Friday, October 25, 2024

Lions Links for Friday 10-25-24

Articles:

10 QUESTIONS WITH TWENTYMAN: How have new Lions impacted defense through first 6 games?:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/10-questions-with-twentyman-how-have-new-lions-impacted-defense-through-first-6-games

NOTEBOOK: St. Brown 11 yards away from joining elite group:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/notebook-st-brown-11-yards-away-from-joining-elite-group

Lions vs. Titans practice report: Oct. 24:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/lions-vs-titans-practice-report-oct-24-paschal-zeitler-decker


Goff playing at an MVP level for Lions' offense:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/goff-playing-at-an-mvp-level-for-lions-offense


Jameson Williams officially suspended for Lions biggest game of the season:  https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/10/24/jameson-williams-suspension-2024-lions-nfl/75794759007/




Lions injury report: Lots of good news from Thursday's practice:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2024/10/25/lions-injury-report-week-8-paschal-ragnow-melifownu/




St. Brown: Jameson Williams' Suspension Is Not a 'Distraction':  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/jameson-williams-suspension-not-a-distraction

Paschal Misses Thursday Practice, Jameson Williams Spotted:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/paschal-misses-thursday-practice-week-eight



NFC North Roundtable: Lions' Case to Win Super Bowl:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/nfc-north-roundtable-lions-case-to-win-super-bowl

Hogan Hatten Q&A: Inside Detroit Lions Game-Winning Field Goal:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/hogan-hatten-long-snapper-interview


Four NFC North Teams Chasing History … and One Fun Coincidence:  https://www.si.com/nfl/nfc-north-playoff-teams-history-repeating



PFF Grades and Data: Key insights for every NFL Week 8 game (TENNESSEE TITANS VS. DETROIT LIONS - This season, 22% of the passes the Tennessee Titans have faced have been screen passes, the highest percentage in the league. Buffalo is the next closest team at 16%.  The Colts are the only team Tennessee has played this year that ranks outside the top 12 in screen rate on offense. Detroit enters this week ranked 30th with a screen rate of just 11%.  The Titans defense has performed well against screens, allowing the fifth-lowest first down/touchdown rate (13%) and the seventh-lowest yards per attempt average (5.3) on those plays. Sam LaPorta has been relatively quiet, as the second-year tight end has received limited opportunities in the passing game. His target rate of 10% ranks 53rd out of 62 tight ends who have played at least 50 snaps. In contrast, LaPorta had a much more productive season last year, with a target rate of 23%, third among the top 65 tight ends.  The Titans come into this matchup tied for the fewest receptions allowed to tight ends, having given up only 18 total receptions on the year.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-pff-grades-data-key-insights-for-every-nfl-week-8-game

NFL Week 8 Preview: Schedule, storylines and matchups to watch (Tennessee Titans vs. Detroit Lions (-11.5) - Storyline of the game: Detroit starts reign atop NFC North.  Following their huge victory on the road in Week 7 over the rival Minnesota Vikings, the Lions now hold first place in the NFC North. That win marked the Lions’ fourth straight victory. Since Week 4, this team has set itself apart as one of the best in the NFL, producing top-two marks in overall team grade on both sides of the ball – 83.6 offense grade & 82.8 defense grade.  On the other hand, the Titans can't manage to get out of their own way. Tennessee squandered a 10-7 first-half lead this past week, just to be outscored 27-0 in the second half, losing a blowout to the Bills. Tennessee’s uninspired effort resulted in six team turnover-worthy plays, including three potential interceptions — two of which were dropped — and three fumbles put on the ground — of which just one landed with the other team. That doesn’t even include the late turnover on downs and eight penalties assessed.   Matchups to watch: Titans QB Mason Rudolph vs. Lions FS Brian Branch  
In making his first official start of the season this past week, Mason Rudolph may have proven the issues aren’t just limited to Will Levis, after he too struggled to find any footing in Week 7. The veteran backup looked chaotic with the football, putting it in danger even on routine interactions, including a botched snap under center and a muffed handoff exchange.  That won’t bode well going up against the NFL’s overall highest graded safety (91.7) heading into Week 8, Brian Branch. The second-year safety has generated a 94.7 overall defensive grade over the last two weeks, which is the highest-mark among any defender with 50 or more snaps. With how well Branch is flying around the field in all facets, this game could turn sideways very quickly if Rudolph isn’t careful and calculated with the ball.  Additional news:   Lions WR Jameson Williams suspended two games for PED violation.  Tennessee has agreed to multiple trades, sending WR DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City and LB Ernest Jones IV to Seattle in exchange for LB Jerome Baker.  Numerous Titans defenders are rumored to be available as the NFL trade deadline nears, including DI Jeffery Simmons, Edge Harold Landry and Edge Arden Key.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-8-preview-schedule-storylines-and-matchups-to-watch

NFL QB Index, Week 8: Jared Goff enters top five; Brock Purdy slips (5.  Jared Goff (2024 stats: 6 games | 73.6 pct | 1,610 pass yds | 9.3 ypa | 10 pass TD | 4 INT | 17 rush yds | 0 rush TD | 2 fumbles):  We can count on a few elements -- solid protection, a strong running game and timely play-calling -- producing a good day for Goff, much like we can count on death and taxes. Goff didn't get all those things early on against the Vikings, leading to Detroit's first-quarter deficit, but as the Lions settled in, so did Goff, powering a quick comeback effort to regain the lead. He had several fantastic throws, but I was most impressed by how he dropped to pass, surveyed the field behind a brick wall of an offensive line, reset to the right and fired a beauty down the seam to Amon-Ra St. Brown to give the Lions their first lead. That became the story for the rest of the game, as Goff had plenty of time to throw thanks to a well-balanced offense. He used that to his advantage and capped it with a bullet fired to St. Brown between two defenders to set up Jake Bates' game-winning field goal. Goff simply keeps delivering, and the Lions keep passing the test.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-qb-index-week-8-jared-goff-enters-top-five-brock-purdy-slips


Ranking seven teams with best shot at winning SB LIX (2. Detroit Lions (5-1) - Current Super Bowl odds: +750.  The Lions began the season as one of the Super Bowl contenders in the NFC, and haven't disappointed. Detroit has averaged 40 points over the last three games and have two impressive wins over Seattle (4-3) and Minnesota (5-1).  The NFC North leaders are also getting MVP-caliber play from Jared Goff (his 153.7 passer rating over the last three games is the best in a three-game span since the 1970 merger), while boasting a top-five offense in points per possession (third at 2.75) and yards per possession (fourth at 36.9).  Detroit's strength of victory sits at .531, third best in the NFL. The Lions are the team to beat in the NFC through seven weeks.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/rams-vs-vikings-where-to-watch-nfl-kickoff-time-live-stream-odds-spread-prediction-for-nfc-clash/

Amon-Ra St. Brown on how his late idol, Kobe Bryant, inspired him to subscribe to the Mamba Mentality:  https://247sports.com/article/amon-ra-st-brown-on-how-his-late-idol-kobe-bryant-inspired-him-to-subscribe-to-the-mamba-mentality-238546156/


Can Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry get past Chiefs? Lions' ceiling? Best WR addition? (The Lions showed their grit by beating the previously unbeaten Vikings on Sunday, but can Detroit actually win the NFC without Aidan Hutchinson?  Unless the Lions make a trade for a top-notch edge rusher, it will be an uphill climb to conquer the NFC without the team's best defensive player. Winning in the postseason is about closing teams out in the fourth quarter, either on offense or defense. And Detroit is missing one of the best closers in football with Hutchinson out with a fractured tibia and fibula. Facing some of the top offenses in the league in the postseason, the Lions will be hard-pressed to replace that element with the roster as currently constructed. — Eric D. Williams.  Sunday's win at previously unbeaten Minnesota — without Hutchinson — shows that the Lions are still right there at the top of the NFC. It would make sense to deal for pass-rush help — perhaps Cleveland's Za'Darius Smith or Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney — but Sunday showed what Detroit's offense can do against one of the league's top defenses. Jared Goff was 22-for-25 for 280 yards and two touchdowns, and Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for another 116 and two scores. The Lions finish the regular season at home against those same Vikings, and that game could have the NFC North title or even the NFC's top seed on the line. — Greg Auman):  https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/nfl-roundtable-ravens-derrick-henry-lamar-jackson-lions-jets-giants

Ranking NFL backup QB situations: Which teams have best, worst plans? (30. Detroit Lions - Among starter Jared Goff’s many positive attributes is his durability. That’s important for the NFC leaders given backup Hendon Hooker has all of 11 regular-season snaps – in garbage time of Detroit’s Week 6 rout of Dallas – and practice squader Jake Fromm had three uninspiring appearances with the Giants in 2021.):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/nate-davis/2024/10/24/nfl-backup-qb-rankings-steelers-browns-commanders/75818873007/

2024 NFL Defense Rankings: Insights on Why Broncos, Vikings, and Bears Lead the Way (9. Detroit Lions
Grade: B-.  Score: 61.  In recent weeks, we have seen the Detroit Lions’ defense bounce around the rankings, alternating top-10 performances with those outside the top 20. They dominated the Cardinals’ and Cowboys’ offenses but struggled against the Vikings and Seahawks, so it is hard to point toward the Defense+ rankings and spot a clear trend. Overall, the Lions’ defense is just above average, as their ranking here shows. They are inside the top five when it comes to third-down conversion rate (31.3%) and forcing turnovers (16.9%), but most other metrics are between sixth and 15th in the rankings. That is absolutely fine when paired with a dynamic offense, which they have.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-defense-rankings/

Podcast:

Dungeon of Doom mailbag: Latest on Jameson Williams situation, more trade talk:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2024/10/dungeon-of-doom-mailbag-latest-on-jameson-williams-situation-more-trade-talk.html

Video:







Jared Goff credits 'good formula' for Lions' success:  https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/41971921
Posted by LionsFan at 7:33 AM

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