Lions News

[whatever_gong82]

Jared Goff’s winning touch keeps surprising 7-2 Lions rolling at expense of Chargers

Jared Goff's passing vs. LA Chargers_11-12-2023.jpg


BY SAM FARMER
STAFF WRITER

NOV. 13, 2023 4:15 AM PT



Jared Goff did a lot Sunday, but something glaring was missing from his game.

He didn’t get hit.



That’s right, unscathed. The Detroit Lions quarterback slipped out of SoFi Stadium after a 41-38 victory over the Chargers pretty much as fresh as he entered it.

“It’s happened a handful of times because of the tackles and interior we’ve got, but it’s very rare against a good D-line,” said Goff, who repeatedly eluded the grasp of Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and the rest. According to the stat line he was hit twice, although he does not recall any contact. “Yeah, I maybe fell to the ground once or twice — probably my own fault — but I don’t think I got hit once.”



For the Chargers, the hits keep coming. This marked the 13th loss by a field goal or less since the franchise drafted quarterback Justin Herbert in 2020, which ESPN Stats & Info notes is the most such losses in the NFL during that span.

The Lions are headed in the opposite direction. They’re 7-2 for the first time since 2014, firmly atop the NFC North, and are seeing even blown plays break their way.



For instance, they were supposed to have a different personnel package on the field with three minutes left in the second half. Recognizing that, Goff shrewdly checked out of a pass and instead handed the ball to David Montgomery, who darted up the middle, juked to his left and glided down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown.



“It just shows you the ability we have as an offense,” Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “I mean, we can explode at any point.”

St. Brown is a big part of that. The former USC standout had 156 yards receiving Sunday, the fourth consecutive game he has recorded triple digits in that department. The last Lions receiver to do that? Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson in 2012.



The Lions, two years removed from a three-win season, are suddenly one of the best teams in the NFL, and one of the league’s hottest tickets. SoFi was filled to the brim Sunday with Detroit fans. One family came from Toledo, Ohio, about an hour from the Motor City, and said it was easier to make the trip to Los Angeles than trying to wrangle tickets to a Lions home game.

Goff, who began his NFL career in L.A., said Detroit home games are every bit as loud as that NFC championship game the Rams won at New Orleans.

Riley Patterson kicking game-winning FG_11-12-2023.jpg

“They were still cheering us on as we were walking off the field,” the quarterback said of the fans Sunday. “I’ve never played for a crowd like this. They travel, and they’re great at home obviously, but I’ve never experienced that.”



Both teams provided enough offensive highlights for a season’s worth of footage — much of them coming on fourth down.

The Chargers recorded three fourth-down plays — a fourth was wiped out by a penalty — and all three went for touchdowns.



The Lions converted four of five fourth downs, the most memorable of those coming on fourth and two with 1 minute, 40 seconds remaining.

The score was tied at 38 and the Lions were at the Chargers’ 26, well within field-goal range. But instead of kicking, the Lions went for it and picked up six yards on a pass from Goff to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta.


“I wanted to finish with the ball in our hands,” Lions coach Dan Campbell explained. “I liked where we were at offensively. We were playing good. Goff was in a good spot and I felt like it was the right thing to do.”

Goff was as cool as the evening air, cycling through his progression 1-2-3, before returning to LaPorta, his second option on the play.



The Chargers didn’t have any timeouts left, so the visitors were able to run out the clock with three kneel-downs, then finish the game with a 41-yard kick.

“To each his own,” Campbell said about the decision to go for the first down. “Some say it’s a boneheaded move, some say it’s not. I made the decision and I stick by that decision.”


Certainly, no one will question it now.

In normal circumstances, Campbell wouldn’t look at game video on the flight home. He wants emotions to subside before he starts grading the performances of players.



But as he prepared for the flight back Sunday night, he intended to take a peek.

Then again …



“I’ll just melt in my seat probably a little bit,” he said.

With another big win in the books, the Lions have earned that.


Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his “long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football,” Sam Farmer has covered the NFL for 25 seasons. A graduate of Occidental College, he’s a two-time winner of California Sportswriter of the Year and first place for beat writing by Associated Press Sports Editors.

[jaadam4]

Lomas looks like he’s in great shape.

[whatever_gong82]

Lions ruined Chargers’ plans to bust out some wild turnover celebrations


Khalil Mack stops David Montgomery_11-12-2023.jpg

BY JEFF MILLER
STAFF WRITER

NOV. 13, 2023 4:30 AM PT



On top of everything else for the Chargers, Sunday was a slow day for the celebration committee.

After back-to-back games filled with dances and demonstrations, the Chargers defenders had their revelry silenced in their 41-38 last-play loss to Detroit at SoFi Stadium.


“A lack of energy,” safety Derwin James Jr. said. “We didn’t get no celebrations off no plays, no turnovers.”



At the urging of defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley, the Chargers had playfully and wildly partied on the field after each of their five takeaways against the Chicago Bears and New York Jets.

Ansley even formed a 10-player committee and directed them to choreograph the group’s moves in advance of each game.



But the Chargers failed to generate a takeaway against the Lions, Justin Herbert’s first-quarter interception the game’s only turnover.

Instead, the defense was routinely thrashed, James blaming a lack of “want to,” prompting a follow-up question about the Chargers’ defensive effort.


“I don’t want to blame it on nothing,” James said. “We didn’t come and play. We didn’t get it done today. We didn’t play right on defense.”



There also was this: On an afternoon when there were a combined 73 pass attempts, neither quarterback was sacked. The Chargers entered Sunday with 31 sacks, tied for the second most in the NFL.

“The way that they play, the ball is out [fast],” coach Brandon Staley said. “They throw a lot of screens, a lot of keepers, where it’s well-protected. We couldn’t get it into a third-down-and-long type of football game. ... They blocked us, they beat us today.”


Putting the ‘Oh!’ in offense

Justin Herbert throws against Aidan Hutchinson_11-12-2023.jpg


The Chargers scored touchdowns on all three of their red-zone trips. They were three for three on fourth down, scoring a touchdown each time. They had four consecutive drives that lasted at least 10 plays.

Herbert threw a hurried interception and missed tight end Gerald Everett once but matched his career high with four touchdown passes.


“It was a good enough offensive performance for us to win today, and Justin was at the front of it,” Staley said. “I thought that Keenan [Allen] was fantastic.”



Allen finished with 175 receiving yards, the third-best single-game total of his career. He also matched his career best with two touchdown catches.

The Chargers’ 38 points were their most in nearly two years.



Hurting and also hurt

Keenan Allen vs. Detroit Lions_B_11-12-2023.jpg

The Chargers weren’t just beaten Sunday, they also departed SoFi Stadium beaten up.


* Allen left the game for a time in the second half because of a shoulder injury before returning.

* Everett suffered a back injury that ended his day early.

* Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. also came back after sitting out because of a hurt shoulder.

* Cornerback Michael Davis was unable to stay on the field after trying to play through an illness.

* Edge rusher Chris Rumph II left the locker room on crutches because of a foot injury that happened during pregame warmups.




Motion sickness

Jahmyr Gibbs vs. Khalil Mack_11-12-2023.jpg

Several Chargers defenders credited the Lions for their scheme and their overall talent after Detroit rushed for 200 yards in 31 carries.

Most of that damage — 177 yards — came in the first half but the effects lingered. Murray said motion “was a weapon for them,” noting that the various shifting by the Lions “just got us out of our fits.”

“We gotta be accountable for that,” Murray said, “and play better next week.”

Staley also praised Detroit but said the Chargers just weren’t good enough. Entering Week 10, Staley’s defense was tied for sixth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game.

“We didn’t set enough edges,” Staley said. “We gave up some cutback runs where we lost leverage on the football. Then, there were missed tackles.”



Tumbling back to earth

LA Chargers after game vs. Detroit Lions_11-12-2023.jpg

The progress the Chargers seemed to make on defense over the two weeks entering this game disappeared quickly as Detroit scored on four of its five first-half possessions.



The one time the Lions didn’t score, they ran 12 plays to advance to the Chargers’ one-yard before turning the ball over on downs.

As good as their offense can play, the reality remains that the Chargers will go only as far as their defense will permit.



“You can never look at games like this as a step back,” safety Alohi Gilman said. “It’s always a step forward. It’s all learning. It’s all growth. It’s part of the process of playing in the NFL, playing sports in general.

“If you’re playing to win, you can always be left short. If you’re playing not to lose, you’re playing out of fear. We’re playing to get better. We’re playing to dominate. We’re playing to live up to the expectations we set for ourselves.”



In his own words


“If we don’t get better from this, then that’s our fault and that’s when you truly fail. As long as we learn from this experience. I think we’ll be all right.” — Murray on the Chargers moving forward from another tough defeat.


Jeff Miller is the Chargers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times. He previously spent 20 years as a sports columnist for the Orange County Register and, before that, the Miami Herald. He also served as the Angels beat writer for The Times and the Register. His other stops include the Palm Beach Post and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

[whatever_gong82]

Wojo: Go ahead and say it — Lions’ possibilities now almost limitless



Bob Wojnowski
The Detroit News



If you didn’t know it before, you surely know it now. The limits on the Lions’ ambitions this season have been lifted, no cap required.

More than any game they’ve played, their 41-38 victory over the Chargers in Los Angeles illustrated their evolving identity, and how potent it can be. The offense is whole again, which opens up all possibilities. The defense still has holes, which means they’ll need all that offense, and more.


After the Lions piled up a staggering 533 total yards Sunday — 333 passing, 200 rushing — Dan Campbell summed it up, bluntly but not boastfully.



“This is part of the vision coming alive now,” Campbell said, talking about the battering backfield of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. He might as well have been talking about the season and this Lions regime, which is built on power and thrives on aggressiveness.

The vision is becoming sharp enough to see almost anything. At 7-2, the Lions are atop the NFC North, although the venerable Vikings aren’t abdicating quietly. Minnesota is 6-4 after its fifth straight victory, and with vagabond quarterback Joshua Dobbs playing well and star receiver Justin Jefferson back soon from a hamstring injury, it might get tight.


Dan Campbell and 4th Down risks.jpg

That said, the Lions should win the division, based on their schedule and their firepower. But they don’t want to hit late December with the race in doubt, considering they play the Vikings in two of the final three games. Hmm, maybe the schedule-makers saw this coming? Most people certainly saw the Lions’ offensive firepower coming.



Jared Goff continues to be subtly superb. He was 23-for-33 against the Chargers with no interceptions, no sacks and a QB rating of 122.4 (he's now fourth in the league with a 99 rating). Since the middle of last season, the Lions are 15-4 and Goff’s numbers are terrific in that stretch, including 31 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

He could get even better, now that the Lions have their offensive line intact, with center Frank Ragnow and guard Jonah Jackson back from injury. Montgomery’s return was eye-popping, rushing for 116 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. The rookie Gibbs added 77 yards rushing and 35 receiving, and that one-two hammer is the centerpiece of the vision crafted by Campbell and GM Brad Holmes.



Right now, they’re the No. 2 seed in the NFC, behind only the 8-1 Eagles. The Lions would get a home playoff game by winning the division, but they’d also get a bye if they grab the No. 1 seed. And that’s not outlandish, with a less-daunting slate than other contenders.


▶ Lions’ remaining schedule: Bears (2-8), Packers (3-6), at Saints (5-5), at Bears, Broncos (3-5), at Vikings (6-4), at Cowboys (6-3), Vikings at home Jan. 7.


▶ Eagles’ schedule: at Chiefs (7-2), Bills (5-4), 49ers (6-3), at Cowboys (6-3), at Seahawks (6-3), Giants (2-8), Cardinals (2-8), at Giants.


▶ Vikings’ schedule: at Broncos (3-5), Bears (2-8), at Raiders (5-5), at Bengals (5-4), Lions (7-2), Packers (3-6), Lions.



The Lions’ vision is larger than just the division, but can you see a Super Bowl appearance? Jim Nantz and Tony Romo can, and talked about the possibility at the end of the CBS broadcast on Sunday. I don’t expect it this season, with the Eagles, Cowboys and 49ers in the way, but it’s not outrageous to suggest.



Campbell and Goff are determined to narrow the focus, and the rest of the team follows.

“We're having fun; we're playing well,” Goff said. “We're winning in a variety of ways. I wish I could be so excited, but we have so much football ahead of us.”



Goff rarely strays from the narrative. It’s the secret sauce to his leadership, which has grown impressively since he arrived from L.A. three years ago as a veritable football orphan.

It took a little while, but people are seeing what Holmes always saw in Goff. And they’re seeing what the Lions' hierarchy saw in Campbell, who’s nothing like the cheap stereotype of a meathead who just goes for it every fourth down. People griped when it didn’t work — and a less-secure coach would’ve altered his approach. But, the strategy is well-reasoned and mostly based on analytics, which support the calls a vast majority of the time.



Campbell's gambles


We call them Campbell’s gambles, but that’s not really accurate. Fans’ squealing about the fourth-down fortitude finally has abated, as more and more teams do it. The Lions are second in the league with 12 conversions in 22 attempts (54.5%). The two teams closest to them in the standings are closest in the “gambles.” The Eagles are No. 1 with 13-of-17 (76.5%), thanks to all their tush-pushing. The Vikings are third with 11 conversions, although at a 73.3% rate.

The Lions were 4-for-5 on fourth downs against L.A., and each was critical. Justin Herbert threw for 323 yards and the Chargers were 3-for-3 on their own fourth-down attempts. They scored touchdowns on their final five drives, but never got the ball back because Campbell went for it on fourth-and-2 from L.A.’s 26 with 1:47 left. Goff hit Sam LaPorta for a 6-yard gain and the Lions killed the clock, winning on Riley Patterson’s 41-yard kick.



It was a palpitating game, and the Lions’ defense remains prone to complete breakdowns. The offense can compensate for some defensive issues, but the pass-rush inconsistencies are problematic. The Lions are in the bottom third of the league in sacks, and Herbert threw 40 times and wasn’t sacked once. Aidan Hutchinson regularly hurries quarterbacks and has 4.5 sacks, but none in the past four games.

Yes, you wish the Lions had grabbed a pass rusher at the trade deadline. That looks like an unfortunate blind spot by Holmes, although I respect the plan. The Lions aren’t ready to sacrifice future assets for immediate help that comes with a long-term burden. For instance, the Bears surrendered a second-round pick for Montez Sweat, then signed him to a $98-million deal.



For now, you just ride it. Campbell is a fourth-down kind of coach and the Lions are a fourth-down kind of team, squeezing as much as possible out of every possession and every position. They’re constructed that way on purpose, the type of way that can play deep into January.

If you have one of the best run-blocking lines in the league, you use it. If you have one of the most accurate quarterbacks, you trust him. If you’re adamant about running the ball, you don’t hesitate to draft Gibbs in the first round and sign Montgomery. The running game elevates the play-action, and they have a clutch star in receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had eight catches for 156 yards Sunday.



And if you have a creative, shrewd offensive coordinator in Ben Johnson, you let him operate freely. The Lions’ four fourth-down conversions against the Chargers were achieved by any means necessary: Montgomery 6-yard run, St. Brown 3-yard end-around, Gibbs 1-yard run, LaPorta 6-yard catch.

The Lions can attack in many ways from many directions, second in the NFL in total offense behind Miami. If they stay healthy and whole and keep pushing the limits, they can overcome their defensive shortcomings. They can’t count on winning every shootout and converting every fourth down, but they’ll try until someone stops them.



Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com

@bobwojnowski

[wcfwtf]

I only see Lions making Super Bowl is if they get 1 seed. Defense is still too shaky

[El Axe]

I only see Lions making Super Bowl is if they get 1 seed. Defense is still too shaky

1 seed not only gets home field and a bye, but gets to play the winner of the 2 & 3 seeds (Eagles and 49ers) after they beat each other up.

Whichever team gets that top seed in the NFC is really sitting pretty this season.

Best case scenario is the Lions get that 1st seed and the 49ers beat the Eagles. 49ers really can't stop the run and Purdy isn't going to make plays with his legs. Seems our better matchup of those two.

I'm not sure whether I prefer the Seahawks or Cowboys as a semifinal matchup. Probably Cowboys.

[Mainevent]

Win the division first.

[ghandi]

I only see Lions making Super Bowl is if they get 1 seed. Defense is still too shaky

The shaky defense is also what may make getting that number 1 seed very difficult......The offense played about as well as they could in the Chargers game, and it still took some fourth down gambles to walk away with a victory.

[El Axe]

Thing about tournament play is that it is not usually about being the best team, but about having the best matchups for your team.

It's not unusual for team A to beat team B and for team B to beat team C, but team C beats team A. You see it all the time. If those are the best 3 teams, then how the tournament is laid out pretty much dictates which of those teams will win the tournament. You'll see in some sports where teams will purposely lose pool games so they get the better matchups even though it is against the "better" seed.

[El Axe]

NFL.com currently has fan voting for Air and Ground players of the week. Goff and Monty are both candidates.

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions best player a poster boy for how Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are building



Shawn Windsor
Detroit Free Press



INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Here was the skinny on Amon-Ra St. Brown ahead of the 2021 NFL draft:

Average foot quickness and long speed; below-average separation burst out of breaks; very little grit in run blocking; drop issues on underneath routes; drifts into route turns; strength might need upgrade against physical cornerbacks.


In other words: Too slow, too small.



Here was the word on St. Brown on Sunday night after he lit up the Los Angeles Chargers for 156 yards and a touchdown:

A young Steve Smith and the heartbeat of the Lions.

Amon-Ra St. Brown high fives fans after win vs. Chargers_11-12-2023.jpg

Yes, it’s easy to dissect a pre-draft opinion on a player who is overlooked when that player hits it big. And St. Brown is most definitely hitting it big.

After all, there isn’t much science to evaluating talent; it’s art, and that makes evaluation messy, and ripe for second-guessing. Yet the best — and most consistent — teams in the NFL find difference makers outside of the first round.


In this way, St. Brown is Brad Holmes and the Lions’ poster boy. The general manager took him in the fourth round, 112th overall. Sixteen receivers were selected before him. St. Brown can famously recite all their names.

His chip-on-the-shoulder ethos isn’t new. He talked about it as a rookie and has been happy to talk about it since. What is new is his level of play this season, especially the past seven games.


Amon-Ra St. Brown scores TD vs. Chargers_11-12-2023.jpg

Six times, he had more than 100 yards, including his past four outings, and his 156 yards against the Chargers was a career high. He has played through blisters, an abdominal strain, and as the focus of defensive scouting reports.

If there is one player who symbolizes the Lions rebuild and turnaround, who plays with all the qualities Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell talk about, it is the six-foot, 205-pound receiver from southern California.


“He’s a stud,” Campbell said Sunday night.



Sometimes, it really is that simple.

But wait, Campbell wasn’t finished:



“He just continues to make plays. I've said it before, and I'll say it again — he is the most steady, reliable guy that you can find in this league. I'd love to know someone that is more reliable than him because I don't know if there is. He just does what he's supposed to do — times 10. He's productive. He's tough. He's physical. He's a game-changing type of player. The bigger the moment the bigger he shows up. You talk about that word trust, there is a tremendous amount of trust for him, in him and what he's able to do.”

Steady and reliable are interesting word choices here, and Campbell certainly means no disrespect in using them. But in the world of professional sports, they can be taken as slights, as descriptors to suggest a relative lack of heavenly gifts, or a high floor but low ceiling, or that the player who is “steady” and “reliable” is succeeding in a somewhat pedestrian way.


For example, no matter how steady or reliable Calvin Johnson was — and he was both — almost no one would use those words to describe him because his raw talent, his size and speed, felt almost Greek God-like. In fact, he was so talented that football observers often took pity on him because he played for the Lions, and that somehow it wasn’t fair for a generational being to be stuck in Allen Park.



Again, Campbell wasn’t trying to denigrate St. Brown by calling him steady and reliable. Those are critical and essential traits for any player in this game. St. Brown’s gifts are harder to see, and so we fall back on the production.

How, then, to describe St. Brown’s fundamental gift? How to examine a receiver without top end speed, size or even outlier quickness who is on pace for a 1,500-yard season?



He gets open. Better than almost any receiver in the league who can’t just run past a defender. Not only is he a technician — remember the pre-draft concern? — but he has an innate feel of where the defense is and where the openings are, particularly when a play breaks down.

This makes him a release valve for quarterback Jared Goff when the pressure heats up. Goff also knows that in high-leverage situations, St. Brown will be exactly where he is supposed to be, and that he will almost always catch the ball.



“I feel as good with him as I've ever felt with anybody,” said Goff. “He's a stud.”

Ah, those words again. Maybe it is that simple.



“I could go down the list of things we all know about him,” said Goff. “I think, ultimately, I trust him. It's a credit to the way he practices and the way that he goes about his business."

Most have seen clips of the after-practice sessions, and his addiction to the Jugs machine, a pass throwing contraption that whips balls at receivers with as much velocity as Patrick Mahomes, or even more.



But those viral clips of a shirtless St. Brown snagging missiles with one hand are only part of his story, just as the notebook he keeps with the names of those drafted before him. For St. Brown, his success this season is simple:

“Keep doing what I do,” he said. “Get open and make plays.”

And be ready when the ball comes, because it doesn’t always. Some games, he noted, he might get six targets, some 13. The key is to maintain the focus and enjoy being on a team with so many other capable skill players.



“For me, I just like to make the most of all my opportunities,” he said. “You can complain or whatever, but when the ball comes your way, are you making the play or not? And, for me, that’s the biggest thing. I want to make the play every time it comes my way.”

Like he did Sunday afternoon in his home town, or home area — he grew up in nearby Anaheim. Did it help that he had friends and family in the stands? Sure, it did. It also helped that the last time he played in Los Angeles he didn’t make a catch, or even have a target. Also, the Lions lost to the Rams, and Matthew Stafford.

https://www.tiktok.com/@detroitlions/video/7259508322280197418

That season the Rams went on to win the Super Bowl. Goff was seen as a toss in with the draft picks the Lions acquired in trading Stafford. And St. Brown showed promise, but not yet the makings of a star.



On this trip, he set a personal record, made winning plays all game, converted a fourth down on an end-around, and inspired a former quarterback sitting high in the announcer’s booth to say this after yet another burst of yardage:

“You know how else you can win? You draft guys like this.”



That was Tony Romo. But it could’ve been Campbell or Holmes or Goff or any of his teammates. Yeah, there were questions about him coming out of college, like there always are for almost every player.

The questions are no more.


Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him@shawnwindsor.

[whatever_gong82]

NFL power rankings: Categorizing Detroit Lions remaining games from toughest to easiest



Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press



The Detroit Lions have the seventh easiest remaining schedule in the NFL by win percentage, according to Tankathon, which has them in fair position to secure the NFC's top seed.

They’ll need to win most if not all of those games to catch the Philadelphia Eagles (ninth easiest remaining schedule) and hold off the San Francisco 49ers (ninth hardest). The seeding tiebreaker is conference record, since the Lions won't face either team in the regular season.


I’ve lumped the Lions’ final eight games into three categories: "True tests" for games against legit playoff contenders that could go either way; "Sleepwalk and slip ups" for games they should win but could lose if they have a snooze of a performance; and "No excuses" for games where there is no acceptable reason to lose.

Here's how I'd rank their final eight games, from hardest to easiest:


True tests

Brock Wright tackled by Micah Parsons_10-23-2022.jpg

1. Week 17 at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys (6-3) are far and away the best team left on the Lions’ schedule, and the only Super Bowl contender they play. Their defense will test the Lions’ high-powered offense, and they have enough offense to win a shootout. Playoff seeding could be on the line for both teams.

2. Week 16 at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings (6-4) are the hottest team in the NFL with five straight wins. They play back-to-back road games against AFC playoff contenders (Las Vegas, Cincinnati) after their Week 13 bye, and might need a win vs. the Lions on Christmas eve to keep their playoff hopes alive. They are currently the No. 7 seed with a 1½-game lead on Tampa Bay.

3. Week 18 vs. Minnesota Vikings: The Lions could be resting their starters or playing for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs in the season finale, while Minnesota might be in a win-and-in situation.


Sleepwalk and slip ups


4. Week 13 at New Orleans Saints: As mediocre as they are, the Saints (5-5) are the best team in the NFC South and have a bye this week to rest up and get healthy. Presumably, starting quarterback Derek Carr will be back by this game.

Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills_11-13-2023.jpg

5. Week 15 vs. Denver Broncos: The chances of the Lions losing to the Broncos (4-5) at Ford Field are slim, but I put this game in this category because Denver has nine takeaways in its past two games and a head coach in Sean Payton who knows Dan Campbell well enough to keep the score close. Denver has beaten Kansas City and Buffalo among three straight wins.


No excuses


6. Week 14 at Chicago Bears: The Bears (3-7) are awful, and this will be another virtual home game for the Lions. It ranks as the sixth toughest game because it will be outdoors, so the elements could be an equalizer.

7. Week 12, Thanksgiving Day, vs. Green Bay Packers: The Jordan Love experience hasn’t gone well in Green Bay (3-6). This should be a Thanksgiving feast for the Lions.

8. Sunday vs. Chicago Bears: Justin Fields (thumb) should be back, which might help keep this game within four touchdowns.



NFL power rankings for Week 11


1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)

2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-2)

3. Detroit Lions (7-2)

4. San Francisco 49ers (6-3)

5. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)

6. Dallas Cowboys (6-3)

7. Miami Dolphins (6-3)



8. Seattle Seahawks (6-3)

9. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3)

10. Cleveland Browns (6-3)

11. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

13. Minnesota Vikings (6-4)

14. Houston Texans (5-4)

15. Buffalo Bills (5-5)



16. Los Angeles Chargers (4-5)

17. Las Vegas Raiders (5-5)

18. New Orleans Saints (5-5)

19. Indianapolis Colts (5-5)

20. Washington Commanders (4-6)

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)

22. New York Jets (4-5)

23. Denver Broncos (4-5)

24. Tennessee Titans (3-6)



25. Los Angeles Rams (3-6)

26. Atlanta Falcons (4-6)

27. Green Bay Packers (3-6)

28. Chicago Bears (3-7)

29. New York Giants (2-8)

30. New England Patriots (2-8)

31. Arizona Cardinals (2-8)

32. Carolina Panthers (1-8)


Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him@davebirkett.

[LightninBoy]

Win the division first.

Why? First seed and division championship are not mutually exclusive. Nor does striving for the first seed in any way hurt your chances for a division win.

[whatever_gong82]

[LightninBoy]

OMG! Ditch the facemasks and put on the diapers Lions fans!

WE GOTTA MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!