DETROIT -- Dan Campbell could finally let out a big sigh of relief on Sunday evening.
For 60 minutes, the New York Jets -- led by his former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn -- pushed his Detroit Lions to the limit as they narrowly escaped with a 31-24 victory at home.
Campbell described the win as being "just what the doctor ordered," with star running back Jahmyr Gibbs scoring three touchdowns and the defense securing a pivotal takeaway.
"I'm just proud of that defensive staff. I'm proud of those players over there and as a whole," Campbell said. "That was a good win."
The offense scored exactly 31 points for the third consecutive game this season, marking the first time in franchise history the Lions have scored 30 or more points in each of their first three games, according to ESPN Research.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff called the point total "our lucky number," and Campbell said he has enjoyed the high-scoring affairs so far.
"I'll tell you what, you're coming to our games? You're loving this now. I mean, these are exciting games. These are exciting," Campbell said. "Come down to the wire. Nobody's leaving early. And that was the point. We're not going to let anybody leave early this year."
With Lions legend Barry Sanders in the building as part of the alumni homecoming festivities, Gibbs pulled out his best impression of the Hall of Famer on a 17-yard rushing touchdown to push Detroit ahead 17-7. On the play, Gibbs faked out the multiple Jets defenders after being tossed the ball, then cut along the left side to find the end zone at 10:56 in the third quarter for his fourth TD of the season.
He also surpassed Billy Sims (42) for the second-most rushing touchdowns in Lions franchise history while trailing only Sanders (99) and his 11-yard touchdown reception from Goff with 2:25 remaining in the fourth gave Detroit its final lead.
"Every time he's here, I gotta step up my game a little bit," Gibbs said of Sanders. "So, to be in the same conversation as him is humbling. I'm blessed to be in it. It's somebody I've looked up to for a long time."
Goff ran the offense like a well-oiled machine, completing 25-of-32 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has now thrown a touchdown in 26 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL and extends his franchise record.
He was nearly perfect against the Jets' blitz on Sunday, going 15-of-16 for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Through three games this season, Goff has four touchdowns and has completed 77% of his passes against the blitz, both his best marks through three games in his career, per ESPN Research.
"I think I've done a good job of being disciplined and not getting frustrated, I guess, with the lack of deep throws," Goff said. "It's not that we're not calling them. It's just that they're playing with so much depth, and it's my job to not get frustrated and stay within myself and take the checkdowns, and I have, and it's been good."
Although the offense was solid, it was the defense that saved the day with a critical takeaway on the Jets' final possession where defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard dialed up a safety blitz with under a minute left.
Lions safety Chuck Clark forced a strip sack on Jets QB Geno Smith, and the fumble was picked up by linebacker Jack Campbell to seal the win.
Detroit's defense received heavy criticism throughout the week for allowing 71 points through the first two weeks, but Campbell was proud of the unit for showing up when it mattered.
Against the Jets, Detroit shook up its secondary with Rock Ya-Sin serving a reserve role. CB Roger McCreary started at outside cornerback alongside veteran D.J. Reed.
Entering the Jets game, the Lions were outgained by 191 total yards this season, which was the fifth worst in NFL, but Sheppard refused to do any finger pointing following the Week 2 loss to the Bills.
Instead, he held a meeting on Monday to dissect the defensive struggles, where honesty was shared between players and coaches and they were able to hash out some things, and the unit responded by allowing a season-low 24 points, although they still have areas to clean up.
"That was an outstanding call by him. I'm proud of him," Campbell said of Sheppard. "It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to hang in there and trust and believe in what you do, and your guys, what we're about and trust them to bring it to life and then they did it. That was awesome."