Monday, December 9, 2024

Lions Links for Monday 12-9-24

Articles:

KEY QUESTIONS: What stood out to Campbell after watching tape of last week's win?:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/key-questions-what-stood-out-to-campbell-after-watching-tape-of-last-week-s-win



Jared Goff pushed Dan Campbell to attempt the Lions' key 4th-down conversion:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2024/12/09/jared-goff-lions-vs-packers-dan-campbell-4th-down-decision/

Lions film review: Breaking down Brodric Martin and Pat O'Connor vs. the Packers:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2024/12/09/lions-film-review-breaking-down-pat-oconnor-brodric-martin-vs-packers-nfl-week-14/

NFC North watch: Vikings roll, Bears mauled in Week 14:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2024/12/08/nfc-north-watch-week-14-division-games-recap/

Lions Pleased Terrion Arnold Had Best Career Game Against Packers:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/dan-campbell-praises-terrion-arnold-against-packers

Alim McNeill Is In Concussion Protocol, But Lions Getting Healthier:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/alim-mcneill-in-concussion-protocol

Lions Are Most Criticized 12-1 Team in NFL History:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/lions-are-most-criticized-winning-team-in-nfl-history

Lions Beating Packers Set Prime Video Streaming Record:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-set-prime-video-streaming-record

Playoff Standings: Lions In Tough Battle For No. 1 Seed:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-week-15-playoff-standings

How Jared Goff Factored Into Lions Late Fourth-Down Decision:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/how-jared-goff-factored-into-late-fourth-down-call


Rob Parker: Lions Dan Campbell Is a 'Bad Coach':  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/rob-parker-lions-dan-campbell-is-bad-coach



Aqib Talib remains huge fan of Jared Goff: "He don't do a bunch of Instagram ranting":  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-aqib-talib-remains-huge-fan-of-jared-goff


JJ Watt defends Kerby Joseph from accusation of "malicious" play: "Football is a violent game":  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-jj-watt-defends-kerby-josephs-tackling

Chief says DPD didn’t show Jameson Williams favoritism, but some violated rules

Orlovsky ranks the NFL's 20 best QB-WR pairings: Burrow to Chase? Goff to St. Brown? Nix to Sutton?! (4. Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions - 2024 stats: 81 completions, 892 yards, 10 touchdowns.  This is the best chain-moving crew in the NFL, having accumulated 53 first downs (No. 1 overall) and zero drops. Goff has an 81.8% completion rate when he throws St. Brown's way, 13.2% above expectation per NFL Next Gen Stats. When Detroit needs to make a play, these two deliver.):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/42777358/2024-nfl-season-top-quarterback-wide-receiver-duo-pairings


Bills' loss ends long streak, plus other Week 14 stats (Eagles and Lions keep winning. With Philadelphia's win, the Eagles have now won nine games in a row. When you combine that with Detroit's 11-game winning streak, that means two teams from the same conference both have an active winning streak of at least nine games for the first time since 2009.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bills-stunning-loss-to-rams-ends-245-game-winning-streak-by-nfl-teams-in-this-situation/

Week 14 overreactions: Hurts costing Eagles? (Vikings are bigger threat to Lions getting No. 1 seed than Eagles - Overreaction or reality: Overreaction.  The Vikings and Eagles have the same record at 11-2, but Minnesota is in the same division as Detroit in the NFC North while Philadelphia resides in the NFC East. Minnesota does have the privilege of playing Detroit again in Week 18, even though the Vikings are a game behind the Lions and have lost to them already this season.  For the Vikings to take home-field advantage from Detroit, they not only need to beat the Lions in Week 18 (assuming they win out and finish with a 5-1 division record), they need the Lions to lose one of their next three games (Lions play Bills, Bears and 49ers). That combination has the Vikings finishing at 15-2 and the Lions at 14-3. If both finish at 15-2, the Lions would have the common opponents tiebreaker since they beat the Rams and the Vikings lost to them. The Vikings can rely on the Bills to beat the Lions. The Eagles and Vikings still need the Lions to lose two of their next four if both teams win out. If the Lions beat the Bills, the Vikings and Eagles need Detroit to lose two of its last three. The Eagles have to bank on the Vikings to beat the Lions in Week 18 if Detroit loses a game prior to that. If Minnesota wins out and wins the division, Philadelphia holds the strength of victory tiebreaker to give the Eagles the edge in playoff seeding.  Neither Philadelphia nor Minnesota are a bigger threat to Detroit as the Lions control their own destiny.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/week-14-nfl-overreactions-jalen-hurts-costing-eagles-a-super-bowl-sam-darnold-top-10-qb/

Week 14 NFL Takeaways: The Rams Can Beat Anybody (Detroit Lions - The time is now for the Detroit Lions. By today's standard for the franchise—and certainly not yesterday's—the past couple of weeks have had some bleak moments. Dan Campbell's crew entered Thursday's showdown with the Green Bay Packers with 13 defensive players on injured reserve, six more than anyone else in the NFL. They were dropping like flies against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving. Against Green Bay, they lost Alim McNeill in-game, and Brian Branch got nicked, too.  The Lions have responded with answers, because this version of the Lions always has those.  They hung on for long enough on defense against Chicago to open the door for the Bears to snatch defeat from the claws of victory. They went blow-for-blow with the Packers, getting even more aggressive on offense in order to protect that wounded defense. They're 12–1 now, having won 11 in a row, and getting there with a ridiculous resilience that shows up even when every reason for an off week is there.  And here's the thing: Even the injury situation promises to resolve itself. The most beat-up group, linebacker, should get everyone except Malcolm Rodriguez back (though Jalen Reeves-Maybin's status is a little up in the air). There'll be improved health in the secondary and up front, too. Even Aidan Hutchinson, who got pretty lucky with how clean his leg break was (no nerve, ligament or artery damage), is back running in a pool, and is on a feasible return timetable now (a timetable that's feasible because the Lions getting to the Super Bowl is feasible, too).  So all these elements are aligning, and in a year when the Lions were lucky to keep their coaching staff intact, when it seemed like other teams would surely swoop in and poach some of the high-level lieutenants that helped Campbell build this monster.  Even now, I don't think OC Ben Johnson is in a rush to leave. As we reported last week, his tact for this year's hiring cycle will be different from the past couple. He won't chase interviews. The ones he takes will be out of genuine interest in getting that job, not just a job. He has two criteria: organizational alignment, and recognition from a team of its mistakes with a willingness to fix them. He will sell teams on his vision, to see whether they're willing to go all in on it.  DC Aaron Glenn, on the other hand, might have to be a little more aggressive, because he's older, he's a defensive coach, and there are two teams with open spots he has a very natural connection to (he played for the Jets and coached for the Saints).  Bottom line: It's possible both will be gone next year. Maybe only one will leave. It seems unlikely that both will be back in Detroit in 2025.  Which only underscores our larger point. The Lions have a very special group, and, because it's the NFL, and even while considering how sustainable their model looks, there's no guarantee that things will come together like this again.  Yup, that sure puts pressure on everyone.  But given where so many people there found their starting point in Detroit in 2021, and how long the city and fan base have waited for a team like this, you can bet it's a type of pressure that a lot of folks in the Motor City will gladly sign up for.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/week-14-nfl-takeaways-rams-can-beat-anybody

32 things we learned in NFL Week 14: Whose playoff hopes are rising? (26. Detroit WR Tim Patrick caught a pair of touchdowns in Thursday night’s win over the Green Bay Packers, one that secured a playoff spot for Detroit. It marked the first time in nearly three years that Patrick had reached the end zone, missing the entire 2022 and ’23 seasons as a member of the Broncos with injuries.  27. Per OptaSTATS, Patrick was one of the Lions’ half-dozen receivers to catch at least five passes Thursday, a first in league history.):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/nate-davis/2024/12/08/nfl-week-14-takeaways-playoffs-rams/76856340007/


NFL Offensive Line Rankings 2024: Stacking All 32 OLs Entering Week 15 (1. Detroit Lions - Starting five: LT Taylor Decker, LG Graham Glasgow, C Frank Ragnow, RG Kevin Zeitler, RT Penei Sewell.  All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell spearheads Detroit’s dominant offensive line. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has figured out how to weaponize the former first-round pick in the run game, getting him into space and letting him go to work. Sewell even received a lateral on a hook-and-ladder play against the Cowboys in Week 6 and nearly threw a pass in a Week 13 win over the Bears.  Frank Ragnow might be the NFL’s best center now that Jason Kelce is retired. He missed one game with a pectoral injury but has since returned to offer his usual standout play.  Left tackle Taylor Decker didn’t play in the Lions’ Week 10 comeback victory over the Texans, forcing Dan Skipper to fill on on the blindside. Decker also missed Week 13 and 14 with an injury but could return for next Sunday’s game.  Jared Goff has myriad offensive weapons to work with, but the Lions’ offensive line is their weekly identity. No team ranks better than Detroit in FTN‘s adjusted line yards (5.14), suggesting the Lions’ front five regularly overpowers its opponents in the run game.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/best-offensive-lines-nfl-rankings/

Who Are NFL's Most Important Non-QBs? (Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs & David Montgomery - It’s been a historic campaign for Gibbs and Montgomery. The duo has set the record for the most times (11) an RB tandem had each scored a touchdown in the same game (including the playoffs), while also becoming the first duo in NFL history to score 10 rushing touchdowns each in consecutive seasons. Gibbs’ speed compliments Montgomery’s physicality unlike anything the league has seen in some time, and while Detroit’s passing attack isn’t too shabby, either, Gibbs and Montgomery’s ability to churn clock and congruently, yards, sets an immense floor for who the Lions could be in 2024. Now 12-1, Detroit has proven they can not only win but dominate games in a variety of ways, led by the NFL’s premier backfield tandem.):  https://thedraftnetwork.com/2024/12/06/nfl-most-important-non-qbs

Video:


Jared Goff reflects on Lions victory over Packers:  https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1559555

SportsWorks - 12-8-24 -- Jennifer talks Lions, college football, Red Wings & Pistons with Wojo & Burchie:  https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1559263
Posted by LionsFan at 8:29 PM

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