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    Detroit Lions are chameleons who change perspectives and break records

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    GREEN BAY, Wis. – Oh, go ahead, give them a challenge.

    Do you want the Detroit Lions to play a wet, sloppy, muddy, windy game that looks like it’s being played in a car wash?

    Yes, they can, actually quite well, as they did on Sunday in a 24-14 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

    Want the Lions to compete in a dry, fast-paced shootout? They can do that too; this team can reach 40 points without blinking.

    Do you want them to win through the air?

    Yes, of course. Because they got “YES-RED GOFF! YES-RED GOFF!” Sorry, the chants of Lions fans were still ringing in my ears as Lions fans walked out of Lambeau Field, drowning out those suddenly silent Packers fans.

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    What about the ground?

    Be realistic: have you seen the two-headed beast that is the walking attack of the lions? They have power and speed and an offensive line that simply dominates.

    They can win by coming from behind, or by holding on to a lead. Whatever you want. Whatever you need.

    “We’re chameleons and whatever it takes to win, whatever way it takes, that’s what we’re going to do,” Goff said.

    Indeed. They are able to change their appearance in different situations; it is this team’s greatest strength.

    Therefore, they are 7-1 for the first time since 1956.

    That’s why they’re in first place in the NFC North: They’ve won six straight games in a season for the first time since 1995.

    That’s why they’re in first place in the NFC — they’ve won three straight games in the state of Wisconsin for the first time since 1986-88.

    And it’s the kind of offense that’s making the rounds: They’ve won four consecutive games in a single season for just the fifth time in franchise history, following 2011, 1956, 1951 and 1934.

    Let me pause here for a moment to put some things into perspective: When you start digging up statistics that go straight back to the 1950s? Yes, we are in special area.

    This team has turned into history-making, history-changing chameleons.

    “They are absolutely the best team in the NFL,” former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said Sunday night on NBC’s “Football Night in America.”

    Yes, the nation has taken notice.

    “They are the best team in the NFL right now,” Chris Simms, the former NFL quarterback, said on the same show. “The best NFC offense. … They can run, they can throw it. … They have a two-headed monster running back. … (Jahmyr Gibbs) is as explosive as any running back in football.”

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    Credit that offensive line

    It all starts with the offensive line that handled the Packers’ aggressive, penetrating front.

    “I think our guys took on that challenge and handled it pretty well today,” Goff said. “Our O-line is the core of our team. The building block of our team and they allowed us to do everything we did on offense today.”

    Yes, that offensive line starts everything, especially for the rushing game.

    The Lions have gained at least 100 yards and a touchdown on the ground in each of the first eight games of a season for the first time since 1936.

    Let’s pause here again to put that into perspective: 1936 was the year Charlie Chaplin released the silent film “Modern Times.”

    Oh, the irony of it all.

    That was also the year that Jesse Owens won the 100 ahead of Adolf Hitler at the Olympic Games in Berlin.

    So… a while ago.

    Speaking of ridiculously fast guys, let me say something about Jahmyr Gibbs here.

    He set an NFL record by producing his seventh straight game with a rushing average of at least 5 yards per carry (on at least 10 attempts per game).

    Yes, a fool NFL record. Let that sink in. This gets crazy when you try to consider everything.

    Gibbs joined Barry Sanders (1993) as the only players in franchise history to rush at least 70 yards from scrimmage in each of the first eight games of a season.

    Again, these facts are so fantastic that you have to say them out loud, think about them for a moment and let them sink in.

    And he did this on a wet, windy day in Lambeau.

    “We’re built for this guy and it doesn’t matter just because we’re playing indoors,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “It doesn’t matter. We can play anywhere. We can play in the snow. We can play in the rain. Play in the mud. That’s just us and we are built to win over people.”

    Once again Mr. Perfect

    Now a word about Goff.

    He was perfect on his first eleven passes.

    And then he missed one and threw it away to avoid a sack.

    So I guess you could say he was perfect even though he wasn’t.

    “He plays at such a high level and I know it’s not identical, but we practice outside,” Campbell said. “Thursday was just as windy as today. We haven’t had any rain, so those two days of just watching him in the elements and throwing like he was, we’ll be fine. We just trust him and it has worked out well for us.”

    Goff became the first player in NFL history to complete 72% of his passes, post a passer rating of 105 and throw a touchdown in six consecutive games.

    Now think about how he did it: on a wet, sloppy day with a swirling wind and a cold rain shower.

    Let me say this slowly now: Over his past six games, Goff has the highest completion percentage (82.8%) in NFL history, not to mention the highest passer rating (140.1).

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    “Goff played clean football, man,” Campbell said in the understatement of the year. “He got us into the right game. He was very efficient. I just have a lot of confidence in him, in what he does and how he plays.”

    Oh, and Goff is the first player in NFL history to complete 80% of his passes in three consecutive games (with a minimum of 15 attempts per game).

    In…NFL…history!

    “I’ve obviously grown so much mentally and physically,” Goff said. “As you get older, you start to learn when to take risks and when not to. I know I’ve said this before, but I feel like I’m playing pretty disciplined. We try to take care of the ball and get it into the hands of our playmakers.”

    Then you have St. Brown, who has a touchdown catch in six straight games, tying Herman Moore’s franchise record from 1994.

    How does St. Brown rank in history? He is the fourth player in NFL history to record at least 350 catches, 4,000 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns in his first four seasons, following Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Thomas.

    “The connection between the two is special,” Campbell said in the second biggest understatement of the year. “It’s special, and they make each other better.”

    So yes, it has also been historic.

    It’s fucking ridiculous if you try to understand it all at once. It’s actually crazy, considering where this franchise was not too long ago.

    I mean, think about this: This team has a score differential of 110 points – the fourth-highest through eight games in franchise history, behind 1934 (151), 1954 (144) and 1936 (121).

    No disrespect to the 1936 Lions, but I don’t think I’m going too far to say, it’s just not comparable, right?

    This team is not only fun to watch, but also makes history. And it’s fucking amazing.

    Every time they take the field.

    In the rain. On the grass. It doesn’t matter.

    And if you want to challenge them to a headstand contest — I’m taking St. Brown with my first-round pick — I’m sure the Lions would win that one, too.

    Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel

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