The Lions’ defensive line did its part, hassling Mayfield and forcing off-mark throws, but the mishmash unit held its own and made play after play all night long. The group flew around the field. If they were wrong or beaten, they were doing it with their hair on fire. And they were rarely wrong and not beaten so much against a passing offense that has scorched opponents to open the season.
“That’s what’s expected here,” Campbell said. “I’ve said it before, you get in there, you don’t have to be perfect, you just challenge and you compete, and we will help you and the guys around you will help you.
“I love the fact the game didn’t seem too big for those guys. That was Harper’s and Hallett’s first start. I thought it wasn’t too big for them. They got in there and competed and that’s a great sign.”
First start? Heck, Hallett hadn’t even played a defensive snap in his career before MNF. In the bright lights, the 2023 sixth-round pick by Jacksonville, who spent the past two years on practice squads, played 62 snaps and tied for the team lead with eight tackles.
Whiteside, an Auburn Hills, Mich., native, went undrafted in 2023 and hadn’t played a defensive snap since his rookie year in Washington. He had a game-high three passes defended and gave up just one catch on six targets — a 22-yard touchdown.
Harper was an undrafted free agent in 2024 and bounced from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, where he played 15 games, including five starts for a decimated Raiders secondary last year. The safety allowed zero catches on two targets with three tackles on 52 snaps.
Maulet is a 32-year-old undrafted journeyman on his sixth team in nine years. He has 23 career starts in 87 games played, but hasn’t started a contest since 2023. The veteran had five tackles and an interception while allowing just 27 yards on six catches.
“I told those guys, man, after the game, how proud I was of them,” said Robertson, who allowed 33 yards on six catches. “Every single last one of them — Whiteside, Harper, all of them. All I thought about when I was out there, man, is play for those guys. I told them, even though this maybe y’all first opportunity, show the world. We heard the noise. Those guys went out there and played their hearts out. I had no doubt in them. Let’s go out there and show everybody and not talk about it, and that’s what I felt like we did tonight.”
