DETROIT -- If the Detroit Lions keep playing like they did Sunday against the great Aaron Rodgers, the image of this team will change dramatically.
The Lions are known for all their offensive playmakers, but it was an injury-riddled defense that left the strongest impression as they shut down the Green Bay Packers in a 19-7 victory at Ford Field.
The Lions' defense actually outscored Rodgers, producing nine points with a fumble return for a touchdown and a safety.
Rodgers was held to 162 yards passing, his second-lowest total for a game in which he didn't get knocked out by an injury since he became the full-time starter in 2008.
"Who says the defense can't score?" asked Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who stripped the ball from running back Eddie Lacy on the Packers' second offensive play, leading to Don Carey's 40-yard return for a tone-setting 7-0 lead. "Who says we can't score twice?
"Offense wins games. Defense wins championships."
The Packers' offensive front simply couldn't contain Detroit's front four as Rodgers was constantly harassed by All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, Fairley and the rest of the Lions' defensive line.
"The only people that can block us is us," Fairley said. "That's the way we feel."
Rodgers, who got sacked twice and even looked a little bewildered at times, probably won't disagree.
"They have a good defense," Rodgers said. "You have to give them credit. We haven't been as sharp offensively. I haven't been as sharp. It may be the standard I've set, but we've all got to do better."
The general perception going into Sunday was that the Lions' secondary would be an easy target for a quarterback as accomplished as Rodgers.
Carey, coming back from a hamstring injury to make his first appearance of the season, had to fill in at the nickel cornerback because three others -- Bill Bentley, Nevin Lawson and Cassius Vaughn -- had been injured in the first two games.
Carey, normally a safety, didn't last long. He re-injured his hamstring early in the game, and the Lions had to turn to a player they had signed earlier in the week, Danny Gorrer, and an undrafted rookie, Mohammed Seisey, who had just been promoted from the practice squad.
To make matters worse, middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch injured his left knee while jumping in the air to celebrate his first-quarter sack on Rodgers.
Tulloch was trying to mock Rodgers' "Discount Double-Check" move from the State Farm commercials, but he became the butt of the joke when he landed awkwardly.
Coach Jim Caldwell, who offered no updated status on either Carey or Tulloch after the game, defended Tulloch's actions, calling the injury a "fluke."
"That's why these guys play -- that's why we coach -- because you have passion for it," Caldwell said. "That (sack) was a big moment. Things happen. Our guys will keep being excited about what they do."
Tulloch's streak of 130 consecutive games played, the longest currently by any defensive player in the league, could be in jeopardy. But he didn't rule out being able to return for next Sunday's game at the New York Jets.
"I'm not embarrassed by anything," he said of how he got injured. "Football is my life. I play with passion."
In the past, a moment like that would have gone down as yet another blunder in Lions history that led to yet another loss.
But this team, on this day, was different. They found ways to overcome it all.
DeAndre Levy, who has developed into one of the most consistent linebackers in the NFL, took over Tulloch's role of making the calls for the defense.
It was particularly frustrating at first for him because Levy had to wear a helmet with a speaker to get directions from the coaching staff.
"The headset wasn't working, the volume was off, my chinstrap was wrong," Levy said.
But they got the problems fixed within a couple series, Levy made the adjustment and the defense kept on stopping the Packers' run game and then getting after Rodgers.
Not only did Levy pick up the slack for Tulloch, he also showed his tremendous athleticism at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds by covering the Packers' top receiver, Jordy Nelson, in the slot at times, including on a late fourth-down incompletion that helped clinch the victory for Detroit.
Levy's effort summed up the Lions' defense: No matter what goes wrong, find a way to make a play and win the game.
It's the complete opposite of what Lions fans often have seen from them team over the years, but it was an admirable effort on this day.
"I think that's a good word for it," Caldwell said when asked about his team's "gritty" performance under the circumstances. "I think that's one of the things that this team has shown that they do have –- they do have grit. They have the ability to dig down deep in touch situations and make the best out of them.
"Today, there were a number of them that occurred. I think that's part of the building and the psychological sort of exercise that the team goes through in terms of trying to build mental toughness."
Detroit's cornerbacks have been highly scrutinized and labeled as the weak link on this team for years, but the savvy leadership of 12-year pro Rashean Mathis and the progress made by Darius Slay, a second-round draft pick last year, have stood out over these first three weeks.
Some of the credit should go to Teryl Austin, who's in his first year as a defensive coordinator in the NFL after coming over with Caldwell from Baltimore, where Austin was the Ravens' secondary coach.
Austin has installed an attacking defense that blitzes more than the Lions have in recent years, and it's apparent that his influence on the secondary is paying off.
"We have a great defensive coordinator in T.A.," Suh said. "It's not just his way or the highway. He's somebody you can have give-and-take conversations with."
Caldwell and the coaching staff made a concerted effort to get the second- and third-team players a higher number of reps than is the norm, both during the offseason and in training camp, which seems like a brilliant based on what's happened.
It helped create a "next man up" mentality on a team that has needed it more than ever early in the season.
Speaking mostly of the defense, Fairley said, "I think the Detroit Lions are making big steps."
They're 2-1 and in first place in the NFC North.
It's too early to know whether it will be sustainable, but when there's such a dominant performance against a proven star like Rodgers, it definitely gets your attention.
