Lions’ third road game in four weeks. But it was their first outdoor game of the season, and it’ll be their only one out in the elements until a pair of late-December trips to Chicago and San Francisco. At this rate, though, they may not have to worry about the weather in the playoffs come January. Because at 7-1 overall, and already 6-1 against conference opponents, the Lions control their own destiny in the race for a No. 1 playoff seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

And if there was a statement made here Sunday, that was it, safety Kerby Joseph said: “We control the NFC."

Yet if they proved anything Sunday, it’s that none of that necessarily matters. Because these Lions also control games better than any other team in the league. For the third time in four weeks, they went on the road and showed their mettle in a hostile environment, winning with a mix of confidence and composure the way championship teams do.

Earlier in the week, as he previewed this matchup with the Packers, Campbell had insisted, “This thing’s going to come down to one critical error.” And while he talked about it as a likely fourth-quarter scenario, his point still stood: “Whoever makes one error is going to lose this game.”

Sure enough, it was Jordan Love, Green Bay’s quarterback, who made the critical error Sunday, tossing a game-changing interception just before halftime. Joseph snared Love’s careless gift — he’s tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions this season — and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. And just like that, a tight 10-3 affair became a two-touchdown lead for the visitors heading into the break.

“You cannot do that against a good football team,” said Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who was busy muttering obscenities on the sideline Sunday, “because they are going to make you pay.”

With interest, in this case. The Lions promptly took the second-half kickoff and marched 71 yards in nine plays to put this one out of reach. Jahmyr Gibbs’ 15-yard touchdown run — on fourth-and-1, no less — was the back-breaking play. And on a day where the Packers repeatedly shot themselves in the foot, all the Lions really needed to do from there was get out of the way.

The defense shook off the loss of safety Brian Branch — ejected after an illegal hit on receiver Bo Melton in the first half — and consistently made big plays to get off the field. The Packers did finish with 411 yards of total offense, partly because the Lions failed to generate any real pressure on Love. (Expect the Lions to remedy that problem with a trade for an edge rusher like Cleveland’s in the next 36 hours.) But the Packers went just 3 for 12 on third downs — defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn mixed his coverage looks well — and scored just one touchdown in four red-zone opportunities.

And while Love and the Packers had a miserable day handling the football, with three fumbled snaps and at least a half-dozen dropped passes, Jared Goff and the Lions seemed completely unbothered. They finished with their fourth turnover-free performance in their last five games.

"We preached it all week," Campbell said. "We worked it. Wet-ball drills every day at practice. And, man, our guys really did a great job. ... It was a big difference."

Goff was nearly perfect in the first half, completing his first 11 pass attempts before turfing one late in the second quarter to avoid the Packers' rush. ("I should've just taken the sack," he joked.) He went on to finish the game 18 for 22 for 145 yards, including a beautiful touchdown toss to Amon-Ra St. Brown. An interception-free day — he hasn’t thrown a pick since Week 3, a streak of 112 attempts — produced a 109.3 passer rating and another round of “Jar-ed Goff!” chants to close out this game at Lambeau. He’s the first Lions quarterback ever to win three consecutive games here, and afterward his smile said it all.

“We’re supposed to be the dome team that can’t play outside,” Goff said. “We’re supposed to be the team that can only win one way. And I think we’ve shown a handful of times we can win multiple ways. We’re chameleons. And whatever it takes to win, that’s what we’re gonna do.”

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