Lions beat Dolphins; Pistons lose to Lakers; Michigan St. beats Michigan | Sportsworks Nov. 8, 2026

Fox 2 Sportsworks starts now. Welcome one and all to the Hope Chest, affectionately known as Sportswork Sunday Night. I'm Woody Woodruff, and tonight on the show, we'll show some love to the Michigan State Spartans, throw some shade at the Michigan Wolverines, dive into the Red Wings and Pistons, and get some rather sharp opinions from Rieger and Wojcika at the roundtable. But we begin down in the Sunshine State as the Lions took aim at the Miami Dolphins. And perhaps taking aim is the right way to describe it. Detroit going through a very emotional week with Jack Campbell's injury situation, with every man on the squad wanting to play like Jack would. We'll be right back. Moving again, Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown for a gain of 14 yards. But again, the drive stalled. Jake Bates hitting from 40 yards out as Detroit went into halftime with a 6-3 lead. Now Miami got the ball first in the third quarter. Malik Willis going deep and into double coverage. Bad idea. Chuck Clark there for the interception. He was able to take it all the way back to the Dolphins. 26-yard line. However, the Lions offense could not reach the end zone again and had to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Jake Bates. And that made it 9-3. Now after Miami made it 9-6, the Lions offense finally came through. Goff going deep and finding Jamison Williams for a gain of 29 yards. Deep into Dolphins territory. And it was fourth and one from the eight. Detroit going for it. The toss to Jameer Gibbs. And no one had a shot to catch him with that much room. Gibbs taking it in for the game's first touchdown. And a 16-6 Lions lead to the fourth quarter. The Dolphins drove it to the Lions 12. Third down when Willis was chased and taken down by Derek Moore. The former Michigan Star. Making the play right there. Now Miami kicked a field goal to cut the lead to seven. But the Lions were able to answer because on third and eight from the Miami 45, Goff with a screen to St. Brown and he picked up 17 big yards. That led to another Jake Bates field goal and the lead was suddenly back to 10. Then the defense put this one away. Willis running for his life and it's more with his second sack of the game. Miami wind up giving it up on downs and the Lions ran out the clock from there. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. Lions take it 19. And to move to 6-2 on the year, Jennifer Hammond has the wrap from sunny Miami. And two on. From his jersey hanging in the stall in the visitor's locker room to the number 46 on the back of Calvin Shepard's defensive call sheet, everything the Lions did this week was about winning number 6 for 46. And it showed on the field Sunday against the Dolphins. For everything that this week has been, this has not been easy. It's not been easy on anybody. Anybody? And for them to come in here, man, and lock back in and fight, get in a dogfight with a team, which, by the way, Coach Half is doing a hell of a job. That team plays hard. The tape said so. We knew it would be that way. And hang in there and do what you have to do in the second half to finish this game. I'm unbelievably proud. Four in a row now in four different ways, and that's the hallmark of a good team is when you're able to find different ways to win repeatedly and just sticking in it. You know, defense played well, I thought, all day, but I can only speak for us offensively, like, just one more time. Chop wood one more time, chop wood one more time, and it doesn't matter who you're playing, what their record is. You know, this is NFL, and they were giving us all we could handle, and we just kept chopping wood, kept chopping wood, and felt good about the way we finished it. During the four-game win streak, Detroit's defense has allowed just 15.5 points per game. And on Sunday, they allowed a season-low 228 total yards, holding their opponent without a touchdown for the first time since 2024. To see Demo get going, too, and Aleem getting another one, it's really just trying to create pressure all day and make that quarterback uncomfortable. And I think we did that. We've got a great unit, man, so we've just got to keep these boys together. And stay healthy and keep playing fast. Once you got on the field, was it easy to kind of, did you keep them in your mind or put that off to the side? Definitely. Definitely keep them in your mind. This is a physical game, physical sport. And we all have emotions outside of this game. We're not just football players. So it's like we definitely think about our brother, and he's thinking about us, and we know that the message that was kind of passed to us from him is that he's worried about us. You know, he's worried about how we're about to attack the week and attack the game. So it's like, man, we got to go out there and definitely do this for him. On the way out, I literally, you know, tapped the number 46. Thanks. You know, even now somebody had his jersey outside when we was running out there and it was dangling, you know, I went, you know, I touched my chest, you know, and touched his jersey and just to, you know, get some of that rub off on him. And man, and then I actually knocked the jersey down on accident. So I was like, yeah, I can't pick it up so fast. I just can't be on the ground. Gave it back to the guy. But No, man, like I said, man, Jack Jackson is special to us, man. You know, however we could, you know, be here to support him and level him from a distance, you know, I'm all for it. And near the end of his press conference, Dane Campbell made sure to tell us that that jersey is going everywhere with the Lions, including to Munich this week. In Miami, Jennifer Hammond, Fox 2 Sports. Thanks a lot, Hammer. That brings us to the roundtable for official introductions. Bob Winovsky is a shadowy figure that lurks around the offices of the Detroit News at 97.1 The Ticket. And Jeff Rieger masquerades as an internet troll who can also be found on 97.1 The Ticket. Hi, guys. How are you? He lurks around on Twitter. That's what he does. Lions winning without the offense firing on all cylinders. Is that the sign of a complete team or a warning light, Woj? Well, here's the warning light, Woody. How much longer can the Lions just win? And relying on their defense. When is the offense going to come back around? And it really is a flip when you think about it. I know it's the offense. I didn't even look this up, but I know it's factual. First time in Lions history they won back-to-back games scoring exactly 19 points. 19-15 and 19-9 today. That's true. The last four games the Lions defense has held the opponent to an average of 15.4 points per game. I'm not ready to declare the defense on the same level as the offense, obviously. But what they're doing is pretty impressive, especially with what they were dealing with without Jack Campbell. Go ahead, Jeff. I got to tell you, though, like you mentioned the offense, right? Defense. Defensively, they've been outstanding. Isn't that weird to say after how it started? It is. They were on pace for the worst defense in the history of the NFL. Not anymore, pal. Not anymore. I mean, they look outstanding. And did you see what they did against the Packers? How many points did they give up? What's up? Very few. 17. Right. And then how many points did New England give up against the Packers? Like 100. Right. There you go. Is it wrong to say, is there an offensive problem? Yes. Just because they're great defensively. No, it's wrong to say. Three straight games, they haven't eclipsed 21 points. Jared Goff, three touchdown passes in three games. Sam Laporta hasn't had a touchdown in three games. And Amon-Ra St. Brown hasn't had a touchdown in five games. Are we worried about the offense? Well, it looks. What just happened here? This is what I deal with every day at 97. I talk about the Lions defense, how good it's been, and he wants to talk about the Lions offense. You know what? I can understand where Rieger's going because he does have a small point. I mean, right now we saw what? Just a small point. No touchdown passes for Jared Goff for the first time in 30 games? Is that what I'm, is that what I'm... Yeah, and back-to-back games with interceptions. Right, right. Although they haven't been... Both not really his fault. No, no. But I really do think, and it's not the entire thing today, but they were, Christian Mahogany was not in the starting lineup. Right, right. Kuch's decision, disciplinary action, whatever, and Miles Frazier in his first start, I think got run over quite a bit in the first half when Goff was getting hit. All the time. I think they sack Goff three times in the first half. When that offensive line is put back together, I assume it's just a one-game thing for Mahomes. You would hope. I assume they'll get right back to it. And they move the ball. They just settled for field goals. So what's more impressive right now, four-game win streak or the defensive transformation that we've seen from Detroit? I'll take both. Well, yeah, I think it's a defensive transformation. It really is. I mean, it's amazing what they did against Jordan Love and Christian Watson and Matthew Golden and, of course, Josh Jacobs. And then, I mean, let's be honest, the quarterback that you love so much, Kyla Murray, they were so good defensively that they made him fake an injury. And now he's not starting anymore. They went to the backup. He's not going to start tomorrow on Monday Night Football against the Bills. And then today, I mean, I don't know what you take out of today other than they got to Malik Willis. They should have had more sacks. Did a nice job of throwing away the ball. But I am now starting to wonder if the defense is real. But I need to see a great offensive team be shut down by Detroit. Maybe that comes on Thanksgiving when they take on the Bears. Well, they did it to Green Bay. They did. Let me throw this at you, Jeff. How important is it to have the offense clicking before the next tough stretch of the schedule? I mean, you know, going into Germany against the Patriots, that seems easy the way New England is playing. But, I mean, after that, the next stretch of the schedule, you want the offense to do what? It's going to be a bad, mad New England team. They just got destroyed. But, no, I mean, I think you look at it. I circle, at least for me, the Bears game on Thanksgiving because you get the Patriots, then you get the Bucs, and then you get the Bears. And I think that, and I know Wojo doesn't like playing the schedule game, but this is the ultimate game on Turkey Day where, like, who is the class? of the NFC North. It's probably not the Packers, and it's probably not the Vikings. So we're led to believe it's either the Bears or the Lions. So I think that game on Turkey Day on national TV is going to tell us a lot. He's already looking way far ahead. Let's go back to the defense for a second. Go ahead. They did what they did without D.J. Reid, their best quarterback, without D.J. Wanham, one of their better defensive linemen. Jack Campbell. Without Jack Campbell, and it was very honorable. Emotional, yes. The thing that they did, absolutely. The rookie Rookie came in, the rookie from Michigan, Derrick Moore, had two sacks, so once the defense gets whole again, and obviously we don't know about Jack Campbell, that's down the line, but Wanham and Reed. Indeed, again, they're all. Offense will work itself out. That is the least. Ask me how concerned I am about the offense. How concerned are you about the offense? Mm-mm-mm. No, not much at all. Let's throw it this way. You just mentioned Derek Moore. He had two sacks. Are we seeing another important piece emerge for the Lions defensive line? Maybe that opposite end that we've been looking for? That certainly could be. And that's what happens when players go out with injuries like Jimmy Rolder and others. That others step in. And we did see in Chuck. Clark with a great interception and return. A couple of flowers. We're not going to give them the whole bouquet yet. But some flowers for Kelvin Shepard, right? Oh, no doubt. Under fire a month ago. Absolutely under fire. And I don't know, I think they're still leading or second in the league in sacks. And that was without Hutchins. Although Hutchinson was held in that game 18 times. How many holdings did he force? And then how many holdings did they miss? It was unbelievable. By the way, one thing neither of you guys mentioned, and I feel we need to mention it. First game ever in NFL histories that both punters threw a complete pass. Is that true? It is true. Well, that's right. I saw it on the social media. The social, that's correct. Well, I knew it happened. But I didn't know it had never happened before. Isn't that crazy? It was fun. Two fake puns? It was fun. That's ridiculous. That is insane. Hey, why do you worry about that? No, I want to know. I saw it on social media, so blame them. Don't blame me. While you guys chew on that, let me do this. Moving to the Detroit Pistons, where center Jalen Duren has made some significant progress on that right hamstring strain he suffered back in October against Miami. The Pistons' big man has been cleared to begin some on-the-court activity, and his progress will be updated again in two weeks. There's also injury news for the Lakers, as big man Luka Doncic did not play tonight We'll be right back. Triple to fall. Nice shot there. Then seconds before halftime, Jenkins on one foot shoots and gets another buzzer beater to fall. Just call him buzzer beater Jenkins. Pistons close the gap to 13 heading into the second half. Third quarter, L.A. still leads, but Detroit staying in it. Kevin Herter with a Magic Johnson type behind the back pass to Jenkins in the corner, and he drills it. Dennis with a career-high 31 off the bench. Pistons down 12. Final minutes of the third. Herter with a steal gives to Asar Thompson who gives it back, and he makes the lay-in. Somehow the Pistons cut the Lakers' lead. I think it's tough when you don't... Give yourself a chance like that. You give yourself a big deficit in the first quarter. And I think we fought. You know what I mean? That's all you can ask for. But it would have been good if we didn't get off to that slow start and that big deficit. So it's great that you can come back in 24 hours and try to get a job done. And that brings us back to the round table for more Pistons talk. All right, guys, against the Lakers. Was that an early measuring stick for this team? Well, if it was, they didn't really measure up because the Lakers were without Dantzic, which made it completely... And lessened the Pistons' effort against them. But that said, we've seen it a little bit now since Duren has been out. The Pistons' defense hasn't been there as much. And Jalen Duren being absent is a big part of it. And the other thing, too, is... Cade Cunningham has struggled with turnovers. He's either first or second in the league in turnovers, and that has been an issue. Again, they're not whole yet, but that was a bad loss to the Lakers. Well, isn't that part of maybe a reversion of what we saw last year when... Duren wasn't really helping out, and Cade struggled to bring the ball up court because everyone was keying on him again. It seemed like that was the key tonight. No, I think you're right about that. So this is two losses in a row. I think you mentioned measuring stick game. I think the Philly game the other day at the LCA, that was a measuring stick game, and they had their way with the Pistons. And you're missing Jalen Duren, as you guys said. And even though I don't love the offensive game of Duren, he's a great rebounder. And I think you're maybe missing some of that that Paul Reed can't do. But again, Woody... Wojo, it's two games. We're still in November. This team is still fourth best in points differential. They're top five in three-point percentage. They're top eight in shooting percentage. I think it's going to be fine, but they should get another score. When that trade deadline rolls around, this time let's get another score. Well, Duncan Robinson is taking this plane for that key shooting thing. And you also saw in that game why, and they never really had a shot at him, but why the Pistons would have loved. To get Austin Reeves. And the Lakers just were not letting him leave because that guy is tremendous. But Duncan Robinson has been a major revelation. On the flip side, like... I'd like to see more out of John Collins, another one of the acquisitions, but they're fine. They're 6-3, and they're missing arguably their second-best player. Yeah, you know, we mentioned Jalen Duren earlier and his absence. I mean, obviously it's changed the ceiling of this team right now because Paul Reed, while serviceable, is not a Jalen Duren type of guy. So without Duren, we're seeing maybe just a little lackluster on the offensive end for Cade and everybody else's. As far as alley-oop jams and easy buckets and things like that. They have to work harder, it seems. Correct. They haven't gotten as many easy buckets. And I do think the defense has been limited to a certain degree. But the other thing is the Jalen Duren thing. Like, when he wasn't... The hamstring injury, was that a function of not being around? It could be. He was around towards the end when he finally signed. But I hear you. I hear you. Let me just throw this at you, Jeff. What's the biggest missing ingredient for Detroit? Is it health or consistent scoring? I mean, I think it's consistent scoring. I think every game you watch, if you watch, and I've watched a lot of these games. I know you guys have too. Every game, including today, they have a lapse where it's three to four to five to six minutes where they don't score or they score very seldomly. And that's going to kind of screw you a little bit in the postseason. I mean, every game, maybe I'm just different here. Every game I watch, I ask myself, OK, what am I learning about what this team can do in the second season? So they need more consistent scoring to answer your question. They definitely do, especially if they're going to shoot. Especially if they're going to try and beat championship teams with those kinds of expectations. Hey, look, guys, I've got to throw in a quick break. We'll be right back with more. No, no, you stay right here because we're going to talk college football after this break. We're going to bring out the bunion. We're going to talk about Michigan. Hold it, Wojo. It's not yours anymore. Sports Work Sunday night will be right back. I thought it was bigger than this. That's what I'm saying. Welcome back to SportsWorks Sunday night, the rivalry matchup between Michigan and Michigan State, not going according to plan for the Maize and Blue, and a cost offensive coordinator, Jason Beck, his job. Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham making the announcement of the change on Sunday. Jim Harding will take over in the interim for the rest of the season. How did all of this come down so quickly? Let's just take a look at this edition of College Rewind. Oh. Second down, 10. Gone. Michigan State, I'll take it. It's a mill avoidance. Quickly gets rid of the back. First down and 10, 11 seconds left, Cusgall, good cut there, he's coming, Hill, almost got there, float down the sideline, right next to him to Bryson Williams. It's their Super Bowl. Tommy Carr, completion, first down, just enough, Bob Riptile, the turnover again. To the Spartan Dogs, to all of our former players, and to the Spartan Nation, this one's for you. You guys have been so welcoming to myself, our staff, our families, all of our new players since we got here last December. And I know we haven't gotten what you want and what we want as far as wins. Thank you. But I also told you when I took this job that I know that this game just means more. And I thought our guys came ready to play, and we did a great job finishing the job. Some production, some good production in a lot of areas last week. And there's nothing productive about this game, Joe. It's not one step back, it's three steps back. Couldn't run the ball, throw the ball worth a darn, turned it over four times, couldn't make first downs, couldn't make any third down conversions, two of ten. I got the quarterback sacked five times. Really, I can't come up with one positive offensively in this game. So we're right back to the drawing board. Back to the drawing board and back to the round table with Wojo and Rieger. All right, guys. Michigan firing offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Obviously the fall guy. 192 yards of offense and four turnovers against Michigan State. That is the exit. Yes. He's not just a fall guy. He was not working as an offensive coordinator. And whether Kyle Whittingham wanted to wait until after the season, as he had said several times, I don't think he necessarily – well, he may have been forced to do it. Maybe he was thinking about it. And they said – and Ward-Daniel. It's still the A.D. and said, well, then do it now. If you're thinking about it, do it now, because that was, honest to God, Woody, as you know, I've been covering games in the Big House since 1927 when it opened. I know. That was the worst offensive performance by the home team I have ever seen. And that in no way is diminishing how well Michigan, how hard Michigan State played. But Michigan State didn't do anything. Tricky defensively, they just played hard, hit hard, and Michigan had no answer. Jeff, what hurts more, the rivalry loss or what it revealed about Michigan's offense? Well, I mean, I think we knew about the offense, right? We knew the offense has been struggling all year long, doesn't score in halves, it's been putrid. But I think the rivalry loss. Okay, so work with me. You said the worst offensive performance since you've been alive, which is what, 1901? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, okay, okay. I think this is worse than Appalachian State. I think this is worse than Toledo. I think Brady, Hulk, and Rich Rodriguez are staring and laughing at Kyle Whittingham. This was so embarrassing to lose to that Michigan State team that was missing 18 players, 14 starters, 54 yards of rushing. Michigan State is like 85th against the run. That was... I'm telling you, the most pathetic Michigan performance I've ever seen in my life. And you know what it was? What was it? Whittingham. He looks lost, Warchild. Well, he does. He looks like he doesn't fit. He doesn't want to be there, man. And it wasn't, Michigan State didn't just win because of the rivalry, because I don't want to diminish the, like, Alessio had a good game in the running back. Tallis had a really good game. But it was the difference in the rivalry, the mentality. And Whittingham didn't even know what he was stepping into when he talked about, I think it's our second biggest rivalry in the Super Bowl. Those were mistakes of a guy that has not fully integrated himself into where he is. All right. You know what? Good luck for Michigan with Oregon next week. But let's talk about Michigan State right now. How much does this win change the mood and confidence inside of Pat Fitzgerald's locker room? I was going to say, I think the mood has been pretty steadily decent for a team that had lost six in a row and two in six. It can be a turning point. They do have to, as always, show that it wasn't just fired up for the big rivalry game. And they do need to get healthy as well. And that there's something sustainable. But they look to me like a well-coached team. Defensive players were in position, and the running back, they ran so hard. I was very impressed. Yeah, the run game definitely controlled the tempo. But, Jeff, defense was big. That's the identity Fitzgerald needs to start building around. Yeah, there's no question. I mean, they forced four turnovers. They were outstanding in that regard. But I think Fitz just got an extension. Now, not really, but, I mean, you look in Michigan State, and they weren't just dying for any bit of good news Michigan State football-wise. And not only did you get good news with those moral victories with hanging. with, you know, Notre Dame and almost beating Northwestern at home, but to knock off Michigan as a 14 and a half point dog like you did, it doesn't matter if you win another game. And let's be honest, I don't know if this is a turning point. Nobody knows if it's a turning point, but. This game, for this moment, I think Michigan State fans, at least for a second, are happy. You say it's not a turning point, but what does it say about the direction of the program under the current leadership? Well, I think at some point, because I do believe those players, and even the fans, even with the losses, have bought into Pat Fitzgerald and his message and physicality and everything else. But you do need reinforcement at some point. And after six straight Big Ten losses, he had to get something. Before the season was over, and what a perfect way to deliver it on that nationally televised Saturday night event. You know what, a lot of times on your radio station there, I hear guys talking about how college football rivalries are not the same anymore because the players aren't there and all that. Pat Fitzgerald, I like the fact that he understands the rivalry, and he lived it. He played in it. So he's bringing his experience to these new guys who have never experienced it and will probably not again because they may transfer or leave. Well, he didn't play in the Michigan-Michigan State. No, no, no, but he's played in the Big Ten. He much more is a man of the Big Ten, and they much more play that. Well, that's the one thing, right, going into this game. Whittingham is talking about, like, oh, there was a tunnel incident. I don't know if you guys heard about it. Meanwhile, Fitzgerald understands... It's the magnitude of this rivalry, and he comes from the Big Ten, and he played at Northwestern. So I think that's the one benefit he had. That matters. Absolutely. Going into this game, I think, like, hey, man, Michigan's got the talent, better defense, better offense, we think, but obviously the better coach is on Michigan State's side. And it's definitely making things feel better in East Lansing, even with a 3-6 record now. You know what? Are all the couches good? I did not see the fire department. Rieger said that. I bet they consumed some beverages. They should have. And you know what? Congratulations to Michigan State. Nice job by the Spartans. Hey, let's move to the Red Wings, okay? Oh, you like Paul Bunyan? Yeah, that's all right. Why don't you give him a hug? Where's his axe? Don't worry about his axe. Worry about the Red Wings. Is that what goes there? Let's worry about the Red Wings, okay? How does Detroit turn promising stretches of hockey into consistent results, Wojo? Joe, because right now it's like, You want the easy answer? Yeah, give me the easy answer. It's like, what, fall away? You wait a few years and get more first-round. Because they really don't have it right now. They've scored, what, three goals total the last three games. And they had been bumping along a little bit better than I had anticipated, hanging tough. And now they're on a very tough road trip. They got wiped out by Colorado the other day. They're back to last in the Atlantic Division. They don't have much offense. And Dylan Larkin is still out there. still out there. I think if they could just, their goaltending Goal tending has been pretty good. If they can just maintain and stay within range of anything, that's all you can hope for right now. Well, you know what? That's the on-the-ice issue. But again, it's off-ice problems with Edmondson, Jeff. I mean, this guy wanted to come here, and now he's not. So it's interesting because the man I'm about to mention really upsets Wojo here. Elliot Friedman. Are you aware of Elliot Friedman? He's the Adam Schefter of the NHL. He just throws so many rumors out there. So his latest rule. Rumor, Woody and Mojo, is that Simon Edmondson has made it clear to the Red Wings that he no longer wants to be a Red Wing. So that means Horkoff has until December 1st, if this is true, to obviously trade him or he won't play. So, I mean, you've got to figure that out. And you're right. I mean, Simon Edmondson spent his own insurance to be a training camp. He wanted to be a Red Wing. Sounds like the Wings have low-balled him this entire time. He decided not to sign. And now we're looking at just another issue with the Red Wings. That's the latest from Friedman, do you buy it? No, thank you. Well, yeah. He has to buy it. It has to be sent back because, and I do not think in any way, shape or form there's a reconciliation coming with Larkin. I wouldn't rule it out with Edmondson because of that December 1st or 2nd deadline, whatever it is. But- The Wings are not going anywhere this year. They can sit and wait and wait and wait and try to squeeze an offer out of somebody. You know, you mentioned goaltending earlier just a few seconds ago. But how much pressure is also on the goalies and Alex DeBrinckit? I mean, not only is a leader and a scorer, but an energy guy as well. I mean, it seems like he's playing every minute of every game. Mo Sider, too. Yeah. And Mo Sider averages 26 minutes a game. That is a load. And their goaltending, Gibson has been out a lot. A little bit, but he's coming back. And Tarasov, Daniel Tarasov, has been pretty good. He's like, I think for the amount of games he's played, he's like second or third in the league in save percentage. You know, they got a lot of young guys in the mix. When does patience turn into a demand for results? Well, see, I like the young guys, and the young guys have been fine. And I actually like this group because Dylan Larkin's not a part of it anymore, and I'm sure they're bonding because Larkin is sitting at home watching millions of dollars go by the wayside. But I do think, speaking of Larkin, we've reached the point where the Wings are three points out of a wild card. They're damn near last in their division. They're 4-5-1 in their last 10. They've lost three in a row. They're not going anywhere. So I think at some point, Sean Horkoff says, Dylan Larkin, you need to be be moved and we'll take a futures package. Like, forget this, we want an everyday player right now. Take the best futures package and start rebuilding this thing because this team's not going anywhere. Just take the best package, and you don't have to quantify it as a futures package or veterans. Just keep waiting for the best package and keep talking to teams who aren't on his list and see if you can push him. If he wants to be gone so bad, then add more teams. That's the other thing that Friedman said. Do you want to hear it? Do you want to hear it? Oh, you want to hear it? He doesn't want to hear it. Friedman says that Larkin's representation has gone to Horkoff and said, listen, deal with the 10 teams we've dealt with or given you. We've given you a third of the league. Meanwhile, Horkoff, to Wojo's point, keeps going back to the wings, or to Larkin, and says, listen, we need more. We don't like the offers we're getting, so give us more teams we can deal with. There's some stubbornness on both sides. I keep looking at the Red Wings as slow playing this, if this was poker. And, you know, I mean, come on, dude. a move. I mean, this started in June. I would agree with you if you were like a playoff team and if you didn't get him signed or get him traded, then you wouldn't make the playoffs. But that's not what they are. But he don't want to be here. So let's move on with watching. It almost feels like you're torturing the guy. I know Red Wing fans hate Dylan Larkin. I understand I understand that, but it almost feels like a choo-choo. You guys are so soft. You guys are so soft. We're soft. Yeah! Did you sit in the elements of the Michigan game yesterday? No. Please give Dylan his freedom. Please. They play the Blues on Tuesday. We'll see what happens within the next two weeks. I want to shift gears to another topic, Michigan basketball. They're just getting started. We saw them get blown out against UConn. Mike Boynton coming into a new situation. Talk about what he's up against. Well, he is up against. So much is relying on their two guards. McKinney was pretty good. In the second half, he got in foul trouble. And then fouled out. But UConn just reloads. And Michigan, the expectation dropped a notch when they lost their five-star recruit to season-ending injury, McCoy. But they still should be and are a top. Three or four team in the Big Ten. Is this a case of maybe the backups who were there for Michigan last year and starting this year need to find their way a little more before they can raise their game to the level that we're looking for? Well, it's amazing what you miss when three guys go to the NBA. And then, by the way, your national championship coach leaves as well. You talk about that backcourt. And I think it's one of the maybe better backcourts in the Big Ten and maybe in the country. But it sure doesn't look the same when Mo Johnson isn't out there or a Dymara isn't out. out there or Yaxa Lindenburg isn't out there. Which, by the way, how good is Matt Yaxman in the NBA? Yeah, they should have kept him there in Michigan. They should have paid him more money. All right, guys, that ought to be the last word. Thanks a lot to Bob Winovsky. You can see him in the Detroit News and see him on 97.1 The Ticket. Thanks a lot to Jeff Rieger. You can hear him on 97.1 The Ticket. We'll have much more sports work Sunday night coming up after this break. I feel like I'm just here. Just mail it in, boys. NASCAR at Homestead Miami Speedway. Kyle Larson leads the chase going into the Cup Series Championship race. Three laps to go in stage one when Chase Briscoe's car starts smoking. That brought out the caution and Tyler Reddick went on to win the stage. Kyle Larson finished stage one in fourth place and that position was enough to secure his third NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Moving on, with seven laps to go, Ryan Blaney passes Tyler Reddick on the outside to take the checkered flag, but Kyle Larson takes the Cup Series Championship. Congratulations to him. Now with Lions victories come locker rooms And we saw a well-deserved one on Sunday after the week the squad had and that 19-9 win over the Dolphins. In fact, we even propped a door open so that you fans could listen in. Give those guys credit. Man, they brought it like the tape said. That team's up and coming, man, and they brought it. But the bottom line is, man, when you're a champion, you just keep going after it. You just do, and you'll find your way through it as long as you believe and you just keep going, man. And good things happen. Chuck, that was a huge interception. That was huge. While you're going through this a little bit, man, it's just a matter of time. Offensively, it's going to pop, man. We hit that huge play over there, J-Mo, Saint, man, and now all of a sudden the flip to Gibbs, and it's like that, bam, bam, bam. Three plays, man, just like that. That's what we're capable of. So as a coach, you go, golly, man, we played some damn good defense. When was it not when we gave it to them? And then offensively, man, we have so much little things to clean up. So that's the coach speaking. As the person... Man, and your freaking teammate, I'm so proud of you guys. I am unbelievably proud for the week that we had to be able to come in here and finish the way that we finished against a hungry young team. I'm very proud of you. I really am, man. I love this team. It was built for a reason. The guys that are in this room, you're in here for a reason. And, of course, football players. But it's what you're freaking made of, man. It's important. Okay, listen, game ball is going to freaking Jack Campbell. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And you guys on defense, that's a way to show up, man. That's a way to freaking show up. And you guys are all part of this. But the guy who leads that room, I just want to say something here, man. 77 rushing yards allowed to defense. That was a critical to stopping those guys. We shut it down. You made them one-dimensional. All right, three sacks, one interception there. 4-12 on third down. No touchdowns allowed. Miami 0-3 in the red zone. And we put out, what, two fires or was it three? I know two for sure. All right, sudden change defense, Kelvin Shepard. Thank you. Listen, it's about the players, man. I just want to say I appreciate y'all. Seriously. Them guys in the defensive room, y'all know. I appreciate y'all. I really do, man, from the bottom of my heart, man. Nothing about this year has been easy. But leaning on y'all, man, is why I wake up every day. It's why I enjoy that drive to work every day, man, serving y'all. And offensive guys? Listen, I'd be remiss not to mention y'all, man. How many times y'all tapped me during that trial and told me you got me? Well, it was my turn to have y'all. Y'all got me? I appreciate y'all, man. Do you want to say something? Yeah, I do. I do. I just wanted to say how incredibly proud I am of everyone in this room, all you players and the coaches. This has been a hugely emotional week. You all hung together, stuck together, leaned on each other, and look what we did. We won. It was great. I'm so proud of you all. I saw Jack a couple days ago, and he was worried about all of you. Well, I know he's not now. I know he's as proud of you as I am. So, awesome job. Congratulations. We're all proud of you and with you. Good, man. Let's break it down. What a play, defense. Hey, let's forward, boys. Okay, okay, okay. Boys, that's four. That's four. Make it five this week. Stick together. Stick together. Keep leaning on each other. Love you, boys. One, two, three, one, two, three. And they've got Jack Campbell's jersey with them. Now, that was some good stuff. Stay right there. When we come back, we'll recap the Lions' victory over the Dolphins and bring you interviews with both Amon Ross, St. Brown, and Derek Moore. It's all next on your home for Lions football. Welcome back to SportsWorks Sunday night. The Lions on the road to handle business against the Miami Dolphins. Jack Campbell's injury had players dedicating their performance to number 46. But could the Lions balance the concern for their teammate with the focus needed to take down the Miami Dolphins? In tonight's Lions Look Back, we'll watch the Lions go to work starting in the first quarter. Fox 2 Sports Director and Lions Radio play-by-play voice Dan Miller on the call. They snap it over the left side. That is Gibbs around the left side, inside the five to the end zone. They're going to say he stepped out at the six. There's the snap, spot, kick away, it is up and it is good. Good. So the Lions lead this one 3-0. Directly behind center, turns, fakes to give to Bakke. Couple of steps to his left, now loads and throws downfield. It is intercepted by the Dolphins. That was tipped and picked off. Coming back the other way is Chris Johnson. Johnson back into Lions territory inside the 40-yard line. Jack Fox is out there. He's going to pass it. It is caught. First down. Lions with a fake. There's the old high school quarterback, Jack Fox, who finds Tay Martin for the grab and a Lions first down. Seven men across the front. They bring the house. Golf in trouble. Rolling right. Then he gets sacked again. Jared taking down again. Go empty out of the gun. Gibbs slits out wide left. Dolph's got it. Wants to throw. Does. Got Amon Roth. Catch inside the 25. And he's got a first down at the 22-yard line. There it is. Box the hold. Kick away. It is up. And it is good. Right down the middle. There's the snap. Spot. Kick away. It is up. It is off the upright. And no good. The Dolphins come up empty and the Lions will hit the locker room with the lead to his left. Willis has got it. Wants to throw. Loads downfield and throws. It is going to be kicked off by the Lions. Intercepted by Clark. Back up to the right sideline to the 50. Cuts it left at the 45. Picks up a block. There he goes outside left. The numbers at the 35. Down to the 30. It is going to be taken down inside the 30-yard line. Pass mark left side. Spot down, kick on the way, it is good. Jake sends it through, and the Lions extend their lead. It is now Detroit 9 and Miami 3. They fake the give to him. Jared wants to throw, does downfield, got J-Mo, makes the catch. In Dolphins territory, inside the 40-yard line he goes, and he's shoved out near the 35. Fourth and one from the Dolphin 8. Dolph up under center, turns, flips it out to Gibbs, trying to get outside right. He will, to the 5, to the end zone. Touchdown Detroit Lions. 35-yard average for Pinion. Carter back deep. Pinion is going to throw it. He does downfield. Got a man wide open at the 50. Cutting left at the 45, in Lions territory at the 20. Katron Allen, the running back inside the 20, and down to the 16-yard line. Willis out of the gun. There's the snap. Back and looking. Pressure comes. Willis rolls to his left. He and Chase still looking. Now he's hit. Now he's going down. Sacked back at the 15-yard line. They got him again. Derek Moore, the rookie out of Michigan with a sack. Goff takes the shotgun snack, quick throw left side, got it complete, that is safe, picks up a block, got the first down and more, inside the 30, St. Brown gets down to the 28 yard line. There's the snap, spot, kick away, it is up, and it is good. Jake Bates sends it through, and the Lions are back out to a two-score lead. Lions show four across that defensive front. Willis in trouble, Willis slips one hit, not the second one, nope, stayed on his feet, still spinning, now he's going down, take it down again, Derek Moore, number two for the rookie. There's the knee, and that's it, two teams will meet out in the middle of the field to say job well done, job better done on this day. By the Detroit Lions as they come up with a victory and beat the Dolphins by a score of 19-9 to run their record to 6-2 on the season. So the Lions get the win, but how did the victory look from the offensive side of the football? For that perspective, let's jump into the Lions locker room where Detroit wide receiver Amon Ross St. Brown reflected on the victory with our pal Dan Miller. Big win for us, obviously for Jack and, you know, just the emotional, you know, emotions we've been through all week. Um, and... And honestly for us, this was another, you know, in Miami hot game where we haven't played in this kind of weather in a while. Yeah. Just to come out and get this win out here is big, too, because it was the next one up. So the next game is always the biggest game. I know there's some things you're going to want to clean up from this one, but four in a row, what's that mean to you? It feels good. I feel good. I feel like we're getting in a little rhythm. You know, there's so many Last year, I feel like we were winning towards the, you know, we started winning, losing, winning, losing, winning, losing. We lost two in a row. I mean, we hadn't lost two in a row here in a long time. So to get back on track in the win column week after week, stacking wins, I think that's what's... That's what separates the good teams from the really good teams in this league. And we just got to keep stacking, man. When we get a time, you know, glad we got the win here in Miami. Obviously, watch the tape, correct some things, and then hopefully, you know, get to Germany and do it again. Felt like there's some good things happening out there, and then just some negative plays. Do the penalties or get plays that got you behind the sticks really made it difficult? Yeah. Anytime, you know, you have negative plays, whether it's a sack, you know, a run that doesn't get positive yards, it makes it tough. You get behind the sticks like you should. As you said, I mean, we have the players to try to overcome that, but you can't keep overcoming those situations each and every drive. It makes it tough. So we've got to do a better job of staying on schedule on offense. And I think scoring in the red zone, that's a big thing. I feel like having not even watched the tape that when we get in that red zone, we've got to get seven points, we've got to get six. I think that makes a huge difference towards the end of the game. How big is it when that defense is shutting them down? Yeah, defense played great. I feel like they've been on a tear the past four weeks. I'm playing great defense, bailing us out a lot, which I think is great. At the end of the day, we're not going to have our best game every game as an offense. You want to score 30-plus points every game, but that's just not the reality of this league. Thank you. And when you have a defense like we have that can do those type things to opposing teams, whether it's interceptions, getting three and outs, getting big stops, turnover on downs, things like that, it makes it so much easier for us, and that's just complimentary football, and that's what good teams do. Last thing, I saw the smile. This game's been a long time coming. I know you've got to put the work in, but how excited are you? I'm really excited. I can't wait. I just can't wait to, you know, be with my teammates in Germany, with my family. It's enjoy it, man. Take it all in. I think this whole week is going to be fun. Just, you know, just being able to, like I said, go to Germany, be in a place where I spent a lot of time as a kid and just be with my teammates. Man, that Lions win at the postgame locker room buzzing. When we come back, we'll take a look at the defensive performance by the Lions, and we'll do it through the eyes of Detroit rookie defensive lineman Derek Moore. His first career start was definitely a keeper, and we'll hear from him after this short break. He got his first career start today against the Dolphins, and for former Michigan defensive lineman Derek Moore, it was a day to remember after he picked up not one, but two sacks in the win over Miami. For more on the defense, let's go into the Lions locker room with Fox 2's Dan Miller. Playing a game, Derek, where you had to kind of limit the damage with them out there. Just talk about the defensive effort that you guys had. I felt like we had good effort, you know, as a unit today. Okay. You know, I feel like it all started with Chuck, you know, interception. I feel like our energy shifted over after that. So I feel like after we got a turnover, I felt the momentum in the defense right then and there. Even when they got the takeaway in the first half and you hold them to a field goal, that felt like a big moment in this game. Yeah, you know, after, you know, offense today, you know, we told the offense, you know, we got y'all and, you know, we put the game on our back. And we just went out there and gave the ball back to the offense. Felt like you guys turned up the heat in the second half. You get the sacks. You got your first two sacks. Talk me through those and how that felt to finally get your hands on that quarterback. You know, really going back, it's somewhere like in the first, second quarter where I missed Malik the first time. Went back on the sideline, you know, told myself, you know, just stay calm. I feel like a lot of the guys also told me, you know, just stay calm, be patient. It's going to come again. When it comes again, you know, just... You've got to finish it that time, and it came back twice, so I'm just thankful for them guys to be somebody I can lean on and just talk me through things. How emotional was this without Jack, knowing he was on your guys' minds for much of this week? It was a really difficult week, I would say, for the whole entire team, not having Jack here. I feel like he's a key piece to this team, not just to the defense, to the team. You know, and for my first year, I look I look up to Jack, you know, I see him as a leader, got a lot of respect for him, great guy. And, you know, today we just try to go out there and just, you know, win for 4-6. Time to squeeze in another break, but we'll be right back with the NFL Play of the Day. Time now for the NFL Play of the Day, and we found it in overtime as the Browns went into New Orleans to take on the Saints. New Orleans scored a touchdown on its possessions, so it was up to Browns quarterback Shadur Sanders to tie it. Good thing he had Harold Fennin Jr. doing his best to help. Sepp Sione goes in motion. Shadur's coming, Sanders. What a touchdown, and that double stiff arm was strong. Cleveland is going to go for two to win it, but they could not convert. So after all of that, the Saints win it 23-22. But our play of the day goes to Harold Fennin Jr. with that touchdown run. And that brings our Sunday night shop talk to a close. I'm Woody Woodruff. Thanks for watching. TMZ Weekend is next right here on Fox 2.