Monday, December 27, 2021

Morning Lions Links for Monday 12-27-21

Articles:

FOUR DOWNS: St. Brown continues his hot streak:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/four-downs-st-brown-continues-his-hot-streak-boyle-reynolds

NOTEBOOK: Cabinda & Zylstra leave game with knee injuries:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/notebook-cabinda-zylstra-leave-game-with-knee-injuries

2022 NFL draft: Detroit Lions locked into top-5 pick, could clinch top 2 as early as next week:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2021/12/2022-nfl-draft-how-the-detroit-lions-can-lock-up-a-top-two-pick-as-early-as-next-week.html

Tim Boyle was so much better for Detroit. But just 9 yards from victory, he made his worst mistake of the day.:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2021/12/tim-boyle-was-so-much-better-for-detroit-but-just-7-yards-from-victory-he-made-his-worst-mistake-of-the-day.html

Jason Cabinda, Shane Zylstra knee injuries prove costly for Detroit Lions in loss against Falcons:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2021/12/jason-cabinda-shane-zylstra-knee-injuries-prove-costly-for-detroit-lions-in-loss-against-falcons.html

Inside the locker room: Dan Campbell explains how he continues to see improvement from young Lions:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2021/12/inside-the-locker-room-dan-campbell-explains-how-he-continues-to-see-improvement-from-young-lions.html


'I made a critical error': Boyle's late pick foils Lions' bid for consecutive victories:  https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2021/12/26/interception-detroit-lions-atlanta-falcons/9018771002/


Detroit Lions play of the game for Week 16: Special teams trickery earns first down:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2021/12/26/detroit-lions-play-of-the-game-for-week-16-special-teams-trickery-earns-first-down/


Lions' Loss to Falcons Stings, But Keeps No. 1 Pick Hopes Alive:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/nfl/lions/news/lions-loss-to-falcons-keeps-2022-draft-hopes-alive


4 takeaways from the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Falcons:  https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2021/12/26/22854436/4-takeaways-lions-loss-falcons-week-16



Week 16 takeaways, big questions: Bengals and Bills earn huge division wins, Chargers get upset (Lions - What to know: The Lions remain winless on the road, but competing with grittiness and toughness continues to be the theme of the 2021 season. Even with a disappointing 2-12-1 record, Detroit put up yet another spirited performance on the road against Atlanta. On paper, the Lions had no business competing against the Falcons - without quarterback Jared Goff, running back D'Andre Swift, cornerback Amani Oruwariye or tight end T.J. Hockenson - but their willingness to play hard was once again on display as guys have made it clear that they haven't given up on the season. -- Eric Woodyard.  Has Amon-Ra St. Brown evolved into the Lions' best player? Woah, this is bold. And, I won't go that far just yet, but I will say this: Over the past four weeks, he's certainly been the most reliable offensive weapon -- and that's not up for debate. While Swift, Hockenson, and Goff have all been out of the lineup at some point with injuries or illness, the rookie wide receiver has brought his hard hat weekly. St. Brown is only the second rookie this century to register eight or more receptions in four straight games, joining Odell Beckham Jr., who did it in six straight his rookie season. His consistency stems from getting his timing down on routes, which has resulted in more targets and ultimately more catches. His future is bright. -- Woodyard.  Woodyard's confidence rating (0-10): 3, no change from 3. It's beginning to sound like a broken record, but my confidence in this team hasn't changed because they continue to leave it all on the field, no matter who is in the lineup and I respect that competitive spirit.):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32931270/nfl-week-16-takeaways-learned-big-questions-every-game-future-team-outlooks

2021 NFL season, Week 16: What we learned from Sunday's games (1.  Detroit's fourth-down nerve didn't show up when it was needed most. At 2-11-1 coming in, there was no reason for Lions coach Dan Campbell not to pull out every stop. It seemed like he recognized that with a fake punt in the first half that burned the Falcons for a 21-yard completion from punter Jack Fox to KhaDarel Hodge, resulting in a first down and ultimately keying Detroit's only touchdown drive of the first half. It was all the more curious, then, that a Lions staff that has been aggressive on fourth down all season chose to kick a 26-yard field goal with 2:38 remaining. The Lions were behind 20-13 and had driven to the Atlanta 8-yard line for a fourth-and-5 situation. Detroit's defense forced a turnover on the ensuing possession to give the Lions' offense another chance, but an interception by Tim Boyle sealed the win for the Falcons. Regardless of what analytics might or might not have suggested, the Lions had to have a touchdown at some point in the final minutes, and they passed on their best shot at it for three points that eventually meant nothing.  2.  Games like these demonstrate, in a subtle way, that Matt Ryan remains a quality NFL quarterback. Albeit against a bad defense, the long-toothed veteran operated with very little help and navigated a win with an 18-for-24 day (75%) for 215 yards with no turnovers. Atlanta couldn't run the ball at all, making Atlanta's offense one-dimensional and putting the game on Ryan's shoulders. Detroit absolutely shut down Cordarrelle Patterson as both a rusher and receiver (seven carries, 14 yards; one catch, minus-1 yard), which left Ryan with little more than rookie TE Kyle Pitts in terms of dangerous weapons. Pitts came through by catching six of six targets for 102 yards, including a 35-yard deep ball down the right sideline. It wasn't always pretty, but Ryan made the most of the circumstances and pulled Atlanta through for a win that keeps them alive for an outside shot at a playoff berth.  3.  There was no way around it for Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions rookie receiver had to carry more than his own load in his team's offense Sunday, with three key players -- quarterback Jared Goff, tight end T.J. Hockenson and running back D'Andre Swift -- all unavailable. He did just that, getting open for a 20-yard TD pass from Boyle that required some power at the end of the run to cross the plane of the goal line. St. Brown finished with nine catches on 11 targets for 91 yards -- all team-highs by far -- and two rushes for 19 yards. For a miserably bad team that's short on bright spots for the future, we offer St. Brown, whose productivity really spiked in December. In fact, the four best games of his rookie season have all come this month.  Next Gen stat of the game: Ryan was pressured on 23.1% of his dropbacks.  NFL Research: Pitts' 949 receiving yards are the second-most all-time by a rookie tight end. He needs 128 to pass Hall of Famer Mike Ditka for the record.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/2021-nfl-season-week-16-what-we-learned-from-sunday-s-games

NFL Week 16 Game Recap: Atlanta Falcons 20, Detroit Lions 16:  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-16-game-recap-atlanta-falcons-20-detroit-lions-16

Grades:

CBS (Lions Grade - B:  The Lions had a chance to put together their first winning streak of the season, but they came up 9 yards short after Tim Boyle threw an interception on first-and-goal with under 35 seconds left to play. The interception basically summed up the day for a Lions team that couldn't move the ball once it got inside Atlanta's 10-yard line. The Lions made three trips inside of Atlanta's 10 in the game, but came away with zero touchdowns on those drives. Despite starting a backup QB, the Lions were able to keep this close thanks to a defense that sacked Matt Ryan three times while only allowing two third-down conversions in the game.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-16-grades-bills-get-an-a-for-dominating-win-over-patriots-chargers-get-an-f-for-ugly-loss/

Video:




Posted by LionsFan at 4:19 AM

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