Lions pulled off awesome big man play to 335-pound Penei Sewell to ice win over Vikings

At the moment, there might not be a hotter NFL team than the Detroit Lions. Since early November, the Lions have won five of six games. And after a 1-6 start, Dan Campbell’s now-6-7 bunch is within comfortable striking distance of the NFC playoffs. If they make it to mid-January, it’s starting to seem like they might be the most dangerous team in the field.

On Sunday, the scorching hot Lions appeared to have little issue handling the rival Minnesota Vikings in a big home 34-23 win. But when Minnesota could’ve threatened on a key Lions’ third down at the end of the fourth quarter, Campbell and OC Ben Johnson showed they weren’t messing around.

To salt this win away, Detroit called a pass play to the listed 335-pound Penei Sewell on a third-and-seven. Yes, seriously:

No. 58 reports as an eligible receiver. No. 58 is an eligible receiver.@peneisewell58 #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/DiihvbkkeS

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 11, 2022

Oh man, no words can do that kind of football poetry justice.

Instead of throwing to someone paid to regularly catch passes like Amon-Ra St. Brown — someone who the Vikings certainly keyed in on — they threw to Sewell, who showed more grace with the ball in his hands than you’d think for someone of his size. Maybe that athleticism was why Sewell was a top-10 pick.

Thanks to Sewell’s nine-yard catch on a third down, the Lions could take another vital minute and a half off the clock before tacking on a late field goal to make the margin 11 points. After the game, Campbell and Detroit’s coaching staff, by proxy, was clearly impressed with Sewell’s unique athletic ability:

Dan Campbell on Penei Sewell: He could be a Hall of Fame tight end if he wanted to lose some weight

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) December 11, 2022

Maybe that athleticism was why Sewell was a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft.

To really emphasize the weight of this play (pun not intended): This was a massive play for Detroit’s eventual victory (pun also not intended, I assure you) all around. With incredible play-call moments like this in their back pocket, it’s obvious Campbell’s bunch is locked in.