Dan Campbell told us from Day 1 what type of club he planned to build. Any lingering questions about whether the Lions coach pulled it off were washed away Sunday in Minnesota. The once infamous "bite a kneecap off" press conference looks more prophetic by the week as Campbell's club builds on a remarkable résumé of resiliency.
As impressive as Week 6's domination in Dallas unfolded, losing its best player, Aidan Hutchinson, to a season-ending injury cast doubts about Detroit's ability to remain a legit Lombardi challenger.
Week 7's bout against the 5-0 Vikings offered the testing ground. On the road, against a division leader who'd thrashed opponents. A blitzing defense that could give Jared Goff trouble and an offense with Justin Jefferson, who could pick apart the remade secondary.
"It was going to come down to the wire," Campbell said after Sunday's 31-29 win, via The Athletic. "The team knew this. We talked about patience. Patience. Keep your composure. Communication. Attitude. Our guys did that. We hung in there, and we didn't bat an eye. … Great team win. Complementary football across the board. Offense, defense, special teams when we need it most. Really proud of these guys. It's a huge win on the road, tough environment. … Don't want to say must-win, but we needed that in a lot of ways."
The first 15 minutes spelled trouble. Detroit suffered from penalties, sacks, a stuffed fake punt, a busted run-fit and zero first downs until the last play of the first quarter.
The Lions got punched in the face, knocked down by a swift Viking hook.
Then, Campbell's club got up. On the way, they took chunks of flesh -- as the coach once said they would. The Lions feasted.
Jahmyr Gibbs bit off a 45-yard touchdown with a gorgeous juke in space. The offensive line picked up a Brian Flores blitz and Goff splashed a dime to Amon-Ra St. Brown for a touchdown. Brian Branch made a diving interception. Another Gibbs TD.
In 10 minutes, a 10-point deficit became an 11-point lead.
More adversity lay ahead.
Kevin O'Connell's offense got on track in the second half, Jefferson heated up and Minnesota chipped away at the Lions' lead. Then, University of Michigan product Josh Metellus punched the ball away from David Montgomery, leading to a scoop-and-score from Ivan Pace Jr. late in the fourth quarter. In a blink, Campbell's club once again found itself down.
In the past, that gut punch would have been the final blow. But the Lions didn't stay lying prostrate on the mat.
The Hutchinson-less defense got a big three-and-out, and Goff swiftly guided the Lions into field-goal range with breathtaking ease. Jake Bates smashed home the game-winning field goal. NFC North lead taken.
"We knew this game was gonna be like that," Gibbs said. "Two great teams. Dan told us the whole week, 'Patience.' So, you know, everything was gonna fall in line and we was gonna click. We just kept that, took every play at a time."
Jefferson is known for doing The Griddy. Campbell's club is known for being gritty.
"We just like football," defensive tackle D.J. Reader said. "Nobody's got doubt. I don't think anybody on our team has doubt that we're gonna get it done. I think there's a lot of outside doubt with what happened last week, losing guys, what we're gonna be like, but I think inside our building, everybody's very confident. Guys are super confident about who they are."
Sunday showed that Campbell has indeed built the kneecap-biting squad he'd always envisioned, one that always gets up swinging regardless of how many punches it's taken.
