Even with a banged-up secondary, the Detroit Lions held the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to only nine points in an impressive 24-9 win on Monday night. While Tampa Bay was without wide receiver Chris Godwin (fibula), running back Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder), and lost WR Mike Evans during the game to a broken collarbone, Detroit completely shut down a team that had been as impressive as anyone in the league with a 5-1 record coming in.
The Lions head into their bye week before the first of two meetings against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said on Tuesday that second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) was put through an on-field workout, but claimed that "he's just not there" on a short week with a Thursday night game out west against the Los Angeles Chargers to kick off Week 8.
O'Connell also said that if Minnesota were playing on Sunday instead of Thursday night, McCarthy might have a chance to go, which would seem to put him on track to return for the Week 9 rivalry game against the Lions.
If he is available for that game, Detroit has to like its chances given the strong performance from its defense, the upcoming bye week, and what would appear to be a favorable matchup against a QB who threw two interceptions the last time we saw him in a Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
J.J. McCarthy's Potential Return is Great News Ahead of Week 9 Lions vs. Vikings
For starters, McCarthy has two TDs, three interceptions, and a dismal 58.5% completion rate through two NFL appearances, so that has to give the Lions some confidence already. Detroit was missing four starters in the defensive backfield on Monday night and still held the Buccaneers offense to 58 total yards in the first half, and got some key contributions from players like cornerback Arthur Maulet, who had a breakout performance in the win with an interception.
If the Lions can do that against a team that was playing as well as any in the league while being shorthanded, imagine what they can do against a QB who has been struggling and a team that is 17th in the league in pass yards per game (214.8)
The bye week will allow the Lions to get healthy on defense. Even if the unit is not entirely at full strength for the Week 9 tilt or beyond, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has done a phenomenal job turning a defense that was in the bottom half of the league in yards allowed the last six seasons into a top-10 unit, making a strong case to be a head-coaching candidate down the road.
To be fair, backup Vikings QB Carson Wentz has not been great with five TDs and four interceptions, but his completion percentage (66.9%) and passing yards (1,072) are ahead of where McCarthy would likely be if he had played in every game up to this point.
Assuming that McCarthy is under center for the Week 9 meeting, a well-rested and improving Lions defense should feel confident given how he looked the last time he was on the field.