Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Lions Links for Tuesday 12-10-24

Lions-Bills to feature NFL's top two scoring offenses:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/lions-bills-to-feature-nfl-s-top-two-scoring-offenses

Ben Johnson notable among potential candidates for Bears head coach position:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2024/12/10/ben-johnson-lions-potential-bears-head-coach-candidate/

'Take It a Step Further': Lions Defense Set to Improve Against Bills:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-defense-set-to-improve-against-bills

Dan Campbell Suggests Coaches Avoid Aggression Due to Backlash:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/dan-campbell-examines-why-more-teams-not-aggressive

Former Lions CB Has All-Time Blunder, Costs Cowboys:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/former-lions-cb-has-epic-blunder-costs-cowboy





Will Detroit Lions 100% get No. 1 seed if they finish 3-1? An updated breakdown:  https://www.clickondetroit.com/sports/2024/12/10/will-detroit-lions-100-get-no-1-seed-if-they-finish-3-1-an-updated-breakdown/

Will Detroit Lions 100% get No. 1 seed if they finish 3-1? An updated breakdown:  https://www.clickondetroit.com/sports/2024/12/10/will-detroit-lions-100-get-no-1-seed-if-they-finish-3-1-an-updated-breakdown/

Doctor optimistic about Detroit Lions defense with potential Aidan Hutchinson return for playoff run:  https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2024/12/10/doctor-optimistic-about-detroit-lions-defense-with-potential-aidan-hutchinson-return-for-playoff-run/

Dan Campbell on being a fourth-down outlier: "To each his own … I just lean more this way":  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-dan-campbell-on-being-a-fourth-down-outlier

Why your NFL team won, lost in Week 14 (Why the Lions won: Everything that was good for the Lions came from their ability to attack the middle of the field — especially in the passing game. Jared Goff didn’t complete a pass beyond 20 yards but still feasted between the numbers, completing 23-of-28 pass attempts for 214 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions offense repeatedly found ways to attack the Packers’ linebackers and safeties across the middle of the field, and it proved fruitful.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-why-your-nfl-team-won-lost-in-week-14

Five things we liked and didn't like in NFL Week 14 (4. The Lions' fourth-down mindset:  The Lions went for it on fourth down five times in Thursday's 34-31 win over the Packers. They converted four times. Since Dan Campbell became coach, the Lions lead the NFL in fourth-down attempts and conversions by a wide margin.  This is where we need to distinguish "aggression" from the actual math. In our work Slack channel, my colleague Jared Dubin had two really good points.  It can be just as risky to give the other team the ball as it is to try to keep it ... if not more so.  If we called punts "turnovers," people would be more approving of going for fourth downs. Heck, maybe the world as a whole would be a better place.  Sure, punting isn't the worst thing that can happen. Anyone will concede that. But it's really, really, really far away from the best thing that can happen, especially in the correct fourth-down circumstances. That's why ESPN's win probability model actually supported the Lions going for it on fourth-and-1 at their own 31 (they got stopped).  I think optics play a role here, too. The Lions getting stuffed deep in their own territory didn't "look" good, and it looked even worse when the Packers scored four plays later. But coaches would be better off if they didn't care about how things "look." The math said it was the right play. Moreover, Campbell understands that the worst thing that can happen if his team fails there is Green Bay scores a touchdown and takes a 28-24 lead early in the fourth quarter. Should that really scare him off, especially considering how good his offense is? The Lions scored not once but twice more.  In a similar vein to how I liked the Ravens going for a fourth-and-1 at their own 19 a few weeks ago, I like that Campbell not only trusts his offense to succeed, but, more importantly, to bounce back if it fails.  Later in the game, the Lions sealed the game by going for -- and converting -- a fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay 21. This one actually was unnecessarily aggressive considering the time remaining, the tied score and the field position. But guess what? This is Detroit's identity. It converted, and it won.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-14-five-things-we-liked-and-didnt-like-including-star-receiver-breaking-out-jets-collapsing-again/

Ranking top 10 Super Bowl contenders for 2024 season (1. Detroit Lions - Record: 12-1 | Offense Rank: 1st | Defense Rank: 3rd | Odds: +361.  It'd be one thing if the Lions simply boasted some of the best all-around offensive talent in the game, surrounding a confident Jared Goff with a dominant front, two-headed backfield and electric pass targets. The fact that Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson also rev them up with an unceasingly aggressive approach makes them the NFL's closest thing to a juggernaut, with a league-leading point differential. Even without a slew of injured defenders, Aaron Glenn's unit has also played with a championship-level swagger. A laughingstock not so long ago, the Lions have quickly become almost everyone's darling.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-contenders-for-2025-super-bowl-vikings-steelers-legit-bills-lions-headline-top-teams-to-beat/

NFL Week 14 Winners and Losers: The Chiefs Keep Creating Their Own Luck (Dan Campbell’s fourth-down decisions - I thought my editor Mitch Goldich put it well when he summarized Lions coach Dan Campbell’s aggressive approach on fourth downs, which paid off in the victory against the Green Bay Packers.  “It might cost them a Super Bowl, but it could just as easily win them a Super Bowl,” Goldich said. “The possibility of both outcomes, then thin margins between them, the fact that the big moment only happens once… That's what makes it all beautiful.”  (As a side note, I wouldn’t have seen this if Goldich didn’t get me to sign up for Bluesky over the weekend. I’m not sure how much I’ll use it, but follow me @gilbertomanzano.bsky.social. And what’s with the long username on this new app? It really bothers me for some reason.)  Anyway, I didn’t criticize Campbell for his failed fourth-down decisions against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game last season because he stayed true to the team’s identity. But I do wonder how he’ll be if those moments occur again for the Lions (12–1) in the postseason.  Judging from the win vs. Green Bay, Campbell hasn’t changed, and I’m O.K. with that because not many coaches have a better pulse on their respective teams.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/week-14-winners-and-losers-chiefs-creating-own-luck

Pro Football Network’s Week 14 Game Balls: Sam Darnold, Puka Nacua, Jonnu Smith Step Up (Detroit Lions | RB David Montgomery - With Thursday night’s Green Bay Packers-Detroit Lions game on the line, Dan Campbell trusted in his offense. Running back David Montgomery, in particular, delivered.  Campbell’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Packers’ 21 with less than a minute left in a tie game could have backfired massively — and nearly did. Quarterback Jared Goff tripped over a teammate’s foot when he went to hand the ball to Montgomery on that decisive play.  But Goff was able to complete the exchange, and Montgomery did the rest, busting through the line for seven yards and the first down. Jake Bates made the ensuing 35-yard field goal to put the Lions into the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time in three decades.  In all, Detroit converted four of five fourth-down tries Thursday night and 68.2% of them on the season — the sixth-best rate in the league. Montgomery finished the game with 84 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 19 touches.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-week-14-game-balls-2024/

2024 NFL Defense Rankings: Insights on the Struggling Falcons, Bills, Cardinals, and Ravens Units (2. Detroit Lions - This season, the Detroit Lions have reaped the rewards of their defensive rebuild under head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. When they took over in 2021, they inherited the worst defense in football. It took them a couple of years, but last season, we saw Detroit improve from near the bottom of the pile to middle of the pack.  This year, they’ve furthered that development. The last couple of weeks have raised questions about just how good this defense is or whether they’ve just benefited from a nice run of games in the middle of the season. Against the Chicago Bears, the Lions ranked 22nd and then 14th in Week 14 at home vs. the Green Bay Packers.  Detroit has taken full advantage of lesser offenses, ranking first against Dallas in Week 6, sixth against Tennessee in Week 8, third in Weeks 10 and 11 vs. Houston and Jacksonville, respectively, and then second in Week 12 against Indianapolis.  Ultimately, ranking 14th against a good Packers offense is to be commended. It should also be noted that they were 10th in Week 2 vs. Tampa Bay, which has developed into one of the best offenses in the league this year.  Detroit’s passing defense has made the biggest improvements this season, going from below to above average. As a result, the Lions are forcing more turnovers (14.3%; fifth), performing better on third down (31.3%; first), and improving their red-zone efficiency (47.2%; fourth).):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-defense-rankings/



QB Rankings:


2024 NFL QB Rankings: Insights Behind Josh Allen’s Jump and Kirk Cousins Slide (6. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions - Grade: A-.  We saw a little bit of a bounce back from Jared Goff in Week 14 after he had two performances graded as a C in the previous two games. He still ranks second in the last four weeks, thanks to his league-leading performance this season in Week 11 and this strong performance against Green Bay in Week 14.  Goff’s play this season has largely been what we would have expected coming into the season. He looks very comfortable operating from a clean pocket but gets a little more scrambled when having to play under pressure. However, the offensive line is so good that the majority of his play is coming from a clean pocket, and he is posting a 0.23 EPA per dropback, which ranks third in the NFL.  One interesting aspect of Goff’s play is that he ranks third in nYPA but actually leads the league in YAC/Cp. It is tough at times to unwind YAC in terms of the level of responsibility on the quarterback, the receiver, and the defense. However, Goff has done a good job hitting his receivers in space to allow them to make plays after the catch.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-qb-rankings-2024/
Posted by LionsFan at 7:48 PM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
.main-inner .sidebar .Poll { background-color: #AD966C; padding: 15px; }