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    • How Dan Campbell Knew David Montgomery Would Dominate In OT For Lions
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    How Dan Campbell Knew David Montgomery Would Dominate In OT For Lions

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    Dan Campbell didn’t go into Sunday’s overtime thinking he’d be leaning on David Montgomery, but that changed after one attempt.

    Campbell said he decided to rely on Montgomery for the final five minutes of the 26-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams after the Detroit Lions running back made a 21-yard run on the second play of overtime.

    “I think the first run that D-Mo had was really, it was, you just felt like he was about to take this game over,” Campbell said Monday. “That first one, he took off and we got some good movement up front and you could just see the uptick and you could feel that No. 5 and it felt like we were going to be able to break through. And we were.”

    Montgomery carried the ball in five of the Lions’ eight overtime games, running for 45 yards and scoring the game-winning 1-yard touchdown.

    He finished with 91 yards on 17 carries, joining Josh Jacobs, CJ Anderson and Rashard Mendenhall as the only players to have at least 45 yards and a touchdown in overtime in a game in the past 20 years.

    LIONS VS. RAMS COMPETITION BALLS: David Montgomery among the 3 big winners in a tough OT battle

    Montgomery said Sunday he felt unstoppable in overtime.

    “Nothing against them, I was in the mode,” he said. “I was already stuck at that point where I felt like I had to prove myself to myself and I felt like this was the best opportunity for that to happen — for me to show what I’m capable of, but at the same time show how much guts that, that offense and this team has.”

    Pre-season status quo

    While Montgomery dominated in overtime and several other players had stellar performances on Sunday — Campbell cited Jameson Williams, Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Alex Anzalone, Kerby Joseph, Jack Fox and Khalil Dorsey as standouts — the Lions showed a lot of rust in their opener.

    Jared Goff threw an interception and had some operational blunders at quarterback. Brian Branch and Carlton Davis III dropped easy picks. Branch missed two tackles in the first half. And the Lions allowed 317 yards passing.

    Campbell said his team’s inconsistencies Sunday are due to the fact that the team is only in Week 1 of the NFL season, but said that won’t stop him from drafting his starters in preparation for the season.

    The Lions have not played key starters in practice games over the past two seasons and have even kept a number of top reserves on the field this year.

    “Because even then, what, are you going to let them run 20 plays?” Campbell said. “I’d rather play ourselves and score 60 runs, which is what we did. The last two weeks, we’ve worn each other down by running 60 plays. So no, I’m not considering (changing my approach), especially when you’re winning the game. I feel good about where we’re at and I said it last night, do I like that we weren’t as clean? No, I don’t feel good about that, but I’m not mad about the win either. So we’re going to clean it up, like I told the team, the only thing we have to worry about is getting a little better next week.”

    Mind games

    Lions defender Alim McNeill said he was so excited after Sunday’s win that he stayed up late watching TV after he got home.

    “I was up until 4 in the morning, just laying there,” McNeill said. “I was watching the movie, and then, oddly enough, it was Reba’s turn. I was watching Reba.”

    “What did he say?” Campbell asked in disbelief when told about McNeill’s viewing habits.

    “Look, it’s hard to sleep after a game anyway, especially when you get home at whatever it is, 2 a.m., 1 a.m., I don’t know. It’s hard because your mind is racing and you’re watching the tape, you’re thinking about it and you’re just going through all these different plays, what you could have done, what you wish you had done, what went right, what went wrong. So I can relate. I remember that as a player, so I can understand what Mac is talking about. It’s just, you go through it and I think that’s the hard part about a night game, it’s impossible to sleep I think. Even when you’re tired, it’s just hard. The mind doesn’t want to sleep.”

    As for his choice of TV shows, McNeill stressed that the early 2000s sitcom starring country singer Reba McEntire wasn’t his first choice.

    “My girlfriend has been watching it a lot lately, so it was just on and playing all night,” McNeill said. “It was on Netflix.”

    Dave Birkett is the author of the new book “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Pre-order now from Reedy Press.

    Contact him via [email protected]Follow him on X and Instagram via @davebirkett.

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