Jets' defense presents a 'heavyweight' battle against the Lions with playoff contention on the line

The Lions matchup against the Jets on Sunday is what a lot of Detroit has been waiting for, for years. Two teams fighting for playoff positions… Dan Campbell said it’s a critical game, for both sides.

“This is heavyweight fight,” said Campbell. “I love our o-line. This is a worthy, quality opponent. Especially their front. This is gonna be fun.”

“Minnesota felt as big as Jacksonville, as big as the Bills, as big as the week before that,” said Lions quarterback Jared Goff. “When you lose some games early on they all become pretty big, so this one is equally as big.”

Campbell said the Jets defense is one that makes you earn anything you get and that this Lions offense, one that has shined the last few weeks, has their work cut out for them.

”They got one of the best front seven in football and they’ve been playing really well if you look at the statistics,” said tackle Taylor Decker. “But from an offensive perspective, I’ll take my guys up front against any front.”

“We’re a good offense, but when a good offense meets a good defense, one side is going to win,” said wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. “We gotta make sure we’re bringing the heat.”

One of the stars of the Jets defense is Detroit native, Sauce Gardner. Campbell described him as a ‘heck of a football player’ who has turned into an incredible cornerback in New York. He’s crafty, smart. We’ll see how he matches up with Lions receivers on Sunday.