Nick Whiteside impresses with his dominant performance for undermanned Lions

After an impressive stint with the Lions in training camp and the preseason, Whiteside earned his way on the practice squad, Most folks would never have expected to see him during a primetime game of consequence, but the Lions have shown they are not averse to an unusually desperate injury crisis playing out, That meant Whiteside always had a better than average chance to play.

Fortunately for Detroit, the Auburn Hills, Michigan native was ready for his moment in the spotlight and delivered. It's safe to say they don't find a way to score a huge win in the NFC playoff race without the exploits of Whiteside in all his big moments.

Whiteside embodies gritty mindset of Lions' key depth players

While Whiteside deserves the majority of the credit given his timely plays, the fact is, Detroit's defense relied on multiple different contributors to get the job done. Arthur Maulet had an interception, while Erick Hallett was Detroit's leading tackler (8). Reserve safties Loren Strickland and Thomas Harper also factored in.

Dan Campbell was impressed with Whiteside and all of his teammates afterward, but as he explained, he wasn't surprised by the performance whatsoever. The reasoning? Detroit has high standards for all their players.

"That's what's expected here. You get in there, you don't have to be perfect. You challenge and compete. We will help you and the guys around you will help you. I love the fact that the game did not feel too big for some of those guys. They got in there and competed and it wasn't too big for them. That's a great sign. I was proud of all those guys. It was really good."

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The Lions have one of the most competitive training camps in the NFL, and it helps them prepare players like Whiteside for the eventual task at hand. If and when they are called upon, they have a great chance to succeed because of Detroit's solid process. There's nothing quite like showing up on July 28 and making an impact by October 20. That's exactly what Whiteside was able to do.

It was an outstanding moment for the Lions, but an even more fantastic moment for Whiteside. When everybody is healthy, it's going to be hard to keep him and some of his cohorts out of the lineup after an inspiring effort.