Post by D6 on Oct 1, 2024 13:07:16 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Lions offense puts on a show on Monday Night Football
Instant observations: Lions offense puts on a show on Monday Night Football
Updated: Oct. 01, 2024, 12:01 a.m.|Published: Sep. 30, 2024, 11:30 p.m.
Detroit Lions host Seattle Seahawks
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
DETROIT -- They’re baaaaaack.
On a night where they played without three defensive starters, the Detroit Lions’ high-powered offense finally broke out of its season-long malaise in a wild 42-29 shootout win against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Jared Goff bombed a 70-yard touchdown to Jameson Williams, feathered a gorgeous toe-tapping touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown and even caught a touchdown pass of his own during a huge second-half surge.
Oh, and he didn’t put a single ball on the ground, finishing 18 of 18 passing for 292 yards, two touchdowns and no picks in a flawless performance. Goff set an NFL record for most passes without an incompletion in a game, blowing away Kurt Warner’s 10-for-10 performance against Houston in 2005.
**** Tremendous job by Jared Goff, the Lions overall Offense, and Special Teams Coverage Units in the Lions winning a hard fought game against a Seahawks team that's well coached, resilient, and talented. It wouldn't surprise me if the Lions end up beating the Seahawks in the playoffs. This felt like a playoff game! ****
Excluding a three-play drive in the final minute of the first half, Detroit ripped off five straight touchdown drives overall to pull away in the second half. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs pounded 118 yards on the ground, Williams hit Seattle with the speed over the top, while St. Brown scored with his arms and his legs, and the quarterback finished with more touchdown catches (one) than incomplete passes (zero). It was a vintage performance from an offense that hadn’t scored more than 20 points in regulation this season, a discouraging start for one of the best offenses in football.
**** This looked like the Lions Offense that was envisioned leading up to the season!****
The Lions have their mojo back, and finally snapped a six-game losing streak against Seattle that had dated all the way back to 2012. Three of those losses came in the last three seasons against this regime, and the Lions were gutted for an average of more than 45 points per game during that slide. No one had tossed Aaron Glenn’s defense quite like the Seahawks, and those guys refused to go away for most of this game too, riding three Kenneth Walker touchdowns to a one-score ballgame in the fourth quarter.
****Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, and Kenneth Walker gave the Seahawks a realistic chance at a comeback win. Metcalf's fumble after he broke tackles, and wouldn't go down was a great play by Jack Campbell (who might have had his best game with the Lions), who forced the fumble, which Carlton Davis picked up, and returned all the way to the Seahawks 14 yard line), was very costly for Seattle. Yet, Metcalf looked like a Pro Bowl caliber player repeatedly in this game.****
But this time, playing without key defensive starters like Derrick Barnes, Marcus Davenport and Brian Branch, Glenn’s unit came up big when it mattered most, denying Seattle on a late drive deep into the red zone of a 42-27 game. Alim McNeill batted one pass at the line of scrimmage, Alex Anzalone defended another at the goal line, and Carlton Davis bounced back from a tough night to blanket D.K. Metcalf on a third-down pass into the paint. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith couldn’t find anybody open on fourth down either, and the game was pretty much over.
**** Keeping the Seahawks from scoring a TD on that drive was huge. The Seahawks still had 2 timeouts and the 2 minute warning. ****
And when Goff took a safety on the ensuing drive, Kerby Joseph shut the door again by picking off his third pass of the season, all of which have come in the end zone.
****Kerby Joseph had a mixed bag game against the run but his Pass Defense continues to be one of the Lions top strengths this season. His ball skills are elite. ****
Big plays when it mattered on defense. Big plays all night on offense. And a huge win against another NFC power that figures to play into the playoff picture in January. Not a bad way to head into a badly needed bye next week.
**** The Lions Defense certainly came up big when the Lions needed to the most. There's plenty of teaching tape for the coaches from this game to work with the Lions Defense. It's much more pleasant to learn after a win. ****
Detroit improves to 3-1 on the season and moves into a tie for the second-best record in the NFC heading into the off week. Pretty much the best-case scenario for a team that was beaten up badly last week in Arizona, needs to rest a whole bunch of starters -- but also found its mojo along the way.
The Lions will return to action in two weeks in Dallas against the Cowboys.
**** The bye is coming at a good time for the Lions. ****
Let’s get to some more observations:
-- Let’s start with David Montgomery, shall we? The former Chicago Bear arrived in Detroit last year with a reputation for tough, reliable, high-IQ running. You can win with a guy like that, and he fit perfectly into the physical running game that Dan Campbell wanted to build in Detroit. But I don’t think anyone could have predicted Montgomery would be this much of a hit. Just look at what he did against Seattle, accounting for 80 yards from scrimmage, breaking three tackles on a 40-yard reception and dragging a man into the end zone for another rushing touchdown. He’s now run for a TD in seven straight games overall, tying a franchise record that was set by Billy Sims in 1980-81.
On a team loaded with All-Pros like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta, not to mention the speedy first-rounders like Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs, this offense still flows through Montgomery as much as anybody else. He sets a physical tone, and often gets the most touches on opening drives because of it. He did against Seattle too, gobbling up 39 yards on the first series alone. But his best play of all was a spectacular catch in the third quarter, when he lowered his head to bounce off first contact, then broke out of one tackle, then another, before crossing back across the field for a 40-yard gain. Montgomery finished with 80 yards from scrimmage, plus his big catch led directly to a Jared Goff touchdown catch. No, that’s not a typo. Let’s dive in, shall we?
**** David Montgomery was an immense factor in the Lions win. His contributions as a rusher, receiver, and in blitz protection were major reasons why the Lions won the game. The 40 yard reception play was sensational! ****
-- Amon-Ra St. Brown was asked this week whether it was dangerous to run plays like last week’s hook-and-ladder, where he’s forwarding the ball to a teammate. “Dangerous?” St. Brown said. “What you mean dangerous?” It’s easy to understand his confusion. St. Brown is one of the best, most bankable players in Detroit. And a week later, Ben Johnson found another way for St. Brown to forward the ball again, this time taking the ball on an end-around before pulling up and throwing to Jared Goff -- yes, that Jared Goff -- for a 7-yard touchdown. Both trick plays are brilliant examples of Johnson using the defensive attention that St. Brown commands against the opponent. The touchdown was a big one too, helping the Lions remain ahead 28-14 in a wild third quarter.
**** Amon-Ra St. Brown had a great all around game on Offense for the Lions. His high caliber blocking was a huge part of the equation! The throw to Jared Goff and St. Brown catching the ball in bounds in the end zone, on what resulted in a TD reception later on, were excellent plays by # 14. ****
-- Let’s get to Jameson Williams, shall we? For the third time in four games, the former first-round pick delivered on the offseason hype by taking the top off a defense, this time screaming through the Seahawks defense for a 70-yard touchdown. That’s his third 50-yarder of the year, two of which he housed. And he was so open on this one that he was able to high step the last 20 years into the end zone. He did draw a flag for excessive celebration, but man, there’s so much to like about where Jamo is headed this season.
**** Terrific execution on the long 1 play drive TD reception by Jameson Williams by the practically the entire Offense! ****
-- I think the Lions have found their No. 3 receiver. Tim Patrick caught two more passes for 52 yards, including a big one that moved the sticks early and an even bigger one that came 29 yards downfield while Detroit was holding onto a 35-27 lead late in the fourth quarter. Patrick wasn’t good enough to make the team in Denver, but he looks plenty fine here.
**** In addition to those impressive plays, Tim Patrick was an asset as a blocker. He clearly looks like an important part of the Lions Offense equation moving forward, in addition to being last night ****
-- There were plenty of offensive fireworks, but don’t forget about the defense too! And at linebacker, the Lions are as deep as they’ve ever been. Last week, they held Arizona to 13 points despite missing top linebacker Alex Anzalone. This week, they played without Derrick Barnes. Once again, they didn’t miss a beat. Malcolm Rodriguez -- making the spot start -- registered the first sack of the night, while Jack Campbell made one of the biggest plays of the game when he jarred the ball from D.K. Metcalf. Carlton Davis scooped up the loose leather and sprinted the other way, leading to another touchdown that helped build a 21-7 halftime lead. Then in the final minutes, Anzalone broke up a pass headed for the end zone, preserving the two-score lead.
**** The Lions Defense made a number of big plays. The Lions tackling on Defense needs to be better than it was in the 2nd Half and the penalties need to be cut down substantially. ****
-- Weird to say about the Lions defense, but they’re deep up front too. A longtime sore spot outside of Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions spent big-time resources to add talent around the former Michigan star this offseason. Marcus Davenport was a big hit before being lost to a season-ending injury last week, but the beatdowns continued against Seattle. Another big acquisition, DJ Reader, was phenomenal against the run and even dropped Geno Smith for his first sack in Detroit. Levi Onwuzurike added a sack while starting for Davenport, while Alim McNeill batted down a pass in the red zone late in the fourth quarter. Losing Davenport hurts, no doubt about it, but the Lions just have so many options to throw out there these days.
**** In addition, Josh Paschal was noticeably improved in this game. Aidan Hutchinson helped cause the sack by Malcolm Rodriguez, because of the attention Hutch received on the play, coupled with Hutch coming close to sharing a sack on the play, despite the attention he received by the Seahawks. On the other hand, James Houston committed two Offsides/ Encroachment penalties and didn't look like he was making a positive impact at other times. It's far from a given he's going to be on the Lions 53 man roster all season, even if he remains relatively healthy. ****
-- That being said, the Lions had some issues with Kenneth Walker, the former Michigan State star who remains very good at this football thing. Walker scored three touchdowns to help Seattle trade blows with Detroit in the second half. Walker finished with 80 rushing yards overall against the No. 3 run defense in the NFL.
**** The Lions Run Defense was much better in the 1st Half than in the 2nd Half. The Lions Defense was on the field for a long time in the 2nd Half, which along with the Seahawks being much more committed to the run in the 2nd Half, were major factors in the Lions Run Defense not playing at their usual high standard (in the 2nd Half. Far too many missed tackles and Defenders that seemed to be out of position. ****
-- The Lions lead the league in defensive pass interference penalties, and Carlton Davis picked up three more against Seattle, the middle of which led directly to a touchdown a play later. But can’t fault Davis for that. Complaining about the officiating is a loser’s lament, but in this case, Davis has a legitimate gripe. He was getting bodied by Metcalf throughout the game, and was trying to flag it for the officials. Then on the play in question, there was virtually no contact -- just a small, incidental bump -- and Davis made an incredible play to break up the pass over the middle of the field. Alas, the officials taxed him for another DPI at the Lions’ 9-yard line. Cheap call, and it proved costly when Geno Smith hit A.J. Barner for a touchdown on the next play, cutting Detroit’s lead to 21-14 coming out of halftime. Davis was hot, and had every right to be.
**** The play that resulted in a Pass Interference penalty at the 9 yard line was the right call by the officials. I'm surprised that Carlton Davis was livid at the officials on that play. ****
That being said, Davis also picked up a crucial defensive holding penalty on a third-down stop. That led to another Seattle touchdown.
-- Owner Sheila Hamp was serenaded with thunderous cheers when she took the field to induct former great Calvin Johnson into the Pride of the Lions at halftime. My, how times have changed. Last time Hamp took that field -- in the middle of the 2021 season -- she was booed so mercilessly that she had to stop her speech. The experience would bring her to tears once she left the field. But that tide has turned now that Hamp has helped lead the franchise from the Quinntricia abyss to the NFC elite. Her fingerprints are all over the climb too, most notably making unconventional hires at head coach and general manager. Now Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are leading one of the hottest teams back to the top of the NFC.
**** Sheila Hamp earned the thunderous cheers by the Lions fans. ****
...........
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions vs. Seahawks preview: Game # 4 (2024)
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2265/lions-seahawks-preview-game-2024