Monday, September 14, 2026

Lions Links for Monday 9-14-26

Articles:

Source: Lions' Pacheco to miss 12 weeks after back surgery:  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49943755/source-lions-pacheco-significant-back-surgery

KEY QUESTIONS: What does Campbell see from Bills as Lions prepare for TNF in Buffalo?:  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/key-questions-dan-campbell-detroit-lions-buffalo-bills-miller-gibbs-bartch






Report: Lions Have Called Steelers About Joey Porter Jr. Trade:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/report-lions-have-called-steelers-about-joey-porter-trade

Everything Jared Goff Said After Detroit Lions Defeated New Orleans Saints:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/everything-jared-goff-said-after-detroit-lions-defeated-new-orleans-saints

Detroit Lions WR Isaac TeSlaa Among Lowest PFF-Graded Against Saints:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/detroit-lions-wr-isaac-teslaa-among-lowest-pff-graded-against-saints

Detroit Lions Season Will Sink If Secondary Stays Same:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/detroit-lions-season-will-sink-if-secondary-stays-same

What Detroit Lions Snap Counts Reveal Against New Orleans Saints:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/what-detroit-lions-snap-counts-reveal-against-new-orleans-saints

Everything Dan Campbell Said After Lions Defeated Saints:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/everything-dan-campbell-said-after-lions-defeated-saints



The Lions found a way to win, but the time to clean things up is overdue:  https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detroit-lions-analysis/172977/detroit-lions-opinion-saints-clean-up





The Lions may never get to use one of their biggest offseason additions, and their backup plan is already being tested, Lions might need to see what is out there:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/the-lions-may-never-get-to-use-one-of-their-biggest-offseason-additions-and-their-backup-plan-is-already-being-tested-lions-might-need-to-see-what-is-out-there/

The Lions’ first injury report for Buffalo looks scary in exactly the wrong place — but Detroit planned for this, updates on Blake Miller and Christian Mahogany:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/the-lions-first-injury-report-for-buffalo-looks-scary-in-exactly-the-wrong-place-but-detroit-planned-for-this-updates-on-blake-miller-and-christian-mahogany/

One Lions starter may have lost his spot in Week 1 — and he might not get it back:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/one-lions-starter-may-have-lost-his-job-in-week-1-and-he-might-not-get-it-back/

Lions fans shouldn’t be writing Jameson Williams’ obitu—nope, we’re not doing this:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/lions-fans-shouldnt-be-writing-jameson-williams-obitu-nope-were-not-doing-this/

The Lions suddenly have the money, the need, the right roster setup, the right financial setup, It’s time to call Pittsburgh about Joey Porter Jr. Here’s why they actually might:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/the-lions-suddenly-have-the-money-the-need-the-right-roster-setup-the-right-financial-setup-its-time-to-call-pittsburgh-about-joey-porter-jr-heres-why-they-actually-might/

Monday overreaction: One Lions player has earned a bigger opportunity, and the former high draft pick may need to move aside:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/monday-overreaction-one-lions-player-has-earned-a-bigger-opportunity-and-the-former-high-draft-pick-may-need-to-move-aside/

What the Lions box score didn’t tell: Detroit’s secondary wasn’t nearly as bad as 410 passing yards suggests:  https://atozsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions-news/what-the-lions-box-score-didnt-tell-detroits-secondary-wasnt-nearly-as-bad-as-410-passing-yards-suggests/

Rock Ya-Sin’s Poor Week 1 Showing Raises Stakes for the Lions’ Secondary:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/rock-ya-sins-poor-week-1-showing-raises-stakes-for-the-lions-secondary

Lions Rookie Blake Miller Looked Like a Future Franchise Cornerstone in NFL Debut:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-rookie-blake-miller-looked-like-a-future-franchise-cornerstone-in-nfl-debut

Juice Scruggs’ Debut Gives Lions a Reason Not to Rush Cade Mays Back:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/juice-scruggs-debut-gives-lions-a-reason-not-to-rush-cade-mays-back

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs Makes Feelings Clear After Massive Week 1 Workload:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/trending/jahmyr-gibbs-makes-feelings-clear-after-massive-workload-in-lions-week-1-win

Derrick Barnes Had a One-Word Reaction to Saints’ Overtime Two-Point Call:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/derrick-barnes-had-a-one-word-reaction-to-saints-overtime-two-point-call

Jared Goff Downplays Lions’ Nearly Blown 21-0 Lead After Week 1 Win Over Saints:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/jared-goff-downplays-lions-blown-21-0-lead-after-week-1-win-over-saints

Lions’ Biggest Question Heading Into Week 2 Following Win Over Saints:  https://athlonsports.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-biggest-question-heading-into-week-2-following-win-over-saints


Sam LaPorta's return a reminder of how much Lions missed him:  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/sam-laporta-detroit-lions

Goff, Lions won't apologize for "ugly win" over Saints:  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-jared-goff

Could Lions overwork Jahmyr Gibbs? He says no: "Built for it":  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/jahmyr-gibbs-detroit-lions

NFL Week 1: Team of the Week & Player Awards (C: Juice Scruggs, Detroit Lions.  P: Jack Fox, Detroit Lions):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-1-team-of-the-week-player-awards

NFL Week 1 winners, losers: Deshaun Watson disastrous in Browns offense, Bears light up scoreboard (Loser: Lions defense - Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are on the PUP list and Terrion Arnold is off the roster following his offseason arrest. Those absences from the Detroit Lions' secondary did not seem like much of an issue until the second half of the team's 2026 debut, but then the defense went off the rails. The unit surrendered 30 points in the second half and overtime during a 31-30 escape against the New Orleans Saints.  The first-half shutout the defense pitched is an afterthought. Fortunately for the Lions, the meltdown did not cost them the game. But the bitter taste of Tyler Shough carving up the defense for 410 yards and erasing a 21-0 deficit will linger in Detroit's mouth.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-1-winners-losers-deshaun-watson/

Cover 32: Bengals see early returns from big offseason investment, plus game balls, biggest gaffes from Week 1 (Game Balls - Jahmyr Gibbs.  Week 1 stats: 29 carries, 156 yards rushing, 2 rushing touchdowns; 5 receptions, 30 yards receiving.  Gibbs was the top pick in most fantasy football drafts for a reason. With David Montgomery traded to Houston this offseason, there was a promise for an increased workload, and we saw that in Week 1. Gibbs registered 34 touches in the overtime win over New Orleans and piled up 186 yards from scrimmage. This was Gibbs' 12th career game with two or more rushing touchdowns, which is tied for the second-most since entering the NFL in 2023. He also tallied his 50th career touchdown in this game, making Gibbs just the sixth player in NFL history to have this many scores in his first 50 career games.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-1-storylines-game-balls-biggest-gaffes/

Pair Of NFC North Stars Awarded 'Gronk & Jules' Inaugural Employees Of The Week (Rob Gronkowski's Employee Of The Week - Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs.  Gronkowski then turned to his own pick, one that came from the other side of the division.  Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs authored a milestone of his own in a 31-30 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Gibbs carried 29 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns, adding five catches for 30 yards. His first score of the day was his 50th career touchdown in his 50th game, and he finished the afternoon with 51, making him just the sixth player in NFL history to reach 50 touchdowns within his first 50 games, joining Jim Brown, Marcus Allen, Chuck Foreman, Larry Johnson and Steve Van Buren.  "And for my employee of the week … Jahmyr Gibbs, I gotta go with him," Gronkowski said. "He absolutely balled out. 156 yards, two TDs rushing. He contributed in the pass game as well. Fastest player to 50 touchdowns in history. He has 51 touchdowns currently because he scored two in this game in 50 games. This guy is a special talent, and just like Caleb Williams, he's electric as well, and he's fun to watch."  With Williams and Gibbs showing out on Sunday, Edelman and Gronkowski couldn't hold their excitement for the Lions-Bears matchups later this season.  "It's going to be a helluva game when the Detroit Lions face the Chicago Bears," Gronkowski said.   Williams' Bears and Gibbs' Lions meet twice this season, starting with a Thanksgiving Day clash at Ford Field on Nov. 26 before meeting again at Soldier Field in Week 17 on FOX's "America's Game of the Week."   That matchup carries extra history for both teams given Bears head coach Ben Johnson's roots in Detroit. Johnson spent three seasons (2022-24) as the Lions' offensive coordinator, helping build one of the NFL's most productive offenses before Chicago hired him as head coach in January 2025.  "Another reason why it's going to be a battle? Ben Johnson came from Detroit," Gronkowski said. "This rivalry is getting more special as it goes on."):  https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/gronk-jules-caleb-williams-jahmyr-gibbs

2026 NFL Defense Rankings: Team Pass and Rush Stats (Total Defense - 27. Lions.  Passing Defense - 30.  Lions.  Rushing Defense - 10 Lions.  Scoring Defense - 21. Lions.  Third Down Defense - 22.  Lions.  Red Zone Defense - 18 Lions 80.0%):  https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2026-nfl-defense-rankings-team-pass-rush-stats

Monday Morning JB: Bears' statement and more that stood out in NFL Week 1 (Two-minute drill - “Sonic and Knuckles” were broken up as the NFL’s top 1-2 running back tandem when the Lions traded David Montgomery to the Texas. Yet separation may make them even more lethal. Jahmyr Gibbs had 186 yards from scrimmage (156 rushing, 5.4 per carry) with 2 TDs to aid Detroit’s survival vs. New Orleans while Montgomery scored 3 TDs (79 total yards) in his Houston debut.  Worst win - The Lions blew a 21-point lead at home before surviving 31-30 in overtime against the Saints when they broke up a two-point conversion. It represented shades from last season when Detroit squandered opportunities in several losses on the way to finishing last in the NFC North. And had it not been for a controversial instant replay ruling that wiped out an apparent scoop-and-score touchdown for the Saints, it might have been settled before OT. According to the letter of the NFL law, New Orleans wasn’t robbed (again) by the replay ruling as Detroit quarterback Jared Goff had begun his throwing motion when hit by Chase Young, which set up the apparent TD return by Jonas Sanker. To the naked eye, though, it was a modern-day repeat of The Tuck Rule. Are you to believe your lying eyes or the NFL rulebook?  What I’m looking forward to in Week 2 - Lions at Bills. The new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY – across the street from the old Highmark – gets its regular-season christening on Thursday night. Yeah, they’ve come a long way from War Memorial Stadium, a.k.a The Rockpile. Never mind Buffalo winters, this place has real grass. Kudos to Buffalo’s ownership for that. It’s the least they could do, given the significant taxpayer tab for the $2.2 billion palace. As for the game-within-the-game, maybe a shootout looms with Detroit bringing one of the NFL’s most explosive offense and Bills quarterback Josh Allen, fresh off a 300-yard game in Week 1, being, well, Josh Allen. Then there are the new tailgating rules that may take some getting used to – or not – for the raucous Bills Mafia. Regardless, the environment will be lit.):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/bell/2026/09/14/2026-nfl-week-1-highlights-bears-caleb-williams-packer-matt-lafluer/91753942007/

32 things we learned in NFL Week 1 − just don't ask who the best team is right now (28. Game of the day? How about the Detroit Lions’ 31-30 overtime win over the Saints, who went for the two-point conversion (and win) on the road before their final play came up short. Still, every reason to believe New Orleans is well positioned to contend for the NFC South crown this season after overcoming a 21-point deficit – at least temporarily – in one of the league’s toughest venues and against one of its most explosive teams. As for the Lions?  29. The number of rushes handled by Detroit RB Jahmyr Gibbs, a career high – as were his 34 touches against the Saints. Gibbs’ fantasy owners doubtless love it on a day when he had 186 yards and two TDs from scrimmage as he enters his first season as the clearcut bell cow in Motown. But that could be an awfully tough workload to maintain if the Lions are going to rely that heavily on a player who averaged 17.5 touches – half the load he carried Sunday – while in a timeshare over his first three season as a pro.  30. As a dad who's been introducing his young son to the joys of Spider-Man, props to the Lions' Derrick Barnes. But I need to work on my end-zone celebration apparently.):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/nate-davis/2026/09/13/nfl-week-1-takeaways-josh-allen-lamar-jackson-jahmyr-gibbs/91749200007/

$.10 After NFL Week 1 ($.05: It’s not often that I, as a Detroit Lions lifer, get to experience the positive benefit of an officiating controversy. I got that on Sunday in Detroit’s overtime win against the New Orleans Saints.  The play in question involves Jared Goff getting hit while he was starting to throw the ball. The ball flew backward, not forward, and was eventually scooped up and returned for an apparent TD by Saints safety Jonas Sanker. It sure looked like a routine call. But the Lions were saved by a technicality that almost no one knew about, including both Goff and Lions head coach Dan Campbell in their postgame admissions.   The rule in question comes from the NFL rulebook. NFL Rule 8, Section 1, Article 1, Item 1(a): “Forward Movement of Hand,” to be exact:   Once the quarterback begins an intentional forward throwing motion, if a defender’s contact materially affects the throw and causes the ball to travel backward, it is still ruled a forward pass. If it hits the ground, it’s incomplete—not a fumble.  The key is timing:  Contact after forward throwing motion begins → forward pass, regardless of where the ball travels.  Contact before throwing motion begins → the ball’s actual direction controls; if it goes backward, it can be a live fumble/backward pass.  The review concluded, correctly, that Goff had initiated the forward pass throwing motion. It was close, no doubt about it. My reaction echoed most Lions fans: shocked that a ruling actually benefitted our team. And it turned out to be critical, as the Saints mounted an impressive second-half comeback to take what was a 21-0 Lions lead into a 24-24 tie at the end of regulation. The Lions didn’t score on the drive in question, but it took points off the board for the Saints, who were scoreless at the time. Just as the football world learned of the then-obscure 10-second runoff when an official ruling gets overturned in the final two minutes of a game from a Lions game (still the dumbest rule in professional sports!), we now all know that it’s a forward pass even if it goes backward as long as the QB had started to try and throw it forward. Got that? Yeah, me neither…):  https://football.realgm.com/analysis/3708/$10-After-NFL-Week-1




Lions hoping Jahmyr Gibbs can stay as productive despite losing backfield partner:  https://apnews.com/article/lions-analysis-week-1-gibbs-01a25d99cdf75eb99b82d42dd7f3a963

‘Should Have Kept Ben Johnson Over Dan Campbell,’ ‘One Trick Pony’ — NFL Fans Rip Lions’ ‘Meathead’ HC Despite OT Win vs. Saints: https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-fans-rip-dan-campbell-despite-lions-ot-win/

Grades:

Grades: Detroit Lions Escape Disaster in Overtime Thriller:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/grades-detroit-lions-escape-disaster-overtime-saints-win


Bills Media:

Week 2 preview: Buffalo Bills host Detroit Lions in Highmark Stadium opener:  https://www.whec.com/sports-news/week-2-preview-buffalo-bills-host-detroit-lions-in-highmark-stadium-opener/

Video:






Lions vs. Saints Week 1 Recap | NFL Daily:  https://www.nfl.com/videos/lions-vs-saints-week-1-recap-nfl-daily


Jared Goff Calls In To Talk Win Over Saints And Preview Bills Matchup | Karsch and Anderson:  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/video/jared-goff-calls-in-to-talk-win-over-saints-and-preview-bills-matchup-karsch-and-anderson-xb7mk1e


Lions Overall Reaction | Is Gibbs Getting Too Much Of The Workload? | Costa and Jansen:  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/video/lions-overall-reaction-is-gibbs-getting-too-much-of-the-workload-costa-and-jansen-xb7lu3i


Jared Goff on Lions Season Opening Win:  https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/fmc-gwj5gjg9tayp5dop

Lions win in overtime; Wolverines knock of Oklahoma:  https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/fmc-1mbtuo41dhk96i3o

Can't feel great about state of Detroit Lions after Week 1:  https://sports.yahoo.com/videos/cant-feel-great-state-detroit-025017916.html

Jameson Williams made the play when it mattered most:  https://sports.yahoo.com/videos/jameson-williams-made-play-mattered-000218953.html


Posted by LionsFan at 9:22 PM

No comments:

Post a Comment

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