Lions 26, Raiders 14: Game # 8 (2023)

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Inside the locker room: Lions leave Raiders star Davante Adams speechless after loss

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This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:

Lions vs. Raiders preview: Game # 8 (2023)

detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/1927/lions-raiders-preview-game-2023

Some quick thoughts, with much more planned beginning in the afternoon, today.

Great job by the Lions Defense in the win over the Raiders. Overcoming a -2 in Takeaways vs. Turnovers, including one turnover being an Interception for a TD, is very difficult to do. That much more with a missed 'chip shot' FG, that would have put the Lions up by 15 points in the final few minutes of the game. Other than the Raiders long 2nd QTR drive, mostly running plays by RB Josh Jacobs, that resulted in a TD, and the Roughing the Passing Penalty by Jack Campbell when the Raiders ware back up at the 2 yard line in the early part of the 4th QTR, the Lions Defense was terrific the rest of the game.

The Lions Offense did a great job moving the ball throughout the game. But 3 turnovers and Red Zone struggles kept the Raiders in the game until the Lions iced the game on the first play following the 2 minute warning in the 4th QTR (Playing Action pass completion to TE Brock Wright on 4th and 2, that gave the Lions a game sealing first down).

Injuries in the Lions interior Offensive Line contributed to the game being much closer on the scoreboard than it felt. The Lions dominated statically in terms of yards, 1st Downs, 3rd Down conversions, and Defensive Sacks.
 
The Lions played with determination and intensity. The effort on all 3 units was excellent.

I thought the Lions coaching decisions were very good, with the exception of the risk of going for a 52 Yard FG with a 9-point lead in the early 4th QTR. Thankfully, Riley Patterson came through on that FG attempt.  

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Thoughts in ****

Instant observations: Jahmyr Gibbs’ breakout game helps Lions pull away on MNF

Updated: Oct. 31, 2023, 12:41 a.m.|Published: Oct. 30, 2023, 11:25 p.m.

Detroit Lions host Las Vegas Raiders for Monday night football

By Kyle Meinke | [e-mail]

DETROIT -- Monday Night Football has finally returned to Ford Field.

Now it’s fair to wonder whether playoff football is next.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs exploded for 152 yards on the ground, accounted for another 37 yards on five catches through the air, plus scored a touchdown that helped propel the Detroit Lions to a 26-14 win on Monday night against the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s already their third prime-time win of the young season, and fourth straight overall, the second-longest active streak in the league.

**** Tremendous all around game by Jahmyr Gibbs. This was the player that I believe Brad Holmes and co. envisioned, when selecting Gibbs with Pick # 12 in the 2023 Draft.****

Now 6-2 heading into a much-needed bye, the Lions have opened up a commanding 3.5-game lead over everyone in the NFC North that still has a starting quarterback. Minnesota is still lurking around at 4-4, but just lost Kirk Cousins for the season.

**** Today, the Vikings traded for Cardinals QB Joshua Dobbs. ****

No one else has more than two wins in the division, while the Lions have the second-best record in the NFC. At this point, it would take a stunning collapse for the Lions to not host their first playoff game since 1993.


**** The season is far from over. The Lions and Vikings don't play each other until Game # 15 (Week # 16), with another game between them on the final weekend of the regular season.****

There were some questions about their legitimacy after the beatdown in Baltimore last week, but the defense responded to those queries violently, and repeatedly. Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked six times, including twice by Alex Anzalone and Alim McNeill, and had as many completions to his guys (one) as the Lions (one) on his first four drives. Kerby Joseph picked off one of those footballs in the end zone, and the Lions forced three turnovers on downs overall while limiting Las Vegas to just one offensive touchdown.

****The Lions Defense led the way in the Lions win. VERY GOOD performance! ****


The Lions were also moving the ball well on offense, outgained Las Vegas by 329 yards overall -- the second-largest differential in the NFL this season -- and would have run away with another big blowout if they could have turned their opportunities into touchdowns. But they had four drives die inside the red zone, twice because of penalties on Taylor Decker and Dan Skipper, and another time on a fumble by Craig Reynolds inside the Raiders’ 5-yard line.

**** The Craig Reynolds play probably should have been blown dead before the ball came loose. Whether Reynolds was down wasn't conclusive with instant replay. To the Lions Defense credit, the unit forced the Raiders to Punt, without getting a 1st Down on the drive. Davante Adams probably should have caught a 3rd Down pass that would have given the Raiders a 1st Down. But the Lions overall pressure on on Jimmy Garoppolo leading up to the play probably had an effect on the throw. The ball was low. ***

That came right after a brutal pick-six by Jared Goff to open the second half. And just like that, Detroit went from having an opportunity to blow open the game to leading by just two points.

**** This was Jared Goff's worst decision of the season through the first 8 games. I'm not sure if Goff was trying to throw the ball away. But he clearly put the ball in harm's way. To Goff's credit, he bounced back with a strong performance (with the exception of a 3rd Down underthrown crossing route to Kalif Raymond much later on.****

Gibbs made sure that didn’t happen, turning on the burners on a run toward the right pylon and punching in a 27-yard touchdown run to open up a 23-14 lead late in the third quarter. It was the second score in as many weeks for Gibbs, who is starting for the injured David Montgomery, and starting to show what lured the Lions to spend a 12th overall pick on the former Alabama star.

****Absolutely!****

Detroit was never threatened again, winning by double digits despite three turnovers and going 1-for-5 in the red zone. That shows the depth and talent of the team, but underscores problem areas to address coming out of the bye as well. They’ve converted just one of their last eight red-zone opportunities into a touchdown.

****There's plenty to correct from this game. But many more positives to build on. ****

Let’s get to some more instant observations:

-- Say what you will about the value of using a 12th overall pick on a running back in today’s NFL -- and there is a lot to say, all of which has been said over the last few months, one way and the other -- but there’s no telling where the Lions would be today without Jahmyr Gibbs. He was so electric in training camp, then started the season slowly before missing two games with a hamstring injury. But he returned just in time to replace the injured David Montgomery the last two weeks, accounted for 126 yards and his first career touchdown in the loss in Baltimore -- then enjoyed what felt like a real breakthrough against Las Vegas. He ran for 152 yards and one touchdown, plus caught another five passes for 37 yards. He dominated the early script, touching the ball on seven of Detroit’s first eight plays, and came up big when Las Vegas was threatening in the second half. He got the Lions inside Las Vegas’ 10-yard line, and when a fumble spoiled that scoring opportunity, he punched the ball in himself from 27 yards out two drives later. That stretched the lead to 23-14, and Gibbs celebrated by jumping into the first row of the stands and dancing with fans.

**** Jahmyr Gibbs also was a major factor in the Lions beat the Falcons without David Montgomery. The Lions have needed both RBs and Craig Reynolds to get to 6-2. ****

Did the Lions maximize their value by taking a running back? Would they have been better off by taking, say, Jalen Carter, an interior defensive lineman who is currently the leader for defensive rookie of the year? Maybe. But there’s no disputing Gibbs was the biggest reason Detroit was able to pull away from Las Vegas, and adding Sam LaPorta with the pick they added in the trade back is looking like a promising combination that will lead this offense for years to come.

****Sam Laporta might have had his best all around game yet for the Lions, in the win over the Raiders.****

-- The Lions have a very good offense, but ball security has been something of an issue. They gave away 14 points on two brutal giveaways in the home opener against Seattle, and struggled to pull away from Las Vegas after giving away the football three times on Monday night. Josh Reynolds fumbled for the first time in his Lions career early on, before Jared Goff made a bad decision under duress coming out of intermission and was picked off along the boundary. He also whiffed on the tackle, adding a little insult to injury on the pick-six. Detroit drove inside Las Vegas’ 5-yard line on the next drive, but Craig Reynolds was ruled to have lost the football while going down, and without a replay to say definitively what happened one way or the other, the call stood.

****Josh Reynolds' play was unfortunate, as he made a good effort to secure the ball initially. Good play by the Raiders LB Luke Masterson in forcing the fumble. Unfortunately, Masterson suffered a concussion in the 2nd half of the game. Hopefully, he will make a full recovery. ****

Detroit still scored 26 points and won by double digits for the fifth time this season, which says a lot about just how much better it was than Las Vegas. But without better ball security -- and efficiency in the red zone, where they were 1-for-5 -- they’ll become vulnerable against better teams.

****Agreed. ****

-- Kerby Joseph has played at a high level most of the season, but said this week he didn’t feel good about his play because elite defensive backs take away the football, and he hadn’t taken away the football yet. Of course, teams have also avoided him in the middle of the field after he racked up four picks as a rookie last season. But just days after making those comments, Joseph broke through in a big way, picking off Jimmy Garoppolo in the end zone and denying Las Vegas a scoring opportunity after Detroit had coughed up the football. Huge play by a really good young player.

****Agreed. Yet, the throw was a bad decision by Jimmy G. ****

-- Jameson Williams dropped another pass, his third in the last two games, but also built some positive momentum by snagging a 22-yard pass over the middle. His only other target was a shovel pass in the backfield that lost 6 yards, and he finished with two catches for 16 yards overall.

**** Jameson Williams' inconsistency in catching passes is becoming more and more concerning by the game. It was good to see Williams respond favorably from the earlier drop, with the 22 yard reception. ****

-- Julian Okwara is clearly on the rise in Detroit. He’s always been slowed by injury and opened this season on IR, but played over Charles Harris last week and registered the only quarterback hit against Lamar Jackson. On Monday night, he earned his first start of the season, and opened the second half by dropping Jimmy Garoppolo for a third-down sack. That was a big play that got Detroit the ball back with an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the Raiders. In a pass rush that lacks firepower behind Aidan Hutchinson, Okwara is making a strong case for even more opportunities.

**** This is an illustration why I thought it made a great amount of sense not to expose Julian Okwara to waivers or place him on Season Ending IR when the cutdown to 53 was made. Props to Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell with their decision to place Okwara on In-Season IR later that week, which enabled him to be activated from IR anytime after 4 games. ****


Alim McNeill added two interior sacks, Alex Anzalone got home twice on linebacker blitzes, and the Lions racked up seven sacks as a team. That’s a big improvement over last week, when they touched Lamar Jackson just once during a 32-point blowout loss. As far as bouncebacks go, this was a big one.

**** The Lions had 6 sacks in the win over the Raiders. Great job by Alim McNeill for his performance in this game (he also had a deflected pass that would have very likely been a completion to Davonte Adams for a 1st Down, if the ball wasn't deflected.****

-- The Lions broke camp excited to see their offensive line at full strength for the first time since late 2020. By Week 8, they were down every interior starter. Guard Jonah Jackson (ankle) and center Frank Ragnow (calf/toe) were ruled out against Las Vegas because of injuries, while Halapoulivaati Vaitai (back) dressed but did not play. In the end, the Lions rolled with Kayode Awosikia at left guard, Graham Glasgow at center and rookie Colby Sorsdal at right guard. Sorsdal is a third-round pick who made his first NFL start.

**** Colby Sorsdal was a 5th Round Pick. He played very well in 1st half, with the exception of a holding penalty on an impressive Jahmyr Gibbs. On the play, Gibbs was horse collared, which led to offsetting penalties. Sorsdal struggled mightily in the 3rd QTR, both as a run blocker and in pass protection. He didn't look like the same player. Sorsdal also likely got away with a holding penalty on a Craig Reynolds 3rd and 3 run, which gained 1 yard, right before the 2 minute warning in the 4th QTR. ****

Then Awosika was lost to a leg injury in the third quarter, forcing Detroit to dump Dan Skipper onto the field at left guard. Skipper is a massive offensive tackle who can play guard in a pinch, and after a raft of injuries, the Lions had no other choice.

**** Dan Skipper was called for a holding penalty that wiped out a Craig Reynolds TD run ( it very likely wouldn't have been a TD, if not for the hold). Skipper could have been called for more holding penalties. Skipper is an all out effort player but his height / body type limits him enormously as a Guard. He helped get the Lions to the point that the Lions secured the win on the first play following the two minute warning in the 4th QTR. But Skipper is much closer to a last resort option at Guard than someone who is even suited to be the first backup Guard option. ****

-- Well to be fair, they had one other choice in Halapoulivaati Vaitai, the oft-injured veteran who opened the season at right guard. That lasted 1.5 games before he was lost to a knee injury, then his return lasted just one game after he suffered a back injury. He dressed against Las Vegas, but was clearly an emergency option only, considering Detroit preferred to go with a practice-squad tackle over him at guard. At this point, it feels like Detroit is just trying to get to the playoffs with Vaitai in once piece, then will look for a more reliable option next season. He just can’t stay in one piece.

**** This is very likely Big V's final season as a Lions player. At least from the standpoint of someone being on the roster going into training camp. I would be very surprised if he's re-signed before training camp. ****

-- Credit where it’s due. There have been plenty of (justified) questions about Riley Patterson’s range, but he did bang through a 52-yard field goal that gave Detroit a 26-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter. That’s a career long. It’s still fair to wonder what will happen if the Lions need a long field goal in the playoffs, but this was a step in the right direction. He finished four-of-five overall.

****Great job by Riley Patterson on the 52 yard FG being successful and his first 3 FG attempts. But the missed 26 yard FG gave the Raiders light. ****

-- Kick returner Khalil Dorsey left the game in the fourth quarter after sustaining an injury while making a goal-line tackle on kick coverage.

****Hopefully, it wasn't an injury that will keep Khalil Dorsey out after the bye. There's reason for concern though". The same regarding Lions LS Scott Daly, who was injured on the missed 26 yard FG (Riley Patterson). ****

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Quick takeaways from the Lions' Monday Night Football win over the Raiders

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While Alex Anzalone was a huge positive factor in the Lions win, including 2 sacks and the 3rd Down tackle Jeff Risdon mentioned, he did miss at least a couple of tackles in the game.

Cam Sutton was fortunate, especially on the 2nd of two plays that WR Davante Adams got behind him by a wide margin that Jimmy Garoppolo and Adams didn't connect for long gains (that probably would have been TDs) if the two connected. The Lions pass rush clearly was a major factor on the first of the two incompletions.

Alim McNeill is my choice for Lions 1st star of the game.

Showed flashes of big time ability. However, he was too easily handled on a number of other plays. He has a long way to go even as a run Defender.

I agree regarding the TD throw by Jared Goff to Sam LaPorta very late in the 2nd QTR was as good of a throw Goff has made with the Lions.

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Detroit Lions grades: Excellent night for RBs, LBs reflected in win over Raiders

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Because the interception thrown by Jared Goff was a very bad decision that resulted in Raiders CB Marcus Peters returning it for a TD, I would lower Goff's grade for the game to a B+. The interception changed the complexion of the game. The Lions were totally dominating the game, with a 9 point lead, already in FG range. The Lions Defense bailed Goff out, even though he responded to the adversary with high level play.

The WR/ TE grade is arguably as high as a 'B'.

I would lower the Offensive Line grade to a B+ at most.

The LB grade probably should be an A-.

Even with the missed 26 yard FG, I would raise the Special Teams Grade to a B+.

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Best and worst PFF Grades from Lions Week 8 win against Raiders

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I'm VERY surprised that the PFF Grades for Cam Sutton and Alex Anzalone are this low.

I'm surprised that Graham Glasgow's PFF grade for this game isn't noticeably higher.

I'm surprised that Derrick Barnes' PFF grade is in the low 90's. While Barnes forced a fumble and looked like he had an overall favorable game, it didn't seem like he had a dominant game that would reflect such a high PFF score.  

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Snap counts, PFF grades: Lions defensive backs shine in win over Raiders

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IMHO, Colby Sorsdal performed far better in the 1st half of the game than he did in the 3rd QTR especially.

The Lions dominance in time of possession (close to 40 minutes of having the ball) took its toll on the Raiders Defense in the 4th QTR.