Inside the locker room: Justin Fields says Lions had playoff atmosphere in Week 17

DETROIT — Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears praised the Detroit Lions for delivering momentum, noting that Ford Field created the postseason atmosphere in Week 17.

Fields added magic to the ground. But the young quarterback had made no headway past the first quarter or in the air while Detroit thrashed the Bears with his 41-10 run. Field completed seven passes on 21 attempts for just 75 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He added 132 rushing yards, but mostly dashing 60 yards.

And that postseason vibe shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Lions welcomed more than 66,000 fans to Ford Field, balancing postseason dreams and the Bears’ season sweep. For the last team in the league to attend, that’s a good sign.

“We knew it was going to be a playoff environment,” Fields said. “The fans were roaring and they brought us the juice today, which means we have to give them credit because we know they could be in the playoffs. I don’t think we have to, we’re going to play perfectly, we have to play better than we did today, and instead of putting the team in second place in the 15s, we’re going to sack them on a play that shouldn’t be sacked. Just take it and try to make a play out of nothing, so just learn from it.

And whether the Lions make it to the playoffs. This continues from Ford Field to the next season. They won 5-4 from Detroit this season, and inside the dome he won 3 straight to round out his slate at home. They have averaged 63,423 fans at home this season. This is a significant improvement from the league-low average of 51,522 players in 2021.

The team’s second-year head coach, Dan Campbell, didn’t hesitate to congratulate the fans at home in Detroit. And he said a home game in January remains a goal after the team’s big win over the Bears.

“And when you do that, you can get home games, you can get some home games, and now it’s all going through Fordfield and going through Detroit. I like the odds. It’s a little better,” Campbell said. “Well, again, we’re–that’s all–we’re still in this moment. We have to go to Green Bay, so I don’t want to go too far, but It’s always been a vision.

“If you don’t think that way, you’ll never get there. I know that.”

See below for details inside the locker room.

Lions QB Jared Goff talks at Ford Field and ideas for what a home playoff game might look like: “It’s fun. Yeah, it’s going to be great. It’s going to be great. I had a lot of fun today and I saw some crazy fans knowing it was my last game at home. That video was pretty cool.” I sat there and watched it all the way through, it’s cool, isn’t it, it’s really cool to see the culture being built and the culture permeating the fans a little bit and they’re feeling it and enjoying it It’s a lot of fun.”

Opening remarks from Lions HC Dan Campbell: “I’ll start with this, man, I want to thank our fans. It’s a special feeling when you’re a coach and a player and you’re really feeling the home field advantage…because there’s a home…a team in this league that doesn’t have that.When they’re winning I was proud of us – I was proud of our coaches, I was proud of our team. We said go to work and trust us and take full pads on wednesday and take back our identities and we’re going to readjust and those guys did it They trusted us and they came out and they looked like they were ready and they looked like we were more physical so I’m proud of them was there.”

Bears HC Matt Everfluth on Detroit’s explosive play: “Yeah, it’s boring. When you get the ball in there, you have to be strong in midfield first. Like I said, you have to have a safety when the ball goes through.Put him on the ground.There were some situations where the safety was there and he missed the tackle.So these We must do a better job to minimize the profits of

“Yeah, those were some missed tackles. In the 3rd and 18th to start the second half, one of the defensive linemen missed the tackle and spun, the corner lost leverage and the safety lost leverage. And again, we have to get him to the ground.”

Concord with other rookie defenders on Lions DE James Huston’s hot start: “I think it’s special. We’re all just going along that line and we’re growing. We’re just learning and discovering what we can and can’t do with each other. So I feel like it just keeps getting better and better as the years go by.”

Goff on some of the early technical issues hindering communication with OC Ben Johnson: “Yeah, thank God. We had a little contingency plan with wristbands. Halfway through that drive, we remembered we had it, and it eased a little, but until then, we’re on the sidelines. Unfortunately that kind of thing happens sometimes, but yes.

“Yeah, I can’t play the whole game like that. I’ve done it before and there were times when my headset would die. It’s a shame. I’d like to think it’s not, but it is. It’s just part of the game.”

Campbell on next week’s do-or-die game in Green Bay: “I think that means everything. I think it’s very special. It’s a historic Rambo that has been in Green Bay every year for a while and goes to potentially earn the right to enter. Now I’m guaranteed another week, so I think this is the most special. The only downside today is the fact that this is our last home game. And you want this – no, we have a few more home games here in January We plan to. But it doesn’t get any better than where we are now.”