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That's awesome!!!
GO LIONS "24" !! -
Required for everyone in the linebacker room when the players return.You do not have permission to view this gallery.
This gallery has 1 photos.Evil Parallel Universe Lions fans: You will believe in NOW! Comply or suffer the consequences.
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Tough break.for Rodriguez, he looked like he was taking a next step. Kwon Alexander is a great pickup this late in the year.Comment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Pride of Detroit Direct
by Jeremy Reisman
Can the Lions survive their defensive injuries?
Things are about to get a little dark in this newsletter, so let’s start with a little light. The Detroit Lions are 11-1 for the first time in franchise history. Take a moment to breathe that in. You are witnessing greatness on a level that has never existed for this franchise. No matter what happens in the next two months, you got to live through that. That’s pretty rad, if you ask me.
Of course, the next two months are on everyone’s mind after another injury-riddled game and a narrow escape from the scrappy-yet-hapless Chicago Bears. So let’s walk down that mysterious path in this week’s POD Direct newsletter.
As a reminder before this week’s newsletter that we’re holding our first ever live-recording of the PODcast at the Magic Stick in downtown Detroit. It’s less than two weeks away, and TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! Space is limited, so don’t wait!
Can the Lions keep their head above water long enough for defensive reinforcements to arrive?
After the game on Thursday, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell gave a great answer regarding whether he feels snakebitten by all the defensive injuries.
“Let me ask you this, does it really matter? Like who cares?” Campbell said. “You know, and that’s the thing, that’s what I go back to. It doesn’t matter. Either it is or it isn’t, and we get a guy back, or we don’t get a guy back. Worrying about it, and moaning about it, and bitching about it—It’s like (penalty) calls, right? It’s like the call. It’s like (the Kindle) Vildor (pass interference penalty). I could sit there and throw a fit about it. What does it matter? It’s called, it’s done.”
That’s the right attitude to have as a head coach. There’s no point in bellyaching about the situation he’s in. His focus needs to be on how they will adjust with the players they do have available to them.
But we, as fans and analysts, can worry, sweat, and bellyache all we want. As Lions fans, that’s what we are conditioned to do. And while I’d love to be able to sit in front of this computer and type words that will comfort you in Detroit wading through these tough waters, the fact is I’m pretty concerned about where this defensive roster is currently at. And look at this. How could this not be concerning?
Starters:
EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (IR, likely out for season)
EDGE Marcus Davenport (IR, out for season)
DT Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring injury vs. Bears, did not return)
LB Alex Anzalone (IR, out until playoffs)
LB Derrick Barnes (IR, out for season)
CB Carlton Davis (knee injury, missed Bears game)
Reserves who would be starting:
EDGE Josh Paschal (knee injury vs. Bears, did not return)
EDGE John Cominsky (IR, could return for playoffs)
LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (IR, return unknown)
LB Malcolm Rodriguez (torn ACL, out for season)
CB Ennis Rakestraw (IR, return unknown)
CB Emmanuel Moseley (unknown injury, missed Bears game)
Other reserves who would likely have a role:
EDGE Nate Lynn (IR, out for year)
DT Kyle Peko (IR, out for year)
DT David Bada (IR, out for year)
S Ifeatu Melifonwu (IR, return unknown)
The question isn’t will this impact this Lions’ shot at a Super Bowl. It’s how much will this impact their Super Bowl run?
Let’s start with the good news, which I think is two-fold. For one: the Lions still have several defensive playmakers available, including what is currently expected to be their entire starting secondary. With DJ Reader, Alim McNeill, Za’Darius Smith, Jack Campbell, Carlton Davis, Brian Branch, and Kerby Joseph, that’s seven high-quality starters out of 11. That’s not nearly as bad as I feel some are making it out to be.
Secondly, the Lions just need to weather the storm of the next month. Some reinforcements could be waiting for them in the playoffs, including Alex Anzalone, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, possibly John Cominsky–and it doesn’t seem like at this point Detroit is worried about Levi Onwuzurike or Josh Paschal missing time beyond that. If the Lions don’t add any other significant injuries between now and the playoffs, the starting lineup could look something like this:
EDGE Za’Darius Smith
DT Alim McNeill
DT DJ Reader
DT Levi Onwuzurike
EDGE Josh Paschal
LB Jack Campbell
LB Alex Anzalone
LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
CB Carlton Davis
CB Terrion Arnold
NCB Amik Robertson
S Brian Branch
S Kerby Joseph
(Yes, I know that’s more than 11 players. I’m covering for all personnel)
That doesn’t look all that bad, right? They’ve dealt with far worse lineups than that this season and have still produced a top-five defense all season.
The bad news
Well, for one, the playoff lineup I listed up there? It assumes there are no more injuries to come, and I don’t think anyone is naive enough to believe Detroit will just be healthy the rest of the way. Teams generally get less healthy as the year goes on and the body starts to wear down. It’s possible the Lions finish these final five games relatively unscathed–look at the offense, after all–but that just doesn’t seem likely.
Additionally, the Lions are going to have a tough final month of the season. There are no real breaks in the remaining games: vs. 9-3 Packers, vs. 9-2 Bills, at 4-8 Bears, at 5-6 49ers, vs. 9-2 Vikings. That’s three of the best teams in football and road games against a feisty Bears team and a desperate 49ers team. That’s not a particularly good stretch to be shorthanded on defense. The news is even worse when you look at how good the opposing offenses are:
Packers: 3rd in DVOA, 8th in points scored
Bills: 4th in DVOA, 3rd in points scored
Bears: 26th in DVOA, 23rd in points scored
49ers: 8th in DVOA, 13th in points scored
Vikings: 15th in DVOA, 9th in points scored
That’s arguably four top-10 offenses down the stretch, with the Lions playing guys like Mekhi Wingo, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Ezekiel Turner, and David Long in prominent roles. That’s a tough ask for defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
And, unfortunately, the rest of the top NFC teams keep winning. I hate to say it, but it’s quite possible the Lions lose their grip on the top NFC seed, and they could very easily lose the lead in the NFC North with the way the Packers and Vikings are playing. A loss to the Packers next week changes the entire dynamic of the division.
But here’s where I’ll end with something positive, and it stems from Campbell’s press conference last night. I thought this was particularly insightful from the Lions coach.
“If we’ve got to do something different–we’ve got defensive injuries that make us do something different offensively and special teams–we’ll do that,” Campbell said.
Campbell is basically outright saying that they may have to compensate for their defense with strong offense and special teams play. Well, I’ve got some great news: the Lions are top of the class when it comes to both of those units. And as long as Ben Johnson can keep the offense humming–and I’m certain that he can–the Lions are going to be in every game they play from here on out.
Lions escape thanksgiving with ugly win
By Brett Whitefield, owner and COO of Fantasy Points
*Before we dive in, remember that all data cited in this section is provided exclusively by Fantasy Points Data Suite - right now all data in the Data Suite is FREE for the week.
The Detroit Lions improve to 11-1 on the season, the first time in franchise history they have carried an 11-1 record. It was also Dan Campbell’s first Thanksgiving Day win as coach of the Lions.
Overall the game wasn’t pretty and the team narrowly escaped from a complete meltdown. Silver lining here - between blowing a sizable lead, squandering huge opportunities to pile on, and overcoming a legit MASH unit of injuries, the Lions showed yet again that this team has an insane amount of resilience and perhaps, destiny.
One of the lone bright spots for the Lions against the Bears was their run game, which once again dominated and set the tone. The Lions leaned on that run game early, which allowed them to control the line of scrimmage and build an early lead. And when I say “control the line of scrimmage” I am not kidding as the Lions OL generated 3.21 yards before contact per carry yesterday, an other-worldly number. Basically on average, the OL was creating successful runs almost by themselves.
Ben Johnson correctly identified the Bears run defense as the exploitable matchup of the day and specifically attacked them with a heavy zone approach - the Bears have allowed 4.8 yards per carry on zone run concepts this season and have been brutal of late.
Chicago run defense the previous 5 weeks:
-Allowed 149+ yards rushing in every game.
-Ranked 31st in adjusted yards before contact allowed per attempt (2.87).
-Ranked 31st in success rate allowed (54.2%).
-Ranked 31st in runs allowed yielding a positive EPA.
-Ranked 28th in raw yards per carry allowed (4.93).
-Ranked 28th in explosive run rate (6.5%).
-Ranked 30th in stuff rate (36.4%).
As you can see, the past 5 weeks the Bears have been a bottom 5 run defense in almost every advanced metric available. They also do the two big no-no’s as a defense. They don’t force a high percentage of negative plays to get teams behind the chains and they allow a ton of explosives on the ground. That is a deadly, near fatal combo.
The Lions took advantage and we also saw them lean into a tendency breaker, running out of 11 personnel significantly more than normal, usually they straddle around a 50/50 line between 11p and 12p runs while mixing in some 13p, while yesterday they were around a 65/32/3 split. I think this created a “fastball” (11p) vs “changeup” (12p) type situation where the changeup was their strikeout pitch, generating nearly 8 yards a carry on such runs.
Notable rush offense data points on the day:
-7 runs of 10+ yards and 3 runs of 15+.
-7.37 yards per carry on zone concepts
-5.88 yards per carry
-Success rate of 63.2% when running
-Only 11 2nd half rush attempts
That last line is the confusing part as it seems like they would have stuck with the thing that was working in the 2nd half to help extend some drives and keep the defense off the field. This was just one of those games though.
VIDEO: Lions vs. Bears recap with Jeremy and Erik
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Lions sign LB Kwon Alexander after Malcolm Rodriguez tears ACL: Sources
Paywall article from The Athletic.
By The Athletic NFL Staff
4h ago
By Jeff Howe, Colton Pouncy and Chris Licata
The Detroit Lions signed linebacker Kwon Alexander off the Denver Broncos’ practice squad, a league source confirmed Friday, in response to mounting injuries on defense.
On Thursday, third-year linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez tore his ACL during the fourth quarter of Detroit’s 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears, a league source said. He will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.
The Lions entered Week 1 with seven linebackers on the roster, which felt high at the time. The room was praised for its depth and versatility. It was viewed as one of the strongest positions on the team. That’s not the case anymore. Rodriguez will be the fourth of those linebackers to be placed on injured reserve — once he officially lands there. He’ll join Derrick Barnes (knee), Jalen Reeves-Maybin (neck) and Alex Anzalone (forearm), all of whom have or will miss significant time with injuries.
Rodriguez was filling in for the injured Anzalone, placed on injured reserve after the Jaguars game, and was a trusted, dependable player for this defense. Anzalone is expected back in late December or early January, but the Lions will be thin until then. Jack Campbell is the only linebacker left standing among Detroit’s top five at the position.
Expect the Lions to lean on Ben Niemann, David Long Jr., Ezekiel Turner and now, Alexander.
The Lions moved quickly to add Alexander to the mix, with Campbell hinting that Rodriguez’s injury was serious after Thursday’s win over the Bears. Alexander, 30, played in three games for Denver this season, including two starts in Weeks 7 and 9. A former Pro Bowler in 2017, the 10th-year veteran has racked up 639 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and nine interceptions across 107 career games (90 starts).
Alexander now joins his seventh NFL team, one that is trying to pick up the pieces after its defense was shattered by injuries.
More than just the linebacker room, the entire Lions defense has been hit hard. Marcus Davenport and Aidan Hutchinson are done for the regular season. Starting corners Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis have each sat out with injuries. Reserve corners Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Emmanuel Moseley have spent time on IR. Reserve defensive linemen like John Cominsky and Kyle Peko are currently shelved. Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) left Thursday’s game and did not return.
It’s been one thing after another. The Lions won 10 games in a row and are 11-1 for the first time in franchise history, but this isn’t the same team it was even a month ago. They might need to grind out victories, like the one on Thanksgiving.
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Lot's of company in the infirmary. They should all be able to rehab together. How nice.GO LIONS "24" !!Comment
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Rodrigo must faking that ACL tear. The NFL is a tough league, injuries happen.Comment
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Not sure I'm following that Loops but I know injuries happen and It's to be expected. I know players don't "fake" injury if that's what you are suggesting. I just feel the Lions have had more than their fair share. Am I wrong for feeling that??? Have they had less than their fair share so far??? Are they equal with all the other teams?GO LIONS "24" !!Comment
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So they've had some injuries. What good does complaining and getting pissed off about it do?Originally posted by DanO View Post
Even with the injuries this defense is better than the defense that got them to the NFC Championship game last year.I feel like I am watching the destruction of our democracy while my neighbors and friends cheer it onComment
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Nothing. Maybe you can send me the manual for being a proper fan. Thanks in advance.Originally posted by CGVT View PostGO LIONS "24" !!Comment
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Why are you so bitter, DanO?I feel like I am watching the destruction of our democracy while my neighbors and friends cheer it onComment
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Actually it does do something. It makes me feel better. As to why I'm "so bitter" it's a lifetime of losing Lions teams being shitty and getting fucked by the refs. I thought that was apparent for most of us. They actually have a very very realistic chance at the SB and I'm not liking the odds with all the injuries.
GO LIONS "24" !!Comment
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The Detroit Lions have lost another player to season ending IR, in this case, Mekhi Wingo:
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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