Lions News

[edindetroit]

SOL would have taken a sack losing 8 yards.

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[CGVT]

Great job posting these, Ken. They are fun to watch.

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I could watch this all night.

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Great job posting these, Ken. They are fun to watch.

Eventually I'll post the game articles, but I'm enjoying the Tweets more.

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Lions topple Chargers on Riley Patterson’s walk-off FG: Detroit keeping pace in improving NFC


By Colton Pouncy and Daniel Popper
3h ago



The Detroit Lions defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 41-38 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium after kicker Riley Patterson scored a 41-yard field goal as time expired. Here’s what you need to know:

* The Chargers tied the score twice in the fourth quarter. Keenan Allen’s touchdown — his second of the game — with 3:34 remaining tied it at 38-38, but the Lions put Patterson within range for the game-winning FG.

* The teams combined for 954 total yards (656 passing yards).
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff was 23-of-33 passing for 333 yards and two touchdowns, while Los Angeles QB Justin Herbert completed 27 of

* 40 passes for 323 yards and four TDs with one interception.


How Detroit pulled it off

In a game where defense was very-much optional, the Lions escaped with a win over the Chargers. With the way this one was going — with the offenses trading blows like a heavyweight fight — it felt like the team with the ball last was going to walk away with the win. That was the Lions. In a 38-38 game with less than three minutes to go, the Lions marched down the field, picked up a crucial first down on a gutsy fourth-and-2 call, ran the clock down to two seconds and were able to set up Patterson’s game-winning field goal. He was money, and connected to propel the Lions to victory. — Colton Pouncy, Lions staff writer


Looking ahead in the NFC race

The Lions got a much-needed victory over a talented Chargers team on the road on a day when the Minnesota Vikings applied pressure to keep the NFC North within striking range and the San Francisco 49ers looked to close the gap in the race for the NFC’s No. 2 seed. They’ll need to address a defense that allowed 421 yards and 38 points, because that effort will not be good enough on most Sundays. The lack of pass rush and the soft coverage cost you a win most days, but for now, you take it and regroup. The offense proved capable of guiding them to victory, coming through in every moment. — Pouncy


Defensive struggles lead to Los Angeles’ downfall

The Chargers believed they had turned a corner defensively with back-to-back winning performances against the New York Jets and Chicago Bears. Sunday’s loss to the Lions revealed the truth: They are the same bad defense from earlier in the year — and from throughout Brandon Staley’s tenure as head coach and playcaller. The Chargers gave up 500 yards of offense for the second time this season and over 475 yards for the fourth time. The Lions moved the ball at will, running it and throwing it, right up until the final possession when Kalif Raymond ran free for a decisive 41-yard completion. The Chargers faced a good offense, and they were exposed. — Daniel Popper, Chargers staff writer


Herbert a highlight in Chargers’ loss

The defense spoiled an excellent Herbert performance. Herbert was lights out after an early interception, keeping the Chargers in this shootout with four touchdown passes. Two of those went to Allen, who led the Chargers with 175 yards receiving. But this was a familiar story for the Chargers: Herbert playing hero, and the defense giving him absolutely nothing. — Popper


Highlight of the game

Key stats

Five teams, including the Lions, converted a game-winning FG with no time remaining in Week 10. It was the most game-winning scores with no time left in regulation in a single week in NFL history.

Sunday marked Herbert’s second career game with 300-plus passing yards and at least four touchdown passes and his first since Week 5 of 2021 against the Browns. Herbert, who has 16,438 passing yards since entering the NFL in 2020, surpassed Peyton Manning (16,418 passing yards) for the most passing yards by a player in his first four seasons in the NFL.

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[-Deborah-]

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Lions report card: Offense aces post-bye test, while defense leaves lingering questions



Justin Rogers
The Detroit News



Inglewood, Calif. — Justin Rogers grades the Detroit Lions' performance in their 41-38 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.


Quarterbacks

Jared Goff might have lacked pinpoint accuracy throughout the game, but he delivered when it mattered. His floating, fourth-quarter touchdown to Brock Wright over the entirety of the Chargers defense was a thing of beauty, and Goff's poise to locate Sam LaPorta on a late fourth-down snap saved the game for the Lions. Also, avoiding a costly turnover can't be oversold. Grade: A


Running backs

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery showcased what a formidable tandem they can be, combining for 193 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, with each delivering a gain of 35 yards or more in the victory.

Gibbs added another 35 yards on three catches, but he did have a costly drop early in the third quarter that kept the team out of field goal range. If it had mattered to the outcome, maybe we dock the duo a half grade. Grade: A


Wide receivers/tight ends

Amon-Ra St. Brown delivered the best performance of his career, racking up 156 yards and a second-half touchdown. But even though he easily paced the group, multiple pass catchers contributed to the victory. Three of LaPorta's four grabs came in the fourth quarter, and his fourth-down conversion was set up by a 41-yard catch-and-run by Kalif Raymond to kick-start the drive.

Jameson Williams only finished with two catches after an early touchdown was wiped out by a penalty, but we'd be remiss if we didn't mention his key downfield block that sprung Montgomery on his 75-yard touchdown. Grade: A



Offensive line

The Chargers have one of the best pass-rushing fronts in football, but Detroit's blockers held them without a sack and to just two quarterback hits. On top of that, Detroit's running backs averaged over 7 yards per carry. That's a stellar outing for a group finally at full strength.

The only knock was some red-zone lapses, which included a drive-killing penalty by Taylor Decker on an early series and some subpar blocking on another that ended in a turnover on downs. Grade: A-


Defensive line

Things started out well enough for the unit, with a couple pressures on third downs that forced errant throws that killed drives, but that pressure evaporated as the Chargers put together five straight touchdown drives to end the game.

The run defense continues to be solid, holding the Chargers under 100 total yards, but the ongoing inconsistency affecting the pocket remains an issue. Grade: D+


Linebackers

Alex Anzalone continued his strong season with a team-high nine tackles and a pair of quarterback hits, one of which contributed to an interception. But there were also some missed tackle issues, including one on third down that allowed the Chargers to extend a drive. Grade: C-


Secondary

There were times early in the game where the coverage was good, particularly on those aforementioned third-down plays where the defensive line generated pressure. That started with taking away quarterback Justin Herbert's first reads. And Kerby Joseph's interception, his second in as many games, was spectacular as he managed to get both feet in bounds on the diving grab near the sideline.

But the back end melted down from the midway point of the second quarter until the final whistle, giving up repeated third- and fourth-down conversions, long gains and touchdowns, while missing multiple tackles. And when it was clear the officials were calling things tight, the corners struggled to adjust, drawing multiple pass interference penalties. Grade: D


Special teams

Jack Fox punted once, pinning the Chargers deep in their own territory. Raymond only had the chance to return one punt, but he made a man miss to gain a respectable 12 yards. And Riley Patterson attempted just two field goals, but the second, from 41 yards out, was a game-winner as time expired. The opportunities weren't in abundance, but when they were there, the Lions executed. Grade: A-


Coaching

The offense, with a healthy arsenal, was dynamic, with coordinator Ben Johnson pushing the right buttons much of the afternoon. Defensively, the Lions started hot but struggled to adjust to the Chargers' adjustments. The struggles will only keep people wondering whether the team can hang when matched up against an elite quarterback.

The best part of Detroit's coaching performance was Dan Campbell's aggression. That was highlighted by the fourth-and-2 call in the closing minutes, but he made the choice to go for it on fourth down five times on Sunday, resulting in four conversions. He's always been aggressive, but he took it to another level when the situation called for it and it paid off in winning execution. Grade: B



jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

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Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown has career day in homecoming vs. Chargers



Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News




Inglewood, Calif. — If there’s a more reliable player in the NFL than Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell would like to meet them.

In his return to California, where the third-year Lions receiver was born and raised, St. Brown on Sunday set a career-high in yardage (156) with a touchdown on eight catches in his homecoming in a 41-38 win over the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.



“He is the most steady, reliable guy that you can find in this league. I mean, I’d love to know somebody that is more reliable than him, because I don’t know if there is (anybody).”

Campbell said St. Brown does “what he’s supposed to do times 10” and “the bigger the moment, the bigger he shows up.”


In terms of productivity, it’s becoming more undeniable by the week that St. Brown deserves to have his name mentioned with all of the NFL’s elite receivers.

Sunday marked St. Brown’s fourth straight game with more than 100 yards receiving (just the second Lions player to do so and the first since Calvin Johnson in 2012). He’s crossed the 100-yard milestone in six of seven games played this season and is now tied with A.J. Brown (Philadelphia Eagles) for the most games with 100-plus yards this season.


“For me, it’s just, keep doing what I do. At receiver, it’s kind of different than a lot of postions in football. Some games, you might get 13 targets. Some games, you might get six,” St. Brown said. “… But for me, I just like to make the most of all my opportunities.”

With 65 catches, St. Brown is 10th in the NFL in receptions despite already having his bye week and missing a game with injury.


Lions quarterback Jared Goff said he feels “as good with (St. Brown) as I’ve ever felt with anybody.”

“He’s a stud. He gets himself open, he’s got great hands. I could go down the list of all the things we already know about him, but I think, ultimately, I trust him and it’s a credit to the way he practices and the way he goes about his business.”


Of St. Brown’s 12 most productive games, seven of them have come this season. His previous single-game receiving high was set in the team’s Week 6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he had 12 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.

The last time St. Brown, an Anaheim native, played in Detroit, it was a much different result. In St. Brown’s rookie season — also the first with Campbell at the helm — St. Brown failed to catch a pass for first and only time in his career as the Lions fell to their old quarterback, Matthew Stafford, 28-19.


One would assume Sunday’s win over the Chargers was a more memorable game for St. Brown, but knowing him, that no-catch game against the Rams will likely be forged into his brain for the rest of his career.

“Last time I was back home, it didn’t turn out how we wanted,” St. Brown said. “To be back home…win the game, everything just felt right.”



nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi