Sunday, October 8, 2023

Morning Lions Links for Monday 10-9-23

Articles:

NOTEBOOK: Players continue to step up for Lions' offense:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/players-continue-to-step-up-for-lions-offense-reynolds-laporta-raymond

FOUR DOWNS: Lions play complementary football in win over Panthers:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/four-downs-lions-play-complementary-football-in-win-over-panthers


Detroit Lions continue to lean on RB David Montgomery: ‘He fits us like a glove’:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/10/detroit-lions-continue-to-lean-on-rb-david-montgomery-he-fits-us-like-a-glove.html

Panthers’ DJ Chark shares mixed feelings over Lions’ success without him:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/10/panthers-dj-chark-shares-mixed-feelings-over-lions-success-without-him.html

Red-hot Lions rookie TE Sam LaPorta continues to etch name in history books:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/10/red-hot-lions-rookie-te-sam-laporta-continues-to-etch-name-in-history-books.html

Ben Johnson strikes again with reverse flea flicker, direct snap between QB’s legs:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/10/ben-johnson-strikes-again-with-reverse-flea-flicker-direct-snap-between-qbs-legs.html

Panthers HC commends Lions defense, provides update on injured lineman:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/10/panthers-hc-commends-lions-defense-provides-update-on-injured-lineman.html

‘Doesn’t look good’: Emmanuel Moseley injures knee on second play, headed for MRI:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/10/doesnt-look-good-emmanuel-moseley-injures-knee-on-second-play-headed-for-mri.html





Injured Panthers player discharged from Detroit hospital, heads home with team:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2023/10/08/lions-panthers-chandler-zavala-injury-update-discharged-from-hospital-neck-injury/


Taylor Decker Earns Game Ball, Deserves To Be Part of Winner:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/taylor-decker-deserves-to-be-part-of-winner

Detroit Lions avenge last year’s loss, smashing Panthers for 3rd-straight win:  https://www.clickondetroit.com/sports/2023/10/08/detroit-lions-avenge-last-years-loss-smashing-panthers-for-3rd-straight-win/

Detroit Lions take care of business against Panthers; 5 reasons for 42-24 win:  https://lionslowdown.com/2023/10/08/detroit-lions-take-care-of-business-against-panthers-5-reasons-for-42-24-win/

What They're Saying: Lions Expect to Perform, 'Handle Business':  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/what-lions-saying-locker-room-week-five-win

Aidan Hutchinson gets Detroit Lions off to hot start vs. Panthers with ridiculous interception:  https://www.clickondetroit.com/sports/2023/10/08/aidan-hutchinson-gets-detroit-lions-off-to-hot-start-vs-panthers-with-ridiculous-interception/

Look out: The Lions are deep, tough and talented, and 'now we know how to win.':  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/the-detroit-lions-are-talented-and-now-we-know-how-to-win

NFL Week 5's big questions, risers and fallers: Can it get worse for the Patriots? Are the Lions for real? (Lions - Have the Lions upgraded at running back with David Montgomery as RB1? With Jahmyr Gibbs out with a hamstring injury, Montgomery continued to carry the load with 109 yards on 19 carries. His rushing touchdown on Sunday gives him six in his first four games. Former Lions RB Jamaal Williams set the franchise mark with 17 rushing touchdowns last season, with most coming on the goal line, but Montgomery has displayed an ability to do more. He scored a 42-yard touchdown in the first quarter, which was the second longest of his career.  Stock up after the win: TE Sam LaPorta. The rookie is proving to be a steal by GM Brad Holmes, scoring two touchdowns Sunday. His early connection with quarterback Jared Goff has made him an instant contributor for the offense. LaPorta's 25 receptions in his first five games are the third most for a tight end since 1950, joining Keith Jackson (29 in 1988) and Jordan Reed (26 in 2013).  Stock down after the win: Third-down offense. There wasn't much to nitpick after a complete win on both sides of the ball. But the offense was just 4-for-9 on third downs against the Panthers. After five games, the Lions' 39.4% conversion rate ranks 16th in the NFL; it's one of the rare categories in which the Lions' offense isn't among the league's best. -- Eric Woodyard):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38567598/nfl-week-5-2023-questions-risers-fallers-takeaways-lessons-stats

What We Learned: Takeaways from each Sun. game (Panthers at Lions - Kevin Patra's takeaways:  1. Led by Aidan Hutchinson, Lions defense forces three turnovers in blowout win. Detroit’s D got after rookie Bryce Young early, pressuring the quarterback into several costly errors. Hutchinson made a spectacular interception to end Carolina’ second possession, reading a tight end screen, stopping dead in his tracks and snaring the pigskin with one hand. It marked the fourth INT of the edge rusher's career, the most by a defensive lineman in his first 25 career games since at least 1940, per NFL Research. Hutchinson later picked up the Lions' lone sack of the afternoon and posted six total QB pressures. After Carolina cut Detroit's early lead in half, 14-7, the D stepped up, forcing back-to-back turnovers that the offense cashed in for points to blow open the contest. Two late TD drives by the Panthers made the score look closer, but this was a dominant performance by the Lions despite missing key players on both sides of the ball. Keeping a winless club from finding any spark was precisely the step Dan Campbell's club needed to prove it can be an upper-echelon club.  2.  NFL education continues for Bryce Young. There are some brief glimpses of brilliance for the No. 1 overall pick, but the lows are excruciatingly low. He should have never released the ball picked off by Hutchinson. His second INT was a terrible read, never seeing the corner drop off in coverage. Those were two throws a veteran signal-caller would easily avoid. Young was getting little help outside of Adam Thielen's (11/107/1) ability to win off the line of scrimmage. The running game was once again bottled up, and the offensive line struggled with protection. There were times on Sunday that Young anticipated his protection would break down and seemed to panic. But when everything is right for the QB, he flashes the potential that made him the top selection. Most comfortable in up-tempo, Young flashed superior ball placement, avoided pressure well, keeping his eyes downfield, and threw it away when needed. If he can clean up the little things, the season will begin to turn for the young QB.  3.  No Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, no problem for Lions’ offense. Missing two key weapons, Jared Goff and Detroit hit the gas pedal off the bat. The QB hit two chunk throws on the Lions' opening drive, and David Montgomery bounced a run outside, racing to the end zone for a 42-yard TD. Goff spread the ball around, hitting eight different targets with at least one pass. The Lions missed St. Brown on key plays -- as evidenced by going 4 of 10 on third downs -- but got enough explosive plays from Josh Reynolds and Sam LaPorta that it ultimately didn't matter against a winless opponent. It was a workman-like 377 yards for the Lions’ offense, which punted just twice (both in the third quarter).  Next Gen stat of the game: Aidan Hutchinson averaged a 0.69-second pass rush get-off on Sunday, the quickest of his career in a single game. Hutchinson also generated a game-high six QB pressures (one sack) on 35 pass rushes (17.1%).  NFL Research: Lions have at least four wins through five games for the first time since 2011. In 2011, Detroit started the season 5-0 and finished 10-6 (lost in Wild Card Round at New Orleans).):  https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-season-week-5-what-we-learned-from-sunday-s-games

Sorting Sunday Pile: Pats sinking, Lions roaring (Lions look legitimate - Detroit closed as a 10-point home favorite against a winless Panthers team that is struggling across the board right now, so I don't want to put too much into the Lions victory on Sunday. Declaring them "legitimate" based on beating Carolina would be silly. How they beat Carolina is much more interesting to me. The box score really doesn't do this beatdown justice: 14 of the Panthers 24 points came in the fourth quarter amid mostly garbage time after the Lions extended their lead to 35-10 (they would eventually win 42-24).   Jared Goff was outstanding, going 20-for-28 for 236 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another rushing touchdown on a goal-line sneak. Sam LaPorta, who has been coming on like gangbusters the last few weeks, caught a pair of touchdowns. He's a sneaky OROY candidate right now. Amon-Ra St. Brown wasn't even active for this massacre, but it didn't matter, with Josh Reynolds stepping up in his spot. David Montgomery continues to be an impressive revelation in this rushing offense, rumbling for 109 yards on 19 carries with Jahmyr Gibbs inactive.  Defensively, the Lions put the clamps on the Panthers anemic offense early and didn't even consider letting up until the game was completely out of hand. Aiden Hutchinson is really shaping up to be an all-time "really overthought that one because you hate Jim Harbaugh" situation for Jags GM Trent Baalke.  This is back-to-back weeks where the Lions have slaughtered an inferior opponent. That's a strong mark of a great team. The Lions are CLEARLY the class of the NFC North at this point and have a formula built in Dan Campbell's likeness, with their biggest strengths coming in the trenches. Two straight road games are on deck for Detroit (Tampa Bay and Baltimore, respectively) and those are never easy in the NFL, but there isn't a reason to think the Lions can't win both or even go 1-1 to keep their stranglehold on the division.  Put on a different uniform -- because of the Lions lengthy history of being terrible -- and you could envision this team representing the NFC in Vegas come February.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/sorting-the-sunday-pile-week-5-everything-feels-over-for-the-patriots-lions-look-legit-afc-south-shakeout/

NFL Winners and Losers: Patriots awful again as Bill Belichick's nightmare season gets worse (WINNERS - Jared Goff: Goff was a throw-in for a Detroit Lions on a blockbuster trade by the Los Angeles Rams. He balanced the salaries so the Lions could send Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles. Goff would be a bridge quarterback to whichever hot, young quarterback the Lions would draft.  While the Rams don't have regrets over the trade, the most surprising development is that Goff has turned out to be pretty good. Goff had another strong game in a 42-24 win over the Carolina Panthers, throwing for 236 yards and three touchdowns, and did so without top receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown or rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who were out with injuries.  The Lions are one of the NFL's best teams, which was a possible outcome after they made a smart trade with Stafford. The surprising part is that it's Goff who has led them to that level.):  https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-winners-and-losers-patriots-awful-again-as-bill-belichicks-nightmare-season-gets-worse-200612321.html

NFL Week 5 Winners and Losers: Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals Offense Rebounds, Desmond Ridder Shines, and Mac Jones Looks Cooked (Winner | Detroit Lions:  NFL history is littered with teams that enter a season with incredible hype only to fall flat on their face. But the Detroit Lions have done nothing but deliver on their preseason fanfare so far.  Sunday marked another clinic for Jared Goff, play-caller Ben Johnson, and the rest of Detroit’s offense in the Lions’ 42-23 win over the Carolina Panthers. Goff went 20 of 28 for 236 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta. And with Jahmyr Gibbs sidelined, David Montgomery continued to handle a ton of touches and scored his sixth TD of the season.  The Lions (4-1) could run away with the NFC North, depending on how the Green Bay Packers perform on Monday night. With upcoming games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, and Las Vegas Raiders, Detroit could conceivably be 7-1 by Halloween.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-week-5-winners-losers-2023/

The 49ers copied a Lions trick play from the same day that also resulted in a touchdown:  https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/49ers-george-kittle-trick-play-lions-jared-goff-sam-laporta

Grades:

CBS (Lions Grade:  A.   The Lions were an unstoppable force against Carolina. Offensively, they were able to move the ball at will with Jared Goff playing nearly perfect football (He threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns). David Montgomery, who totaled 129 yards and a touchdown, continues to look like one of the smartest signings of the NFL offseason. The only thing more impressive than the Lions offense was their defense. It was almost like the Lions knew what the Panthers were going to do before they even did it. The Lions were already good and they seem to be getting better every week, which should scare the rest of the NFL.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-5-grades-patriots-get-an-f-after-blowout-loss-to-saints-jaguars-earn-an-a-for-win-in-london/

Aidan Hutchinson Made an Insane One-Handed Interception on a Screen Pass From Bryce Young:  https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/aidan-hutchinson-interception-one-handed-panthers-bryce-young-video-01hc85h42z5k

Podcast:

Twentyman in the Huddle postgame breakdown: Lions improve to 4-1, beat Panthers 42-24 in Week 5:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/lions-beat-panthers-42-24-week-5-twentyman-in-the-huddle-podcast

Video:







Video recap: Hard not to feel optimistic after Lions cruise against Panthers:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/10/video-recap-hard-not-to-feel-optimistic-after-lions-cruise-against-panthers.html

Posted by LionsFan at 6:26 PM

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