DJ Wonnum clutch with blocked kick vs. Packers: 'Best feeling ever'

DETROIT — Dan Campbell gambled on fourth down and lost.Luckily for him, DJ Wonnum was there to pay his debt.The Detroit Lions defense trotted onto the field after the offense, backed up on its own 24-yard line, failed to convert on fourth down, gifting the Green Bay Packers a short field in a tied game with a little less than five minutes remaining.A first-down run by Josh Jacobs went nowhere, and a completion to Jacobs on second down was limited to 5 yards. Jordan Love's throw intended for Jacobs on third down fell incomplete in the end zone, and the Packers, unlike Campbell, elected to kick on fourth down.The result? Wonnum came off the ball, helped cave in Green Bay's protection and stuck his hand up in the air just high enough to get his middle finger on the ball, helping force it wide of the uprights. It's the first blocked field goal for the Lions since Jeremiah Ledbetter did it in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings in November 2017.It came in a win this time, with the Lions beating the Packers, 20-17, on Sunday, Oct. 25.More: Wojo: Lions overcome fumbles and foibles, beat Packers in a wild oneWonnum noted afterward it was linebacker Trevor Nowaske who made the play call for the block, instructing his teammates how to attack Green Bay's operation. Nowaske played off any credit as he walked by Wonnum's locker."We had been knocking the line back the whole game," Wonnum said. "If you go back and watch it, we was knocking the line back the whole game. So, I said, 'I know we're going to knock the line back, let me just get a hand up.' That's what I did."Wonnum knew he touched the ball, but he wasn't sure he made enough contact to alter its path. He described it as "the best feeling ever" when he turned around and saw it off target."That's a huge individual effort," quarterback Jared Goff said of Wonnum's block. "The field goals from there typically are pretty high percentage, and to be able to get the ball back, to miss that fourth-down conversion and get the ball back with no harm, no foul — again, hats off to our defense, and DJ there with the block."More: Lions grades: Deep secondary contains high-flying PackersSigned by the Lions this offseason to a one-year deal worth $3 million, Wonnum has been a welcome addition up front, providing the Lions with a solid defensive end opposite of superstar Aidan Hutchinson. He's up to five sacks on the season (all from Weeks 3-5), which is already his most since 2023 and four away from setting a new career high.A sack wasn't necessary for a win Sunday. A block, however, was, and Wonnum made the play when he had to have it."Our defense, we talk all the time about putting fires out," Campbell said. "The defense put the fire out. They’re already in field-goal range, and then Wonnum comes up with a huge play, man, a huge block. At the end of the day, it really costs us nothing, and that's because our defense did what they needed to do."rsilva@detroitnews.com@rich_silva18This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: DJ Wonnum clutch with blocked kick vs. Packers: 'Best feeling ever'