Post by D6 on Nov 21, 2022 1:35:46 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
Lions at Giants preview: Game # 10 ( 2022 )
Instant observations: Lions roll to first three-game winning streak since 2017
Updated: Nov. 20, 2022, 5:34 p.m.|Published: Nov. 20, 2022, 4:18 p.m.
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
EAST RUTHEFORD, N.J. -- Rebuilds are hard. They’re even harder in a place like Detroit, where they’ve never built anything, ever. Not in almost any of our lifetimes anyway. They’ve lost so bad for so long that rebuilding the Detroit Lions is about more than just acquiring the right players and coaches. It’s about belief, too. It’s about believing that you can not only win, but expect to.
“Belief is a powerful drug,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said this past week, “and our guys are really starting to believe. You see that in their body language. You see it the way they play. It’s important that we continue on that path because you start to see the trend of our guys really starting to really feel it.”
Then they flew to New York, and really proved it.
**** This was the best Lions all around performance in the first 10 games of the season. All 3 of the Lions units and the coaches contributed heavily to the Lions win over the Giants at MetLife Stadium. The Lions Defense seemed to do a great job with assignments and overall discipline, with the exception of not keeping Daniel Jones contained on a number of QB option plays. The tackling and overall effort by the Lions Defense was at a high level. ****
Jamaal Williams ran for three more touchdowns, while rookie Aidan Hutchinson had two more takeaways and Kerby Joseph added another to propel Detroit to a 31-18 win on Sunday against the New York Giants.
**** Aidan Hutchinson's interception was the turning point of the game. The Lions never lost control of the game once the Lions Offense took advantage of the short field following Hutch's interception. His fumble recovery, following the forced fumble by Will Harris in the 4th QTR, was an impressive play. Hutch exhibited alertness, hustle, and determination in coming up with the ball. Great job by Harris forcing the fumble, following a Giants 3rd Down conversion (3rd and 15 play), when the Lions blitz was negated by the Giants. ****
Yes, those New York Giants. You know, the ones who were off to a 7-2 start. Who had lost just one game since Week 3. Yeah, those guys. And Detroit buried them on their own field.
**** The # top two reasons in the Lions victory were a + 3 takeaway vs. turnover ratio and the Lions excellent run Defense against Saquon Barkley. ****
That’s back-to-back road wins in as many weeks, from a team that hadn’t won away from Ford Field at all in 13 games. That’s three straight wins overall, from a team that hadn’t been on a winning streak of any kind in two years, and on a winning streak this long since 2017. Now they’ll welcome the Buffalo Bills to Ford Field -- well, back to Ford Field -- on Thanksgiving with a chance to win their fourth straight game for the first time since 2016, which also happens to be the last time this team made the playoffs.
Yes, the playoffs.
We’re going to talk about the playoffs now.
Detroit is now 4-6 on the season, and has surged into second place in the NFC North heading into Thanksgiving. Not bad from a team that still hasn’t spent a day after Thanksgiving anywhere but dead-last since Jim Caldwell was still their coach.
They now trail San Francisco by just 1.5 games for the final spot in the NFC playoff field, pending whatever happens with the 49ers against Arizona on Monday Night Football.
Yep. After a league-worst 1-6 start that saw the Lions fire a defensive coach and ship their Pro Bowl tight end to Minnesota, we’re now scoreboard-watching heading into Thanksgiving. And not the sort of draft-related scoreboard-watching too which we’re so accustomed.
Make no mistake, their chances of making the postseason remain long. But in a wide-open NFC with a whole lot of mediocrity, they’ve at least catapulted their way into that conversation, which is a stunning turnaround from where they were when this month started.
**** The Lions earned being in the playoff discussion with 3 straight wins, in games the Lions were underdogs. It's going to be very difficult for the Lions to beat the Bills on Thanksgiving Day. But the opportunity to play a game that has playoff ramification changes for the Lions has been achieved by the Lions. ****
Jamaal Williams has been a huge catalyst of course. He rattled off two straight touchdown runs to finish off the first half against New York, then ran out of the tunnel for the second half and added another, a personal 21-0 run that flipped a 6-3 deficit into a 24-6 lead. Williams now has 12 touchdown runs on the season, which not only leads the league, but sets a franchise record for any running back through 10 games.
Yep. Any running back. Including Barry.
**** Jaamal Williams has been an enormous part of the Lions 3 game winning streak, including his leadership. ****
But just like in the two games before this, the defense made huge plays to win the game too. They came up with four straight stops in the final seconds against Aaron Rodgers to seal that win against Green Bay. They got to Justin Fields for a pick-six that erased a deep hole in the fourth quarter last week in Chicago, then sacked him to seal their second straight win.
Then they flew to New York, where Hutchinson picked off Daniel Jones on a pass to Darius Slayton in the flat. That’s two interceptions in three weeks from the No. 2 overall pick, after no rookie linemen had ever picked off two passes in a season for this team. Hutchinson returned this one to New York’s 18-yard line, and Detroit needed just three plays before Williams was standing back in the end zone. Again.
Safety Kerby Joseph added another interception -- his second in three weeks, and fourth turnover overall this season -- in the third quarter and D’Andre Swift punched in Detroit’s fourth rushing touchdown of the day to pull away for good.
**** The ball skills by Kerby Joseph on the 4th Down interception and his lengthy return, were impressive as well. ****
All of which came on a 7-2 team’s home field.
This is how you build belief. It’s also how you build a run at the playoffs, unlikely as that might have been when the calender flipped to November a few weeks ago. Now the defense is rolling, the offense is running, and this team -- three weeks in a row -- is winning.
Win again in five days on the national stage, and playoff fever is going to be headed for Detroit.
**** Absolutely, though doesn't end the Lions playoff chances. ****
Let’s get to some more instant observations:
-- Salute to the Lions defense, where for the second time in three weeks, rookies like Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph led the charge with back-breaking turnovers. That’s two picks for Hutchinson overall, matching an NFL record for a rookie lineman, and he added a fumble recovery for good measure. But don’t overlook the contributions of second-year defensive tackle Alim McNeill either, a powerful interior defender who has found his stride in recent weeks. In New York, he delivered the game of his career, becoming the first Lions interior defender with three tackles for loss and one sack in a game since 2015. He added three quarterback hits for good measure too. It was as good of a game any player at that position has had in some time in Detroit. And it was a big reason Saquon Barkley was held to just 22 yards on 15 carries, his worst game in more than a year.
**** Alim McNeill was dominate vs. the run and as a pass rusher in the 1st Half and had a very good to great all around game. Isaiah Biggs also had a strong performance, with his run Defense a huge part of why the Lions won the game, with the game not coming down to one possession. ****
-- Jamaal Williams, man. He was signed to be the power complement to D’Andre Swift, but has instead separated as the No. 1 back in Detroit. Yes, the perpetual injuries to Swift have contributed to that. But Williams has made his own bed with by-your-watch consistency between the tackles and everywhere else. He brings the same energy to practice every day, has emerged as a team leader, plays every week, and besides a bad game in Dallas this year, gives you the same thing every week. And this week was especially good. Williams pounded in three more touchdown runs during a 21-0 scoring surge that changed the game. He now has a league-high 12 rushing touchdowns. With seven games left, Barry Sanders’ franchise record of 16 TD runs back in 1991 is in his sights.
**** If Jaamal Williams is relatively healthy the rest of the season, I think he will get at least 5 more rushing TDs in the remaining 7 regular season combined games. ****
-- DJ Chark suited up for the first time in almost two months, but barely touched the field in his return from a nagging injury. With Josh Reynolds still out, and Jameson Williams too, and Quintez Cephus too, that might have been a blow for a team that doesn’t have Tom Kennedy. The Detroit Lions can’t relate. One week after Kennedy made a huge 44-yard catch on third-and-long to help set up Jamaal Williams’ game-winning touchdown run, Kennedy made a huge 13-yard catch on third-and-long that set up Williams’ touchdown run to open the second half against New York. That gave Detroit a 24-6 lead before New York even had a chance to touch the football in the second half. Huge. And it wouldn’t have happened without Kennedy. Just like the game-winning run might not have happened without him in Chicago, either. All of which came from a guy who opened the season on the practice squad because Detroit added so much talent at receiver. Remarkable.
With guys like Chark, Reynolds, Williams and Cephus all missing games because of injuries, Kennedy has been forced into a featured role on the perimeter. Where at 5-foot-10, he’s out of position. He’s not that big, not that fast. But he’s stuck around for four years because he does everything else right. And when they let him run him onto the field, he makes plays. The last two weeks, he’s made huge plays.
**** Tom Kennedy earned his opportunities with hard work and perseverance. It was great to see Kennedy make a huge 3rd Down conversion catch/ play for the 2nd game in a row. This game was likely extra special for Kennedy, as he's from Farmingdale, on Long Island. ****
-- Dan Campbell says he believes in his defense, and his actions back that up. After driving to the Giants’ 6-yard line to open the game, he decided to lay up for the field goal rather than go for it on fourth-and-2. That’s the second time in as many weeks we’ve seen that. After Campbell set the NFL record for fourth-down attempts this season, this clearly represents a shift in strategy, and the rise of the defense in recent weeks certainly factors into those decisions.
**** Props to Dan Campbell for adjusting his strategy. The Lions needed to come away with points on the team's first drive, after moving the ball inside the 10 yard line. ****
But the strategy backfired later in the first quarter. When New York was flagged for holding on second-and-7, he chose to decline the penalty (and face a third-and-7) rather than accept it (and face a second-and-forever). Daniel Jones completed a 16-yard pass to Matt Breida. Two plays later, they were in the end zone with a 6-3 lead.
**** I respect Dan Campbell's decision to decline the Holding Penalty. More can go wrong for the Defense when the opposing Offense is given an extra play (barring a takeaway)****
-- New York fans will let you know how they feel, let’s give them that. When Kenny Golladay was thrown a pass he actually held on to -- a rare event that has happened just three times all season -- he was mocked with the loudest Bronx cheer you’ll ever hear. Golladay has been a disaster since signing a four-year, $72 million contract with New York last year. This year, he now has three catches on seven targets for 37 yards. There’s a 0.1% chance he’s back next year, a boondoggle that will weigh on that team’s salary cap for years. Bob Quinn passed on signing Golladay because of fears he would never be able to live up to the money he was looking for, and Brad Holmes passed too after taking the job last year. Both men avoided an absolute landmine.
**** Kenny Golladay caught his 2nd pass of the game in the Red Zone on what became the Giants final drive (which resulted in a TD and an unsuccessful 2 point conversion attempt). Both of Golladay's catches against the Lions were in Zone Coverage. It looked like Golladay did a good job as a blocker in this game. He clearly hasn't met exceptions for the Giants but his effort and concentration in this game was better than it's been far too often for the Giants.****
-- Evan Brown left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return, becoming the third right guard to go down with an injury this season. The Lions continue to play without Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Tommy Kraemer, forcing them to turn to fourth-string guard Dan Skipper, who isn’t really a guard at all. Skipper is a 6-foot-10 offensive tackle, but has played inside before. And you know what? The Lions continued to run the football with him in place. Yet another feather in the cap of offensive line coach Hank Fraley, whose guys have paved the way for one of the best running games in the league this season, and for the rushing TD leader in the league this season, no matter how many big fellas they lose in the lineup. That’s coaching.
**** Dan Skipper did as well in this game at RG, as one could have realistically hoped for as a Lions Coach, player, or fan. This includes the times he got pushed into the backfield by the Giants DTs, led by Dexter Lawrence. ****
-- Jerry Jacobs earned the start over Mike Hughes at cornerback, while Jamaal Williams earned another start over D’Andre Swift at tailback.
**** Unfortunately, Jeff Okudah suffered a Concussion in the 2nd QTR, that will almost certainly keep him out of the Bills game on Thanksgiving Day. Mike Hughes and Amami Oruwariye were in a 3 way platoon with Jerry Jacobs, after Okudah suffered the concussion on friendly fire. Will Harris was the Lions Nickel CB throughout the game, when the Lions used a Nickel CB. ****
............
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Giants preview: Game # 10 ( 2022 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1609/lions-giants-preview-game-2022