Saturday, January 18, 2025

Lions Links for Friday 1-17-25

Articles:



Detroit Lions Podcast: Divisional round preview and coaching carousel updates:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2025/01/17/detroit-lions-podcast-divisional-round-preview-and-coaching-carousel-updates/


Amik Robertson Is 'Not Gonna Bow Down' to Commanders Wideouts:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/amik-robertson-not-gonna-bow-down-to-commanders


Maxx Crosby Praises Lions, Dan Campbell: Selfishly, I'm Mad:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/maxx-crosby-praises-lions-dan-campbell-selfishly-mad

Notable: What Commanders Are Saying about Detroit Lions:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/notable-what-commanders-are-saying-about-lions-2024


5 Qs Lions vs. Commanders preview: How Washington could avoid blowout:  https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025/1/17/24345154/5-q-lions-vs-commanders-preview



Detroit Lions host ‘Streaking’ Commanders in potential high-octane NFC Divisional Round showdown
Read full article: Detroit Lions host ‘Streaking’ Commanders in potential high-octane NFC Divisional Round showdown:  https://www.clickondetroit.com/sports/2025/01/17/detroit-lions-host-streaking-commanders-in-potential-high-octane-nfc-divisional-round-showdown/

Super Bowl-contending Lions lifting the spirits of fans who endured much misery in the Motor City:  https://www.fox2detroit.com/sports/super-bowl-contending-lions-lifting-spirits-fans-who-endured-much-misery-motor-city

Maxx Crosby is jealous of Dan Campbell's Lions: "Selfishly, I'm kind of mad at them":  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/maxx-crosby-is-jealous-of-dan-campbells-detroit-lions


High stakes and high prices: Commanders-Lions tickets soar to historic heights:  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43447052/detroit-lions-washington-commanders-historic-ticket-prices

Jared Goff and the Lions: The NFL's most unlikely love story:  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43440306/jared-goff-detroit-lions-reinvent-2024-nfl-playoffs

NFL Divisional Round bold predictions: Texans, Commanders to knock off No. 1 seeds (Maurice Jones-Drew - Jayden Daniels is setting rookie records left and right. Among them, he became the first rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw for 200-plus yards or two-plus touchdowns in a road playoff win last weekend. He elevates his play again this week in the Divisional Round by accounting for five touchdowns in an upset of the top-seeded Lions.  Eric Edholm - The Commanders will come up just short against the Lions this weekend, but they -- especially Jayden Daniels -- will be impressive enough in defeat that they enter the offseason much like the Texans did a year ago, fairly or not: branded as a team many believe can graduate to title-contender status. That remains to be seen for Washington, but it speaks to the Year 1 progress made with Dan Quinn, Adam Peters, Daniels and a healthily revamped roster.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-divisional-round-bold-predictions-texans-commanders-to-knock-off-no-1-seeds

Analyzing the matchups that could define the NFL’s 2024 divisional round (Jayden Daniels vs. Lions’ Cover-2 looks.  Daniels' performance against a premier defensive mind in Aaron Glenn is among the top storylines of the Commanders-Lions duel. As Glenn did against Sam Darnold in Week 18, this matchup could very well incorporate the Lions switching up their tendencies to affect Daniels.  Detroit has primarily operated out of Cover 1 and Cover 3, utilizing the looks on 52.9% of snaps. Meanwhile, their Cover-2 rate is just 12.3%. The fact that the Lions’ 66.0 team PFF coverage grade from Cover 2 is lower than the prior two concepts helps explain why Glenn hasn’t implemented it as much.  However, among the three options discussed above, Daniels has by far been at his worst when facing Cover 2. His 58.9 PFF passing grade against those looks ranks 32nd out of 43 qualified quarterbacks, and his 5.0% turnover-worthy play rate places 12th highest. Meanwhile, Daniels owns an 82.4 PFF passing grade against Cover 3 and a 68.0 PFF passing grade against Cover 1.  Two weeks ago, Glenn displayed his acumen and flexibility by turning to Cover 0 on 23.1% of Detroit’s defensive plays against the Vikings — considerably higher than the Lions’ 5.8% season-long rate. In a game where Detroit’s defense will need to prevent Washington’s efficient offense from keeping pace, to what extent Glenn adjusts the dial to Cover 2 will likely determine how well the Lions can flummox Daniels.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-matchups-could-define-nfl-divisional-round-2024

NFL Divisional Round: Each team's biggest strength (Detroit Lions: Running backs in the passing game - The Detroit Lions have many strengths, especially on the offensive side of the ball; however, one that might not get enough recognition is how dangerous their running backs are out of the backfield.  During the regular season, Detroit’s running backs earned 945 receiving yards, which led the NFL and were more than 50 more than the second-placed Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Furthermore, it is not just due to a high volume of plays, as Detroit backs have also been the most efficient. They averaged 1.89 yards per route run, the most in the NFL by a significant margin. In addition, their 10.8 receiving yards per reception ranked second to only Baltimore’s running backs.  Presumably, many thought of Jahmyr Gibbs after reading the above passage; however, teammate David Montgomery has been just as good as a receiver, if not better.  Admittedly, Montgomery ran fewer routes than Gibbs (156 to 319), but he still had a huge impact. Montgomery’s 2.21 receiving yards per route run led 64 qualifying running backs in the regular season, while Gibbs’s 1.62 ranked fourth in the league. Finally, Montgomery’s 91.0 PFF receiving grade was the highest among all running backs, while Gibbs’s 74.4 – hurt by a fumble and a drop while Montgomery had neither – ranked 12th at the position. Detroit was the only team to have two running backs in the 15 highest-graded players at the position, aside from Baltimore.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-divisional-round-each-teams-biggest-strength


NFL playoffs: Most vital and underrated young players (Lions LB Jack Campbell:  Campbell is one of the few Lions defensive starters who has avoided injury this season, and he has become the quarterback of the defense. On nearly 1,000 snaps, he has only missed 10 tackles, has five pass breakups, and has not allowed a touchdown in his coverage area.  We know Daniels will want to take the easy completion over and over and over again, keeping the Commanders ahead of the sticks. Those check downs and arrow routes to Austin Ekeler are a high-percentage, critical element of Washington's aerial attack. Oh yeah and Daniels can really run. Campbell may not present like the prototypical, modern-day quarterback spy at linebacker. Yet he tested at an elite level for the linebacker position at the 2023 combine and changes directions outstandingly for a 6-foot-5, 250-pound second-level defender.  Pay attention to Campbell when the Commanders have the football. How well does he communicate? Is he scraping through blockers to get to those outside runs. Is he wrapping up instantly on checkdowns? Can he fly to those swing passes and limit gains on the perimeter?):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2025-nfl-playoffs-eight-most-vital-and-underrated-young-players-participating-in-divisional-round/


Mike Florio Thinks Lions' Ben Johnson Isn't a Sure Thing to Take a HC Job This Cycle:  https://www.si.com/nfl/mike-florio-lions-ben-johnson-might-not-take-hc-job-this-cycle-raiders


NFL playoff bold predictions: Who will turn heads in divisional round? (Jayden Daniels leads game-winning drive to upset No. 1 Lions.  Jayden Daniels has one last game-winning drive in him, and it’s his biggest one yet. This time, he helps take down the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions and end a magical season in Motown, while sending Washington to the NFC championship game for the first time since the 1991 season (when they, coincidentally, beat the Lions in the conference title game).  Even 18 games into his career, Daniels carries an air of inevitability when he is taking snaps in the fourth quarter. Call him Thanos. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has been operating like a Michelin-star chef cooking in a Manhattan-apartment kitchen, and he could (should) be rewarded with a head-coaching position in a few weeks’ time. But he’s never had to fry a cut like Daniels, who completed 24 passes to six different receivers in Washington’s 23-20 wild-card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Head coach Dan Quinn has drilled his team for nearly a year to excel when games are in the balance – clearly a part of his game he vowed to improve upon in his second head-coaching stop after his Atlanta Falcons teams left something to be desired in that area. His first Commanders squad has answered the bell nearly every time, and their last five wins have all come down to the final play. The reaction – or lack thereof – from Daniels after kicker Zane Gonzalez’s 37-yarder in Tampa Bay said it all: there is nothing that fazes the soon-to-be Offensive Rookie of the Year. — Chris Bumbaca):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2025/01/17/nfl-playoff-predictions-divisional-round-games/77764891007/





Jayden Daniels Could Make Commanders-Lions a Closer Game Than Most People Think:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/jayden-daniels-nfl-playoffs-washington-commanders-detroit-lions



Lions, Commanders meet after coaching decisions affected their trajectories:  https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/lions-commanders-meet-after-coaching-decisions-affected-their-trajectories/

Commanders Media:







5 Lions to know for Saturday's divisional round game vs. Commanders:  https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/lists/5-lions-nfc-divisional-round-commanders-jared-goff-jahmyr-gibbs/






Podcast:

Twentyman in the Huddle: Lions-Commanders Divisional Round preview:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/twentyman-in-the-huddle-lions-commanders-divisional-round-preview


Podcast: Lions Divisional Round Preview, Hendon Hooker Buzz:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/podcasts/lions-divisional-round-preview-hendon-hooker-buzz

Video:

Why Stephen A. has more faith in Jayden Daniels than in Jared Goff:  https://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=43453257

Brian Branch joins 'The Insiders' prior to playoff matchup vs. Commanders:  https://www.nfl.com/videos/brian-branch-joins-the-insiders-prior-to-playoff-matchup-vs-commanders

Who will be a 'super hero' in divisional round | 'GMFB':  https://www.nfl.com/videos/who-will-be-a-super-hero-in-divisional-round-gmfb




Posted by LionsFan at 8:12 AM

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