It might not have been the prettiest of games against these two bitter rivals, but the Detroit Lions managed to pull out a 15-9 victory against the Green Bay Packers for their second win of the season.
The past few weeks have been low for many people involved with the Lions, so to nail this victory is a major uplift in the aura surrounding the teams. The offense did just enough to keep the game in the Lions favor, whereas the defense is probably the main reason they walked away with a home win. They were able to pick off Aaron Rodgers three times, two of which were in the red zone, to stifle the drives while locking down the receivers and providing solid run defense throughout the contest.
With this game, a few players deserve recognition for their contributions, whereas some could’ve contributed a little more. So here are this week’s Studs and Duds.
Stud: Kerby Joseph
Joseph has been absolutely masterful and one of the lone bright spots as of late, but he put on a clinic this week against the Packers. He picked off Rodgers twice, one being a bumped ball off Derrick Barnes’ helmet and another where he baited Rodgers and jumped the route for his second.
He was second on the team with 10 tackles, stopping anything in his tracks. In addition, he got height on another ball he managed to break up that otherwise would’ve been a touchdown. The third-round rookie continues to create turnovers and turning into a defensive stud right before our very eyes.
Dud: Jared Goff
Unfortunately, this seems to be a common theme week in and week out, but the offense seems to be stuck, and not much is happening with Goff running the show. Now in Goff’s defense, he is missing several key playmakers with a wide receiver corps not sporting many six-footers. In addition, it became clear he was throwing the ball short to allow his playmakers to make some magic happen instead of slinging it downfield with a 5.3 yards-per-pass stat line.
Finally, although he only threw one interception, there should’ve been more if only the Packers could secure it. The Lions will need Goff to step up if they have hopes of churning out more wins.
Stud: Derrick Barnes
The Lions young defensive players were on showcase this week, and one had fallen between the cracks but made his presence felt against the Packers. Barnes received extended work after Malcolm Rodriguez sustained a wrist injury, and he made the most of it by probably having the best game of his career. Barnes recorded the most tackles (12) for the Lions while securing the only sack of the day. Even if it was by accident, he earned a pass breakup that led to Joseph’s first interception.
He also had a monster play where he shot the gap and stuffed A.J. Dillion on the goal line, eventually leading to Aidan Hutchinson’s interception. The Lions will have a solid linebacker corps if Barnes continues this trajectory.
Dud: Pass Rush and containment
Considering the Packers only scored nine points, it is probably a miracle in itself because the Lions pass rush was almost non-existent. At some points, it seemed Rodgers had all day to throw the ball and slice the defense, but thankfully the Lions coverage was on point today, as we spoke of earlier. Also, it is known Rodgers can extend plays with his legs, so you would think to keep him in the pocket and try to make his life miserable, but on many occasions, he churned out yards, and nothing is more inexcusable than a third and long conversion.
The Lions need to figure it out because they have Chicago’s Justin Fields next week, who just set an NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game this week.
Stud: Lions TE room
The Lions pulled off a blockbuster trade by sending T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings, bringing into question who would step up for the Lions in his absence. We received that answer from two individuals who helped bring the victory home. Shane Zylstra has been on the practice squad for most of the season but was called up to fill in Hockenson’s spot and was rewarded with a wide-open touchdown for the game’s first score.
On the other end, rookie James Mitchell secured his first NFL touchdown with a nifty route which turned out to be the game-winning score. On a day when scoring was low, it was nice to see contributions from the young tight ends.
Dud: Jeff Okudah
Now I am not saying Okudah had a bad game, but considering his performances for previous contests, he had an off game. He was mostly assigned to Allen Lazard, who went for four catches for 87 yards and scored the Packers lone touchdown, where Okudah was lined up against on that play. He did redeem himself, though, by distributing the two-point conversion afterward.
He also inadvertently knocked out Joseph after the two collided on the tackle that landed Joseph on concussion protocol. Of course, all the top playmakers have these types of games, but these are outside the norm and expect a rebound game for Okudah.
