Postgame Buzz: What Detroit Lions Said In Locker Room After Jets Win

The Detroit Lions were able to secure their second victory of the 2026 NFL season, after defeating the New York Jets, 31-24, at Ford Field.

Here is a sample of what was said by key contributors postgame at the podium and in the locker room, via the team’s social media channel.

Jahmyr Gibbs

What he thinks of Lions QB Jared Goff’s performance this season: “He’s on point like he is every year. I mean, he’s the same player since I’ve been here, just diagnosing the defense and getting the ball to the right players at the right time. He’s our leader and we trust him with everything.”

How much pride he shows in his reaction to taking a big hit: “Yeah, they don’t really hurt. It’d be like the ones that the regular tackles that be hurting. I think my last run, that jump lowkey kind of hurt just a little bit. But the big hits don’t really affect me unless I get the wind knocked out of me. Other than that, it’s nothing.”

On how much he thinks about continuing to be in the same conversations as former Lions Hall of Fame RB Barry Sanders: “Yeah, like I said, every time he’s here, I’ve got to step up my game a little bit. So to be in the same conversations as him is just humbling. I mean, I’m blessed to be in it. Somebody I’ve looked up to for a long time.”

Aidan Hutchinson

What does it feel like to seal the win with the pressure and forced fumble: “So great, man. It was, you know, the game was just getting weird. It was the DPI’s, the 4th-and-12. It’s like things were going against us, you know. And it was a little, it was a little frustrating for sure. D.J. Reed was covering his ass off on those plays. I was sitting there watching the replay. I’m like, ‘I don’t know how you can play that better as a corner.’ I think he caught the second one, which is just, Garrett’s (Wilson) a great player, so he’s going to do that. But, I’m happy how we responded for sure.”

Issac TeSlaa

On his fourth-down reception in the first half: “Coming out of the huddle, it’s kind of like a quick tempo, get up to the ball so the defense doesn’t have time to adjust. And just how they played it,” TeSlaa said at his locker. “I felt like there was a little void right there. And really my goal is to get in the way so they can get the ball out to Sam (LaPorta). And then if they drop in the zone or it opens up for me, then JG’s going to plug me the ball. Obviously that ended up happening, and he threw a ball that was away and down, and I should have gotten faster. I don’t know what I was doing. I think I was trying to secure the catch, and it should have popped up faster and scored. As I said earlier, we got Saint another touchdown, so just keep racking those up.”

Chuck Clark

What the performance in Week 3 means the defense can accomplish: “I think it shows that it’s a long season. We, you know, start off 1-1 and things can go however we think they go or not go. But, it’s a long season. Can’t define us off of a couple of games, and you know, we just keep swinging and chipping away at it. We got an opportunity to get back and keep proving ourselves right, and then everybody else on the outside right next Sunday.”

Christian Izien

Is this the start of the turnaround for the Detroit Lions defense: “I mean, we can’t give up those you know, those last two touchdowns. I mean, we had some questionable calls, I think, for sure. But again, overall we got to play better. I think that we shouldn’t do that 24 points to that outfit over there. That’s a good team, but I don’t think we should give up 24 points to them. But, we’ll clean it up for sure.”

Ennis Rakestraw

What did he learn about himself after the Jets game: “I learned that I could play in this league. You know, I finally got to play in the game, and I knew what kind of challenge it was going to be backside with No. 5. I mean, he is paid a lot of money, so I kind of just had to step up to it. And then my teammates on the sideline kept encouraging me. You know Nick Whiteside, everybody was just telling me keep stable, focus on the next play. And that is my mindset.”

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