The availability story went Detroit's way, which nobody expected after last week. Jack Campbell went on injured reserve Saturday, Kerby Joseph was out with the knee and DJ Wonnum and D.J. Reed were inactive. Against Willis that was still enough. Brian Branch played with no designation after the concussion, and Amon-Ra St. Brown played through his ribs and led everybody with 8 catches for 86 yards. He was the only steady piece of Goff's afternoon.
The game looked like it would stay close for a long time. It was 3-3 after a quarter and 6-3 Lions at the half, and the conditions didn't help or hurt either side: 84 degrees, mostly sunny and 3 mph of wind at kickoff, calmer than the early forecast. The Lions couldn't block or throw for most of 3 quarters, and they survived on defense and field position until the offense finally showed up.
The 3rd quarter decided it again, as it has all season in Miami. The preview pointed to the Dolphins' habit of falling apart after halftime, and New England had outgained them 139-14 in that quarter a week earlier. This time Detroit won the 3rd 10-3, its only touchdown quarter of the day, and pulled away over the final 16:20. Every Miami point came from a field goal, one per quarter in 3 of the 4. A team that can't get into the end zone can't come back from 10 down.
For Miami, the defense held up for a while. Detroit had piled up 230 rushing yards on Minnesota, and the Dolphins kept Gibbs under 4 a carry and the Lions to 6 points for 30 minutes. That's 4 losses in 5 games and a 1-7 record, though, and the offense is the reason. Willis averaged about 5 yards an attempt and didn't threaten downfield, so the field goals never turned into touchdowns.
Detroit moves to 6-2 and has now won 4 straight. Like the 20-17 win over Green Bay and the 19-15 win over Minnesota, this one was a grind and not a statement. The difference this time is that it came on the road, without Campbell, Joseph or Wonnum, and the backups held a team to 9 points. The offense still has questions after another slow start. Right now the defense is what's winning games for the Lions.
