Things are tough for the Detroit Lions after a hell of a week that included an unretired Frank Ragnow, an in-game injury to Amon-Ra St. Brown, more officiating errors, injuries to backup interior linemen Terrion Arnold and Brock Wright, and multiple losses for the Detroit Pride’s Roots guide.
Thankfully, the game against the Dallas Cowboys proved to be a much-needed cleanse. Not only are the Lions back in the playoffs, but things are looking up. The offense seems to have picked up, and the defense is finally making some game-changing plays down the stretch. Throw in some big plays from special teams and it was an overall great night for the Lions.
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Let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers.
Winner: Trystan Colon, LG
Colon, who had a good showing last week in Graham Glasgow at center, has moved into left back for the first two attacks with Kayode Awosika out this week. The veteran was bombarded by the Cowboys’ pass rush, giving up four pressures on just seven dropback attempts in the first quarter. Colon was quickly replaced by rookie Myles Frazier and it looked like his night was over.
Instead, the substitutes were just the reset Cologne needed. He returned to the lineup late in the second quarter. A lane immediately opened up for David Montgomery’s 35-yard touchdown run. Best of all, his pass protection went from a major liability to a dominant one. Interestingly, however, despite Colon’s reversal, Frazier reentered the lineup late in the third quarter [Editor’s note: Coach Dan Campbell later noted they pre-planned to get Frazier some work]. On the next possession, Frazier was beaten by Kenny Clark on a near-sack play and then committed his second turnover of the game. Colon then turned around, setting up Jameer Gibbs for his third touchdown of the day with a rumble pull.
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Goff has struggled in recent weeks due to pressure inside, but the trio of Colon, Glasgow and Tate Rutledge came up big against the Cowboys starting in the second quarter. Going forward, there could be an open competition between Colon, Awosika and Frazier for the starting left guard spot. Now, I think Cologne should lose this position.
Winner: Al-Quadin Muhammad, Germany
The Lions’ pass rush has been AWOL in recent weeks, with only Aidan Hutchinson, Roy Lopez and Brian Branch recording a handful of sacks. Hutchinson was the obvious focal point of the Cowboys’ offensive line against the Cowboys, but it also gave Quedin Muhammad a ripe opportunity to dominate.
On a night when the Lions added five sacks, Muhammad led the way with three sacks (the remaining two came from tight safeties Jack Campbell and Aleem McNeil). Muhammad’s first sack was a gift, as left tackle Nate Thomas inexplicably didn’t look at Muhammad, allowing him to rush in for a quick and easy sack. His next two sacks were hard-fought games, one of which came on a nice swim move against right tackle Terence Steele. Muhammad’s speed and ferocity have always been his primary weapons, but that hasn’t resulted in many sacks or pressures over the past few weeks. This week, everything went smoothly.
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Winner: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR
The six-catch, 92-yard performance was just the icing on the cake for St. Brown’s impressive outing. For him, just getting on the field was a win since an ankle injury kept him out all week and put his start against Dallas in question. However, as his 37 yards catch-and-run proved, he’s an iron man and one of the toughest players in the league. He may be a little slower than usual (Next Gen Stats will have to confirm or deny that claim), but his elusiveness doesn’t suffer, often beating the Cowboys’ secondary with his routes. The Lions offense was surprisingly effective without him last week, but it’s clear that having him active on game days will give the Lions a much-needed boost.
Winner: Jameer Gibbs, RB
That’s a chilling statistic for Gibbs last month against the Philadelphia Eagles. Against the Eagles, Gibbs was hampered on the ground and managed just 39 yards on 12 carries. Gibbs struggled on the ground against the Cowboys, rushing for just 43 yards on 12 carries. Gibbs performed well as a receiver against the Eagles, hauling in five catches for 107 yards. Against the Cowboys, Gibbs performed well as a receiver, catching 77 yards on seven catches.
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In that game, I listed Gibbs as the winner despite his subpar rushing total because he was one of the few bright spots in the offense. I’ll give him similar recognition this week, made even more so by his three rushing accomplishments. It’s worth noting that Gibbs has some downfield targets that differ from his usual screen passes. The game plan seemed to effectively exploit the mismatch between the Cowboys’ linebackers and secondary. Plus, every time you tie Barry Sanders’ record and break someone’s ankle on the jukebox, you deserve some credit.
Losers: DJ Reed and Amik Robertson (CB)
Reed’s return from injury was a welcome addition to the lineup, but his performance against the Cowboys was his worst performance in a Lions uniform to date. Robertson, meanwhile, continues to trend in the wrong direction after a stellar start to the season.
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Reed allowed over 100 receiving yards, most of which came from CeeDee Lamb. He was also penalized for a possession penalty and long pass interference, which was thankfully offset by an offensive hand contact penalty. Things turned around for Reed late in the game, including a game-clinching interception, but Lamb also missed the game with a concussion. Until then, the Cowboys have correctly taken advantage of this mismatch.
Robertson would be knocked down for a 42-yard touchdown run to Ryan Flournoy, but it was a clear break in coverage with him and Brian Branch at safety. What he should be criticized for is some mediocre coverage off the field, with players like Flournoy (who had eight catches for 73 yards in his remaining receptions) and Kavonta Turpin (who added a 21-yard catch late in the game) performing better than Robertson.
Reed and Robertson were expected to be the Lions’ two top cornerbacks, but neither looked like it on Thursday. However…
Winner: Rock Ya-Sin, CB
Instead, Yassin looked like a shutout corner against the Cowboys. Both he and Reed had their hands full against Dallas’ star receivers, but while Reed was working against Lamb, Yassin locked down George Pickens. Pickens held just five catches for 37 yards and looked frustrated all night, mostly due to Yassin’s defense. While Robertson has struggled over the past month, Yassin has gotten better and better. He had PFF grades of 73.4 and 71.9 in starts against the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, respectively, and I expect similar positive grades for this game.
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Winner: David Montgomery, RB
Montgomery had an overall lackluster performance against the Cowboys, but he made the most of his limited touches. His 35-yard score was a much-needed early spark for the Lions, and he finished the game with 60 yards and a touchdown on just six carries. He also had one catch for 13 yards. Gibbs has become the unquestioned focal point of the Lions’ offense, but this game was a good reminder that Montgomery can be an excellent complement and change of pace when needed.
Winner: Jared Goff, QB
This looks like a tough game for Goff after suffering a sack and multiple pressures on the Cowboys’ first few drives. Instead, pass protection kicked in, and so did Goff. He was sharp on the night, completing 25 of 34 passes for 309 yards and a touchdown — his first 300-yard passing game since a win over the Washington Commanders. He connected with Amon-La St. Brown and Jameson Williams throughout the game, with both receivers approaching 100 yards. When the pocket was clean, he made the right call and ran the offense. He was surprisingly elusive when pressured, including a crucial third-down conversion on Williams where he eluded inside pressure.
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Winner: Tom Kennedy, RET
Kennedy received a hat tip last week for his heroics in place of the injured Amon-La St. Brown, but with the star receiver suiting up, Kennedy has returned to his planned role as a reliever. Despite being demoted to Special Forces, he still performed well. Kennedy completed three long kickoff returns of 40, 38 and 42 yards, and also completed a 21-yard punt return. The Lions have struggled to get their returners consistent, but Kennedy is now on back-to-back games where he’s not only looked comfortable as a returner, but downright elusive. The perennial practice squad player has made the most of his time on the active roster and should be a regular on special teams going forward — not bad for a guy who previously had little chance of making the team due to his lack of special teams prowess.
Loser: Safe Depth
The Lions are already without Kerby Joseph and the safety depth may be further tested after this game. The Lions lost two starting safeties throughout the night. Thomas Harper was ruled out with a concussion after two defensive snaps. Avonte Maddox came in and performed pretty well despite being essentially a starter. Late in the game, Brian Branch went down with an ankle injury and was sent to the locker room. The game was in its final moments, so the true impact of Branch’s injury wasn’t felt, but he’s a player the Lions can’t afford to lose, especially with Joseph out. If Branch and Harper are both sidelined and Joseph continues to be sidelined, the Lions will have to rely on Maddox, Daniel Thomas and practice squad players Eric Hallett and Loren Strickland. Next week’s injury report will be an important one to watch.