Alim McNeill is a large man. He’s got a large personality to go with it. About the only thing the big Lions nose tackle didn’t have in his first two NFL seasons was a signature game, a matchup where fans could see why the team and media were so excited about McNeill.
After Sunday, McNeill has that chip in the stack too.
McNeill dominated the New York Giants in Sunday’s 31-18 Lions victory in Week 11. By the official NFL statistical book, the second-year man from North Carolina State had four tackles, one sack, three QB hits and three tackles for loss. The TFLs and QB hits surpassed McNeill’s season-to-date totals through the first nine weeks.
The advanced stats brighten the illustration of McNeill’s dominant day in New Jersey. While subjectively tabulated, the stats from Pro Football Focus do pass the eye test from the game,
#Lions DT Alim McNeill has entered the conversation.
McNeill generated 10 pressures in Week 11 against the Giants.
New leader in single-game pressures by a defender over 320 pounds in the @PFF era (since 2006). https://t.co/Fr4B8w7cLV
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) November 21, 2022
As always, context is important. The Giants played almost half the game with backups at center and right guard, where they were already down to a practice squad call-up (Shane Lemieux) thanks to injuries. However, McNeill’s dominant performance is what the Lions expect in situations like that. McNeill, the team’s third-round pick in 2021, delivered the goods against New York.
