The Detroit Lions won their fourth straight game on Sunday to improve to 6-2 for the season. It wasn't the prettiest of games against the Dolphins in Miami, but the Lions got it done, once again on the back of a solid defensive performance amid injuries.
It's certainly encouraging that the Lions can win games in a variety of ways. In Week 9, they proved that they can still go on the road and win a game when their offense isn't humming.
Most importantly, the Lions continue to embrace the "next man up" mentality. Regardless of who is starting, the Lions keep finding ways to win with the available personnel.
In addition to all the injuries, there was an unexpected change in Detroit's offensive line. Instead of Christian Mahogany, the Lions had Miles Frazier start at left guard. This took Lions fans by surprise during warm-ups and raised questions about the reasoning behind the decision. Mahogany was active and available, and he has been playing well all season, after all.
Dan Campbell's decision to bench Christian Mahogany could have been costly
It turns out that this was a disciplinary measure related to "team rules," per Dan Campbell, as reported by Lions insider Nolan Bianchi. In the Lions Network post-game show, Campbell said, "We got 65-70 guys who are doing it right. We have one who didn't." Campbell didn't elaborate any further, but one has to imagine that we will find out more about it during the week.
The decision to start Frazier at left guard didn't work out, as he was a weak link throughout the afternoon. In the initial data, according to Pro Football Focus, Frazier was the lowest-graded Lion on the team, with a 36.1 offensive grade. He looked out of sorts, was called for holding, and gave up a pressure that led to a sack.
This could have been costly, and the Lions should count themselves lucky. This certainly contributed to the Lions' offensive struggles. If the Dolphins were able to take advantage of this more, Campbell would have had to answer a lot of tough questions.
But sometimes you have to take this risk. Campbell knows that Mahogany is the better option. But there are rules you have to enforce and a certain level of discipline you have to maintain within the team. This means that there have to be consequences for breaking certain rules.
If that means slightly hurting your team's chances to win a game for the greater good in the long run, so be it. Campbell didn't get burned by this, so all is well that ends well.
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