Post by D6 on Oct 14, 2024 1:09:31 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
www.mlive.com/lions/2024/10/observations-lions-hang-47-points-on-dallas-but-concern-grows-for-aidan-hutchinson.html
Observations: Lions hang 47 points on Dallas, but concern grows for Aidan Hutchinson
Updated: Oct. 13, 2024, 11:16 p.m.|Published: Oct. 13, 2024, 7:41 p.m.
Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys: Week 6, 2024Benjamin Raven
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Detroit Lions cruised to their first victory against Dallas in more than a decade, although this house of horrors could continue to haunt their title pursuit for weeks, or months, to come.
****Indeed.****
David Montgomery ran for two first-half touchdowns, Sam LaPorta added a 52-yard TD off a flea flicker before halftime and the Lions never looked back in a 47-9 bludgeoning against the Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. That exorcised some demons in this building, site of the Brandon Pettigrew play, and the Dan Skipper play, and just so many high-stakes plays that went against the Lions over the last decade. They had lost five straight games here, and six straight games against Dallas overall.
**** Tremendous performance by the Lions. This was amongst the most dominant road wins in the 55 seasons I've been rooting for the Lions. ****
Beating the Cowboys is always good.
Beating them like this is something else.
Yet on a day where it felt like nothing could go wrong for the Lions, a long shadow was cast on the field when star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered what appears to be a major right leg injury on a third-quarter sack. It’s premature to state the exact nature of the injury, but if his leg snapped over teammate Alim McNeil, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
**** Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken tibia. He already had surgery. I'm certainly not even remotely counting on Hutch returning to game action this season.****
Any loss would be a significant blow for one of the league’s most improved defenses. They’re already without fellow starting edge rusher Marcus Davenport for the season, forcing them to turn to Josh Paschal in the starting lineup and elevate undrafted rookie Isaac Ukwu from the practice squad in Dallas.
**** The Lions Defense played very well even after Hutch went down. However, the Lions dependence on the blitz was greater than it was before Hutch went down. ****
They continued to roll on defense anyway, with safety Brian Branch picking off two passes -- one of which was in the end zone -- plus jarring loose a second-half fumble. One of those turnovers prevented a touchdown, the other two led to Lions touchdowns, the last of which prompted chants of “JAR-ED GOFF!” from a huge contingent of Honolulu blue-clad fans in Dallas.
****Brian Branch had an NFC Defensive Caliber of the Week performance in the Lions one sided win at Dallas. This probably was his most impactful game yet in his 2 seasons with the Lions.****
In the second quarter alone, the Lions generated three straight three-and-outs and then a turnover on downs. The Cowboys finished with minus-1 yards of offense in the frame.
**** The Lions Defense was Super Bowl caliber in the 2nd QTR. ****
Detroit’s offense, meanwhile, stepped on the gas to take control of the game early. Montgomery added two more touchdown runs, then quarterback Jard Goff tossed the ball to Montgomery, who handed off to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who flipped the ball back to Goff, who threw a 52-yard dime to tight end Sam LaPorta streaking wide open down the right sideline.
**** Excellent play design and execution! The Lions took advantage of highly experienced Cowboys LB Eric Kendricks being inactive for the game because of injuries.****
That opened a commanding 27-6 lead heading into halftime, then they got the ball back to open the second half and went for the jugular on a 37-yard bomb to Jameson Williams, who had gotten behind Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs for the score. And just like that, the rout was on.
**** Using up tempo on that play caught the Cowboys off guard enough for the play to work. Great job by Ben Johnson with the decision and overall play call!****
Then Hutchinson fell to the turf in immense pain in the third quarter, casting a pall over the fun and games. Hutchinson led the league in sacks (6.5) and pressures (44) heading into the weekend, despite not playing last week because of the bye. He added three more hits against Dak Prescott on Sunday, then took down Prescott in the third quarter, giving him 7.5 for the season.
**** Even on the play that likely ended Hutch's season, he made a huge positive impact! Tremendous player!****
Then he was fitted for an air cast on the field and carted to the locker room, as the entire roster surrounded him on the field. It was a terrible sight on a brilliant day, and becomes even more concerning with the loss of Davenport from the starting lineup too.
**** The Lions probably are going to have to make at least one trade for a proven Edge Rusher. From a Lions perspective, it makes sense to root against Cleveland, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, and Tennessee, unless they are playing an NFC team the Lions are competing with in the NFC Playoff Picture. ****
The Lions are 4-1, and their offense has gotten its groove back in the last two games, hanging 89 points on the Seahawks and Cowboys, their biggest two-game scoring binge since 1962. But they’re also without their top two edge rushers heading into next week’s NFC North showdown against the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings, and who knows beyond that?
**** As well as the Lions played at Dallas, with Hutch out, the Vikings have become the team to beat in the NFC North at least for the time being. Maybe, even in the entire NFC. ****
For a team that aspires for nothing short of a Super Bowl title, you can’t help but walk away from Detroit’s biggest win in more than a decade with an unmistakable sense of loss.
****Agreed. The injury to Hutch certainly took a lot of steam away from me and I'm sure MANY other Lions fans.****
Let’s get to some more instant observations:
-- With the ink barely dry on a two-year extension that will guarantee him at least $10 million more to stick around in Detroit through 2027, David Montgomery showed why the Lions decided to pony up, spinning out of a tackle and running through another to open the game with a 16-yard touchdown on his very first drive. He now has run for a touchdown in eight straight games, breaking Billy Sims’ franchise record that had stood since 1981. That’s right. Not even Barry Sanders had a scoring run like this. And Montgomery wasn’t done either, adding a 1-yard plunge at the end of the first half. He finished with 80 yards on 12 carries, another punishing day at the office.
****David Montgomery is having a Pro Bowl caliber season. His determination, power, moves, and running instincts have been terrific!! ****
-- Ben Johnson is a bad, bad man. The Lions offensive coordinator hit Arizona with a hook-and-ladder that scored what proved to be a game-deciding touchdown. A week later, Jared Goff caught a touchdown pass that helped turn that game into a rout. Now coming out of the bye, he’s done it again, dialing up a dizzying flea flicker that allowed Sam LaPorta to walk into the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown catch. Goff began the play by tossing the ball to David Montgomery, who handed off to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who flipped the ball back to Goff, who connected with LaPorta streaking wide open down the right sideline for the longest catch of his career. And just like that, the Lions had scored for the third straight time to begin the game, and opened a massive 17-3 lead that proved insurmountable.
**** It's easy to see why Ben Johnson services as a Head Coach have been in high demand.****
The Lions offense is built on physicality, hitting teams on the ground before taking to the air with a wide array of options. But the trick plays continue to be a changeup that is difficult for defenses to handle, and for the third straight game, they scored a big touchdown because of it.
**** The balance the Lions have on Offense is elite. Probably, the best in the NFL. ****
-- Ben Johnson reached even deeper into his bag of tricks at the end of the third quarter, dialing up a hook and ladder to Penei Sewell. Yes, Penei Sewell. In a 37-9 game. Clearly, the Lions had total domination on their mind in Dallas. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a short pass from Goff, then pitched the ball to Sewell, who stretched for the goal line and might have scored. But the play was nullified by an iffy penalty against Frank Ragnow for being too far downfield. Jameson Williams caught a touchdown pass on the following play, but that was called back too because of offensive pass interference. Detroit wound up settling for a Jake Bates field goal that pushed the lead to 40-9.
**** I would have preferred the Lions to be more conventional to try to score by this point in the game. Once Hutch went down, and Carlton Davis suffered a head injury, I wanted the Lions to completely put the game away ASAP, in order for both teams to decide to bring in backups to replace key starters. The way the Lions were controlling the line of scrimmage, I believe the Lions would have scored two more TDs, instead of FGs, if a more conventional Offensive Strategy was used once the Lions had a 34-9 lead. ****
-- Jameson Williams beat Trevon Diggs for a 37-yard touchdown catch that slit whatever was left of the Cowboys’ throat. But what I liked most occurred in the first half, when he dropped a pass that hit him right in both of his hands. That’s the kind of thing we saw from Jamo a lot early in his career. But those issues have been behind him for a long time now, and Jared Goff showed just how much trust he has in the third-year wideout, going right back to him on the very next play for 15 yards and a fresh set of downs. Williams finished with three catches for a team-high 76 yards, and will lead the team in receiving heading into Week 7. That’s a big of a surprise, although the explosiveness is not. The Lions put a lot of faith in Jamo by not acquiring a receiver to replace Josh Reynolds, and the kid continues to show why.
**** Great job by Ben Johnson and Jared Goff going right back to Jameson Williams after the dropped pass.
In some games, Williams is going to have a quiet game on the stat sheet. Yet, he's opening up opportunities for other Lions skill players because of his speed/ skill set. ****
-- Sticking with the receivers for just a moment, the Lions have clearly found something in Tim Patrick. He used that big frame to scoop a 42-yard pass off the turf on third down to open the game, extending the drive to set up Montgomery’s opening touchdown. Patrick also caught an 18-yarder on second-and-long, then added an 8-yarder that advanced the ball to the goal line in the final minute of the first half, leading to yet another score. Patrick finished with three catches for 68 yards.
**** Tim Patrick is proving to be a very good compliment to the Lions other skill players. ****
-- How good are the Detroit Lions safeties? Consider this: Those guys have now picked off five passes in the end zone this season, more than any other team in the league. Kerby Joseph swiped three of them in the first month of the season -- “Kerby makes the middle of the field a scary place,” Lions senior defensive assistant Jim O’Neil said -- before Brian Branch added the fourth on a brilliant play in Dallas. Branch didn’t bite on a fake underneath, then dropped into the end zone and undercut a shot to CeeDee Lamb in the end zone.
**** The Lions Safeties are definitely a key reason why the Lions are 4-1, even factoring in that Brian Branch was kept out of the Seahawks game.****
That saved one touchdown, then Branch created another by picking off Prescott again in the third quarter and returning the ball inside the 5-yard line. One play later, Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 4-yard touchdown that made it a 47-9 game.
**** That sequence is what led to the Lions (and Cowboys) removing many key starters. ****
Branch added a forced fumble in the third quarter, leading to yet another touchdown, before Joseph added yet another pick in the end zone, his fourth of the season.
“I think our two safeties are doing a really good job,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said the other day.
No kidding. Go ahead, find a better ball-hawking safety duo in the league. I’ll wait. Yeah, didn’t think so.
**** The Lions clearly have the best pair of ball skill Safeties in the NFL. ****
-- Alim McNeill enjoyed another monster game up front, sacking Prescott twice during the second-half surge. Hutchinson and Trevor Nowaske added a sack apiece in the pass rush. Nowaske is a former Saginaw Valley State star who made the team because of what he can do on special teams, but has been pressed into defensive duty because of the Derrick Barnes injury. Just so many injuries for this defense, but so many guys stepping up.
**** Alim McNeill was probably the Lions most impactful player in the Lions front 7 on Defense in this game and only 2nd to Brian Branch in overall impact on Defense in this game. The Lions can't afford to lose McNeill in Free Agency. ****
-- Rookie cornerbck Terrion Arnold had a redemptive day after an up-and-down start to his career, breaking up a fourth-down pass during the second-quarter run and then scooping up a fumble in the third quarter.
**** Terrion Arnold had a strong coverage game, especially when the game wasn't in essence out of reach. ****
-- The Lions tried to downplay the “reporting as eligible” fiasco from last season, but the officiating error that cost them a Week 17 game in Dallas clearly still was on their mind. They opened this game by having Dan Skipper report as eligible, and twice had both Skipper and Taylor Decker report as eligible at the goal line. It was an unmistakable troll job after the officials incorrectly identified Skipper as an eligible receiver late last season, which ultimately wiped a go-ahead 2-point catch by Decker off the books. The Lions lost that game, and their shot at a No. 1 seed.
**** I still believe it worked out for the best, as the Lions probably wouldn't have ended up with the # 1 seed. Not having to face the Packers in Round 1 of the playoffs was a huge break for the Lions. The # 3 seed turned out to be a better position for the Lions to be in than the # 2 seed. The Lions didn't have the CBs to matchup with the Packers last season, once the Packers passing game took off. ****
In their return to Dallas, the dual-reporting had mixed success. David Montgomery pounded in a touchdown that gave the Lions a 27-3 lead late in the first half, but a third-quarter pass to Decker was well-defended and the pass was incomplete. Detroit settled for a Jake Bates field goal that stretched the lead to 37-9.
-- Jake Bates made a career-long 40-yard field goal in the first quarter, then deposited another career long of 48 yards in the back of the net in the second quarter. The rookie kicker made all four attempts against Dallas overall and is now 9 for 9 on the season, an impressive start that is rewarding the faith of the Lions coaching staff. Bates has All-Pro leg strength, but also didn’t attempt a single field goal in college. He blew onto the scene by making three 60-yarders in the UFL over the spring, but had enough consistency issues in camp that Detroit had a difficult decision to make at place kicker. In the end, Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes decided the leg strength was too unique to give up on, but pleaded for patience from the young kicker. But through five games, he’s been perfect, and even added a touchdown-saving tackle on a big return late in the second half against Dallas. Surely there will be challenges along the way, but so far, so very good from the young rookie.
**** Jake Bates also made a 48 Yard PAT following Amon Ra-St. Brown's Unsportsman Penalty, after the Lions TD by # 14 that made the score 46-9.
-- Backup quarterback Hendon Hooker made his NFL debut in the fourth quarter. He played the final two series, although mostly handed off the ball in the blowout win. He attempted two passes, and registered his first NFL completion on a 19-yard pass to Kalif Raymond.
**** It was good that Hendon Hooker got some snaps in a situation in which the Lions had the game wrapped up for all practice purposes. ****
-- In addition to the Hutchinson injury, the Lions also lost starting cornerback Carlton Davis (brain) and reserve defensive tackle Kyle Peko (pectoral). Neither player returned.
**** Kyle Peko was having his best game for the Lions (though it was early in the game) when he went down. I wouldn't be surprised at all if his season is over because of the pectoral injury. The injury was noticeable on TV. ****
........
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Cowboys preview: Game # 5 ( 2024 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2276/lions-cowboys-preview-game-2024