The nobody wants to start a GBU thread

[edindetroit]

Good - a win on the road
Bad - the Lions seemed a bit lethargic at times
Ugly - too many injuries going into a short week

[Marko69]

You missing a "Thread" in that title , Ed ? ---->> The nobody wants to start a "GBU Thread" thread? But still a definite G for starting it.

G x 3: Leos win again & 10-1 record, the GBU thread thread, and Kayrones photo ---->> that is Tony Tiger GRRRReat!

Bad : The worry over injuries going into these last 7 games. It's a genuine worry isn't it? You see Decker and its like "Oh no, FK!"

Ugly : This morning accidentally cutting a guy up on the motorway. He sped up, drove up alongside side of me, ---->> he looked like Grossberger from Stir Crazy. Could've got very ugly, uglier than him, but thankfully, (for him) I shat ma breeks and exited at the next exit. Wasn't tangling with that monster! Got a job on tomorrow and require to be alive for it.

[whatever_gong82]

https://x.com/LionsPR/status/1860790001753108574

[froot loops]

G: Great workmanlike victory. That was about the most vanilla game plan I have ever seen from a Dan Campbell team. Mostly all cover 2 on defense.
Only giving up 6 on the road is great. The defense is so much better. Jack Campbell, Alim McNeil and Josh Paschal deserve some plaudits
Not many penalties
Jake Bates was good from 56


B: Vildor had some challenges but the big catch was on a great throw and catch. He stopped on that one play that could have been costly. But as the game went on he cleaned it up.
Too much pressure on Goff today.


U: everyone was dropping from injury during that interminable 3rd quarter.

Good win. The Colts defense played well. The Colt offense didn't do much after the initial two drives.

[mjsmithz]

good: 10-1, nice road victory, AG still macgyvering a defense together

bad: injuries they are piling up

ugly: 6 games to go and our magic number for the division is 5 somehow

[klondike]

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.

[edindetroit]

You missing a "Thread" in that title , Ed ? ---->> The nobody wants to start a "GBU Thread" thread? But still a definite G for starting it.

It's in there. Are you seeing double from drinking too much?

[Iron Lion]

High AF rn, but I'm just going to take a moment to appreciate that we can go on the road against a decent team, win by multiple touchdowns and making it look easy, and we are barely batting an eye at this point.

[DanO]

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

VILDOR SUCKS!!!!!

[Marko69]

I think even the most high himself, JC would think it should be “……thread” thread. And he drunk way more than me if the gospel is “gospel”!

Even Vildor would think that, …… And according to DanO-Boy, (could be wrong) but i think Vildor sucks!

Think the problem with Kindle Vildor , DanO is other players can read him like a book. Too predictable. Like that shit joke!

[froot loops]

Vildor doesn't suck. He had a couple bad plays. For all the picking on him, the Colts scored a grand total of 6 points. He's definitely better as a sub though.

[whatever_gong82]

Pride of Detroit Direct
by Jeremy Reisman


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, on Wednesday, December 4th, and TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! Space is limited, so don’t wait!


The Detroit Lions are road warriors

Back in 2010, well before I considered sportswriting as a career, I occasionally traveled to Lions games in an effort to see my favorite team in a unique environment. It’s one thing to pack Ford Field with a bunch of rabid fans. It’s another to see another one of your kind in a foreign land. It’s a special kinship you feel with a stranger. Back then, the Lions traveled well for a historically bad franchise, but it’s nothing like it is today.



With family in Florida, the 2010 season gave me a rare chance to see back-to-back Lions road games during the holidays. They played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 19 and the Miami Dolphins on the 26th.

Of course, I had zero expectations for the games themselves. Heading into that Sunshine State doubleheader, the Lions were 3-10 and without young rookie stud quarterback Matthew Stafford…. Oh, and the Lions were in the middle of a 26-game losing streak on the road. Almost forgot that.


What followed was something I couldn’t have ever predicted. The Lions didn’t just win one of those games, they won both. On the arm of Drew Stanton (!) and Shaun Hill (!!) and the leg of Dave Rayner (!!!!), the Lions upset two teams with winning records. I’ll never forget walking the concourse of Raymond James Stadium, hugging and a high-fiving strangers while belting out “Let’s go Lions” chants and singing “Gridiron Heroes” until my throat was hoarse. It’s the entire reason I endorse at least one road trip a year for Lions fans, if it’s within your means.

Of course, road trips look much different these days. “Let’s go Lions” chants have been replaced by “Ja-Red Goff.” And the specks of occasional blue in the crowd have been replaced by an entire blue wave of fans filling the stands. They’re filling the local bars before and after the game. They’re oftentimes louder than the home team on the television broadcast. And they’re literally hustling in the concourse.



The Lions’ recent dominance on the road was the focus of coach Dan Campbell after their win over the Colts this week, and for good reason. It’s not easy to win on the road. The travel is tiring, the unfamiliar setting takes you out of your routine, and the crowd is disruptive. And when Campbell took over this team, this team–much like the one in the 2009-10s–just couldn’t win away from Ford Field. They went 0-11-1 in their first 12 roadies, and it looked like they were headed for another loss in Soldier Field. But a late Jamaal Williams touchdown followed by a game-sealing Julian Okwara sack earned the Lions the 31-30 victory over the Bears.

Since that game, the Lions are 15-4 on the road. Since 2023, they’re a league-best 12-3 on the road. This year, they’re a perfect 6-0 on the road, with wins over the 7-5 Texans, 9-2 Vikings, 8-3 Packers, and 6-5 Cardinals.


They are Road Warriors.


“If you can win on the road, you’re normally a pretty damn good team, and we can win on the road,” Campbell said after the game.

It doesn’t take a mathematician to see what he’s implying. If A = B and C = A, then the Lions are a damn good team.


And that’s important, because the NFC playoff race is tight. The Philadelphia Eagles don’t look like they intend on handing the Lions the No. 1 seed, and the Vikings and Packers seem pretty good (and very lucky). While the Lions will try like hell to hold onto that spot and earn home-field advantage and a first-round bye, it’s not the end of the world if they don’t. They can beat teams–damn good teams–on the road. They’re built to play in the weather, and this fanbase is built to travel and bring that home-field advantage thousands of miles from home.

After one of the Lions’ most iconic road wins of the Dan Campbell era–the Week 18 Sunday night win over the Packers–the Lions coach delivered a line that has become a bit of a rallying cry for Detroit:


“All roads go through Detroit.”


While many have interpreted this as the Lions will climb atop the standing and force teams to play within the confines of Ford Field, I read it another way. If you’re going to win the Super Bowl, eventually you’re going to have to go through this Lions team. Doesn’t matter when, where, or what’s falling from the sky, the Lions (and their fans) are going to be waiting and ready.


Lions defensive line carries them to 10th win of the season
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 you can get 25% off of a Data Suite subscription by using our exclusive promo code POD25.

The Detroit Lions improve to 10-1 on the season and 6-0 on the road on the backs of a dominant defensive line performance. Yes, that includes the pass-rush in what was easily their best day rushing passer since the Aidan Hutchinson injury.


When you contextualize this defensive performance with the fact they did this down four Week 1 starters (plus some depth pieces) and lost a fifth in Carlton Davis during the second half, it's all the more impressive.


A couple things of note before we hit a deep data dive for the day. First and foremost, Aaron Glenn continues to be in his bag. This game he seemed to be one step ahead with his pass-rush plan knowing exactly when to scheme pressure up or let his four-man rush go get some. He worked in a huge variety of overloads, delays, a-gap blitzes, and stunts/twists. The mission of the day was clear: get QB Anthony Richardson and play-caller Shane Steichen off-balance. They did so with great success, constantly muddying up the picture at the snap. The cherry on top was all the sim-pressure looks and crowded LOS situations. Essentially even when Glenn wasn’t sending extra rushers, he was disguising their intentions well and forced the Colts to handle nearly every play like there was pressure coming. This forces the offense's hand in keeping extra blockers or delaying RB/TE releases into their routes, which makes it easier on the backend to cover. On a day they were down multiple back-seven players, buying them some good fortune was probably necessary.


Secondly, the Lions run defense was disciplined, gap-sound, and demonstrative. Jonathan Taylor was a complete zero in this game, a theme now stretching three weeks. Opposing teams’ primary ball-carriers over the past three weeks are a whopping 46 rushes for 108 yards. That's an average of 2.25 YPC. They are allowing less than a yard before contact per designed RB run over that stretch as well–not to mention Taylor’s best run on the day was a freebie third-and-20 draw play that went for 14 yards, which still goes down as an unsuccessful play. Remove that from the sample and things look even better. On the day, the Colts had a success rate of just 18.1% on designed RB runs. Pure domination up front. They don’t miss tackles either and this recent resume now includes some of the league's better runners in Joe Mixon, Travis Etienne and Taylor. You know what helps your pass-rush more than anything? Getting them into obvious passing situations and routinely keeping your opponent behind the sticks will get that done.


Lastly, there were a lot of concerns heading to the week with Glenn’s defenses and how they handle “mobile QBs”. This concern is largely overstated from a 2022 sample of a team that is wildly different than it is now, however, a concern some still had. Well today they passed the test with flying colors by my analysis. Now obviously, they didn’t completely erase Anthony Richardson from the game but by and large, they absolutely limited the damage he did to them with his mobility. Other than Richardsons two explosives on the ground on designed QB carries, everything he did was of the traditional QB variety. The Lions forced unsuccessful runs on 50% of his designed runs, including two tackles for negative yards. It is also important to remember teams will cap how many hits they are signing their QB up for, especially when things don’t go well. And after giving up two explosives early to Richardson, the Colts had a five-play stretch where he had five designed carries for just 6 yards. That was enough signal to get the Colts offensive staff to back off the QB run game. Furthermore, the Lions held Richardson to just two scrambles for 3 yards and zero completed passes on scrambles. Impressive across the board.


Alright let's wrap this up with some data from the game.


Lions team pass-rush metrics:


-Pressure rate of 60% on 30 Richardson dropbacks.

-Average time-to-throw allowed of 2.82 seconds, under Richardson’s season avg.

-Average time-to-pressure of 2.58 seconds, best since Hutchinson injury.


-Blitzed or stunted on 20 Richardson dropbacks.

-Rushed 4 on 22 of 30 dropbacks, still got pressure 11 times.

-Able to scheme up 4 “unblocked” pressures.


Lions team individual pass-rush metrics:


-Alim McNeill - 27.6% pass-rush win rate

-Za’Darius Smith - 24.0% pass-rush win rate

-Josh Paschal - 16.1% pass-rush win rate

-Levi Onwuzurike - 25.0% pass-rush win rate (just 12 pass-rush snaps)


The Lions have now allowed just two second half touchdowns in their last seven games and are currently on a three-game streak of none. A big reason why seems to be Glenn’s ability to pull the right string week to week. Whether that is a dominant secondary performance like last week or a front-7 masterclass like we saw vs the Colts. Either way, the Lions defense is absolutely humming right now.



VIDEO: Jeremy and Erik recap Lions vs. Colts

 

[Sanders Fan]

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

[Mainevent]

Vildor doesn't suck. He had a couple bad plays. For all the picking on him, the Colts scored a grand total of 6 points. He's definitely better as a sub though.

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

[whatever_gong82]

Lions keep rolling as injuries remain biggest obstacle: ‘It’s a next-man-up mentality’

Paywall article from The Athletic.

By Colton Pouncy
Nov 24, 2024

Jahmyr Gibbs scoring TD vs Colts_11-24-2024.jpg

INDIANAPOLIS — There’s been a bit of a trend developing for the Detroit Lions this season. First, they win a game like Sunday’s 24-6 over the Colts — their ninth in a row. Fans are thrilled, enjoying yet another victory amid a season unseen in generations. Back in the locker room, the team celebrates a job well done. Then, everyone waits for injury updates.



It’s the only thing that can put a damper on a 10-1 start. And yet, the Lions continue to suit ’em up and shut ’em down.

“Everybody’s got them, and the league doesn’t care,” coach Dan Campbell said of injuries. “They make the schedule and we play this and we roll, you know?”

The Lions (10-1) are the cream of the crop in the NFL most weeks — even when they don’t look it. Their bad games, like a 26-23 win over the Texans as time expired earlier this month, can still result in victories. Their off games, much like Sunday’s win over the Colts, are still good enough for an 18-point victory when the clock hits zero.

They secured their 10th win of the season Sunday, needing only 11 games to get there. The nine-game winning streak is the second longest in franchise history. They’ve won 10 games in consecutive seasons for the first time and are 10-1 for the first time since 1934.

There’s not much that can slow their roll on the field these days — except, well, when they roll something on the field.

https://x.com/Lions/status/1860760004531249331

It can make for an odd experience when watching. Take Week 3, for example. It was the game that started this run. Coming off a loss to the Buccaneers at home and a 1-1 start, the Lions made an effort to play a physical brand of football against the Arizona Cardinals. It led to a 20-13 win over the Cardinals … and season-ending injuries to Marcus Davenport and, most likely, linebacker Derrick Barnes.

A few weeks later, the Lions whupped on the Dallas Cowboys 47-9, handing Jerry Jones his worst loss as Cowboys owner. Beating up on America’s Team didn’t feel as sweet as it could’ve for players and fans after star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson fractured his tibia and fibula in the third quarter.


The Jaguars suffered their worst loss in franchise history a week ago at Ford Field, losing to the Lions 52-6. But the Lions took an L that day, too, losing team captain and veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone for 6-8 weeks with a broken forearm.

And even Sunday’s win over the Colts felt like one of those games where the visitor’s sideline just wanted to sim to the end. Because every time you looked up, someone new was either on the ground or in the blue medical tent.


Kalif Raymond injured his foot on a punt return and was carted off the field. He briefly walked back to the sideline, only to be carted off again. Amon-Ra St. Brown returned punts in his absence. In the locker room after the game, Raymond was spotted in a walking boot with crutches. Campbell said his injury could be more serious than others.

Left tackle Taylor Decker, who’s already missed a game this year with an ankle injury, left the game with ankle and knee injuries. He spent a good chunk of time in the medical tent but was able to return to action before the Lions took him out again.



With the Lions already thin at cornerback with Terrion Arnold out Sunday with a groin injury and fellow rookie Ennis Rakestraw Jr. placed on IR with a hamstring injury, the last thing the Lions wanted was to see veteran Carlton Davis leave the game. But he did with a non-contact knee injury. Davis was able to hop on the exercise bike to loosen his knee up but did not return to the game. He seemed to be in good spirits in the locker room but said he wants to see how he’s feeling Monday.

And finally, running back David Montgomery suffered a shoulder injury on a hard run in the third quarter. Injuries were piling up so fast, Montgomery joined Decker in the tent to get looked at before walking into the locker room with his shoulder pads off. He would return to the sideline with his pads back on but did not check back in the game. He told reporters after the game that he could’ve returned, but Campbell told him, “We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”


They sure do. But the lingering injuries make you pause a bit when thinking down the road.


“Yeah, I mean, we’ll see,” Campbell said of his four injured players. “So much of this — I’m not going to know, really, you know the four, obviously Kalif and David Montgomery. Deck was able to come back out, but then we pulled him again late — Carlton, so, I don’t know. I feel OK about three of those guys. Kalif can be a little bit, a little bit more serious, but even with that, it doesn’t mean any of those guys will be ready for Thursday. So, I just don’t know.”


The Lions are at a point where one of their biggest threats — if not the biggest — is the injury bug. They have everything you need to win a Super Bowl when healthy. A good coaching staff, a talented roster, a hungry mindset after getting so close and falling short last season. When you see key starters go down in games that are all but finished, you can’t help but worry about the long-term prognosis for January and perhaps even February.


Then you see the way they respond and realize there’s something different about this group.


At one point Sunday, the defense was playing without Hutchinson, Barnes, Davenport, Anzalone, Arnold and Davis. That’s six of their 11 starters when the year began. They held the Colts to six points and 268 total yards. It wasn’t always pretty — the Colts missed some opportunities that were there and had big plays called back after penalties — but the defense got it done without some of its best players. Malcolm Rodriguez and Jack Campbell led the team in tackles with eight each. Alim McNeill and Za’Darius Smith totaled five pressures apiece, per TruMedia. The run defense held Jonathan Taylor to 35 yards on 11 attempts. It was a collective effort.


At the time of this article, the Lions ranked second in scoring defense (16.6 points per game). They have not surrendered a touchdown in 10 straight quarters — something this franchise hadn’t done in 41 years. They have not surrendered a second-half point in three straight games for the first time in 44 years. They’re playing at a high level no matter who’s the game.

https://x.com/Lions/status/1860791003386450266

“A lot of guys are prepared, man, and it’s a next-man-up mentality,” DJ Reader said after the game. “We got a lot of guys that are prepared to go out there and play good ball, you know? It’s fortunate to be in that situation as a defense. You never want to lose your brothers, but it’s a lot of guys hungry that’s behind everybody. So, we always know it’s next man up and we treat it as such on defense. I think we got a lot of trust in each other, a lot of reps put in.”


It’s a luxury to score 24 points in the NFL and have it feel like you didn’t bring your best stuff. But the offense didn’t turn the ball over, scored when it needed to and leaned on Jahmyr Gibbs when Montgomery went down. He totaled 99 yards on 24 touches, a bit less than his typical efficiency, but ran hard and scored two of Detroit’s three touchdowns. St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Tim Patrick each topped 50 yards Sunday, with QB Jared Goff spreading the wealth. The offense scored points early and never looked back, which was more than enough for the defense.


Again, they keep finding ways to get it done.


“You never take for granted winning,” Decker said. “At times, maybe we’re not playing perfectly on offense, and we’ve had some really, really good games so that’s kind of becoming the expectation for us. I’m never going to take for granted winning a football game in this league. They have some talented players and they were doing a lot of things defensively — moving, pressuring. It’s just special. Me personally, I’ve been on — for lack of a better term — bad teams. It just feels good to go out there and know you’re going to get every opponent’s best shot and to be able to still win.”


That’s the reason to feel confident, even as the injury bug hovers. The Lions trust their depth. They get the most out of the guys they bring in. They play for each other, no matter who’s next to them.

And the fact they can go out week in and week out and keep it pushing without complaints or excuses reminds you they’re wired the right way.


(Top photo of Jahmyr Gibbs: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)


Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy