The nobody wants to start a GBU thread

[ghandi]

Is this what it feels like to be a fan of a competently run franchise?

Yeah we are still getting used to it I think....When you win by 18 points on the road and people dont think you played that great of a game that is probably a really good sign....but the injuries are definitely getting to be a concern.

[ghandi]

Undefeated away. That's pretty impressive. Well 10-1 is impressive.

VILDOR SUCKS!!!!!

There's probably a pretty good reason why he was out of football when the Lions picked him up last year....Even with him the defense only allowed 6 points....We have to realize he is like a third string cornerback...I doubt most teams in the league are strong at that point....I am guessing Moseley plays on Thanksgiving.

[froot loops]

Yeah, your 5th CB isn’t going to be a world beater. Just need a reasonable level of competence.

The thing that bugged me was the play where he stopped trailing the receiver as if he thought they were in zone. Richardson missed the wide open receiver and that was a bullet missed. The big play he gave up was in cover two and he was in man and had relatively good coverage but Richardson laid a perfectly placed ball in the Turkey Hole. Good offense beats good defense in that scenario.

It will be interesting to see the snap count. They appeared to be in cover two most of the time and they left Vildor on an island. I'm sure his PFF grade is going to be low but they got 6 points.

[DanO]

Let's not forget Vildor completely fucked up an interception in the NFC Championship game last year. Not only did he miss the int he tipped it to the offensive player for the TD.

Vildor Sucks!!!

[whatever_gong82]

Three and Out: Absence validates rookie's performance and Lions fans continue to reset bar with road presence

Justin Rogers
Nov 25


Defiance, Ohio — Here are three observations after a second viewing and a night to ponder the Detroit Lions’ 26-6 win over the Indianapolis Colts.


Concerning backup situation

In this space, we’ve pondered how the Lions might struggle to replace Aidan Hutchinson, Derrick Barnes and Alex Anzalone, but each time the team has found workable solutions, even if it required trading for Za’Darius Smith to truly feel good about the team’s edge-rushing situation for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Who could have guessed the temporary absence of Terrion Arnold would stand out as the most glaring?



Yes, it feels wrong to pick on any defender after the Lions held the Colts to six points and extended their opposition’s streak without scoring a touchdown to 10 quarters, but backup Kindle Vildor was a glaring issue on Sunday.

Like backup offensive linemen, it’s difficult to find quality depth in the secondary, but I admittedly would have vouched for Vildor as an adequate option off the bench coming into the season. Despite the lingering memory from last season being the ball bouncing off his helmet only to be caught by 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk, I felt Vildor largely held his own with his opportunities in 2023. And he had closed out training camp on a high note, earning this job.


But, against the Colts, who have a young quarterback who has famously struggled with accuracy, Vildor made it easy on Anthony Richardson with clunky route mirroring, leading to some easy catches paired with some heart-stopping misses, including one overthrown deep ball to Alec Pierce that likely results in an 88-yard touchdown in the opening quarter had it been on target.

It makes you appreciate Arnold, the rookie, who has certainly battled some inconsistency during his debut season, but is typically sticky with his coverage, even if that’s resulted in a few too many pass interference infractions.


Vildor’s performance makes you dread the possibility of Carlton Davis needing to potentially miss time with the knee injury he suffered in the second half.

On deck is a Chicago Bears team with a deep and talented receiving corps. It could result in a long day if the Lions look to lean on Vildor once again. Alternatively, they could try Khalil Dorsey, who was replaced by Vildor in the lineup last season, or Emmanuel Moseley, who only just came back from a torn pec, his third major injury in as many seasons.


No such thing as a road game


It’s no longer surprising to see a town overrun by Lions fans during road trips, and when it’s a drivable destination like Indianapolis, you just knew the city would be painted blue — the Honolulu variety, that is.



Before the game, some of the local writers were speculating Lions fans could take up 60% of Lucas Oil Stadium’s stands. Honestly, it wasn’t easy to decipher visually. The seats are blue and the home team’s jerseys are blue, so it would be disingenuous for me to offer an estimation.

But what always stands out is the noise. Before kickoff, it was a "Jared Goff" chant. Then, when the Colts offense took the field for the opening drive, it was anything but quiet. In the second half, for the first time I can recall on the road, the crowd chanted “De-Fence,” but not for Colts’ D.


There were also several rounds of “Let’s Go Lions,” which only grew louder as Colts fans headed for the exits with the game’s result no longer in question. Finally, there was one last batch of chants for Goff as the remaining time ticked off the clock.

I asked the QB during his postgame press conference if hearing his name chanted ever gets old.



“It's pretty dang cool on the road, regardless of them doing my chant or anything like that,” Goff said. “It's awesome to have a fan base that travels and makes a difference on the road. I was thinking about this recently. Our fans don't just go to the game, they go to the game to affect the game. They certainly do that at home, and then even today on the road. I go back to Houston and Arizona, like they show up to change the game, to affect the game, and they take it on themselves and we love it. We love it. The love they show me and the love they show our team is something I'll never take for granted.”

Lions fans have always traveled well, but as the team turned the corner into relevancy last year, it’s picked up and hasn’t slowed down. You’ve waited for these moments for so long and it’s awesome watching so many go above and beyond to cherish them.



Bullet-riddled shoe on someone else’s foot


How many times during the down years did we watch the Lions repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot, costing them a chance to win a close game? It’s too many to count.



Seeing the Colts slowly bleed out from self-inflicted wounds felt awfully familiar. A dropped touchdown? I’ve written about plenty of those. Missing an open receiver? Oh yeah, plenty of times. And how many remote controls have been broken being thrown to the ground or against a wall of Metro Detroit homes after a momentum-killing penalty? You could fill a landfill with those shattered remains.

In those days, the Lions didn’t have the talent to overcome their blunders. The margin of error was always razor-thin. One stupid penalty, bad bounce or blown officiating decision was often enough to tip the scales against Detroit.



Now, the team’s margin for error feels massive. The mix of talent, coaching, aggression and mental makeup puts them in a position to overcome just about anything. That was demonstrated best when the Lions came from behind to beat the Texans despite five turnovers.

What happens when they play a relatively clean game with this roster? You coast to an 18-point win. The Lions didn’t turn the ball over Sunday and were flagged half as much as the opponent. Even when they make mistakes, they’re tough to beat. When they minimize them, good luck.



Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

X: Justin_Rogers

Bluesky: Justin-Rogers

[Mainevent]

Let's not forget Vildor completely fucked up an interception in the NFC Championship game last year. Not only did he miss the int he tipped it to the offensive player for the TD.

Vildor Sucks!!!

Not a TD.

[Marko69]

Let's not forget Vildor completely fucked up an interception in the NFC Championship game last year. Not only did he miss the int he tipped it to the offensive player for the TD.

Vildor Sucks!!!

DanO......., you've downgraded the capitalized + 5 exclamation marks "VILDOR SUCKS!!!!!" to lowercase + 3 exclamation marks "Vildor Sucks!!!" ? The intensity is wearing off, dude! Come on, man, stick to your guns.

[Da Geezer]

Very vanilla game plans. Worked on the road and a lot pressure on Goff is not good.

Oh, the injuries are piling up. Could be the awful undoing of this season. It's just hard to overcome. It's about attrition and the winner is the one with the least injuries after 17 games in this sport.

So true.

I'm personally sick of all the excuses being made for the 49ers and their injuries. The Lions have lost Hutchison (a DPOY lock), Davenport, Anzalone, and Barnes for the season. That is four starters on defense.

[froot loops]

The Superbowl hangover is real. In the case of the Niners, it has been compounded by the injuries as well as the fact that they were probably at the end of their window with this specific set of players.

They got a ton out of McCaffrey who was injured his last two full seasons in Carolina. He doesn't look the same after this year's injury. Deebo isn't the same threat as he was a few years ago. Aiyuk is out for the year after signing that big extension. The defense is getting a little older. It is sixth in yardage but is absolutely terrible in the red zone. They give up a TD in a whopping 67 percent of opponents red zone drives.

They can still be a scary team but they need a reset.

[whatever_gong82]

[edindetroit]

Boo they changed the camera angle and you can't see the post-its anymore.

UKBB (post-it obsessed)

[maxw3ll]

Let's not forget Vildor completely fucked up an interception in the NFC Championship game last year. Not only did he miss the int he tipped it to the offensive player for the TD.

Vildor Sucks!!!

Vildor is in the turkey hole for this reason alone. Literally any other move on that play and Detroit likely wins. Instead he domes it for 6.

Make a play Vildor.

[maxw3ll]

Not a TD.

If it was not a TD he was down in the 5. Huge momentum play. WR drops and lack of kicking / going for it made for a bad half at the worst time possible.

[DanO]

Vildor is in the turkey hole for this reason alone. Literally any other move on that play and Detroit likely wins. Instead he domes it for 6.

Make a play Vildor.

Thanks for finishing my point max. I'm still pissed at Vildor for that and yes, they highly likely would have won if he does a ANYTHING else.

[Coop]

This game was the definition of GRIT. Injuries, banged up, got the W and OUT of Indy.