King of the Jungle
Footballguy
Not only top tier, but Darnold/Baker/Love/Stafford/Daniels in the NFC are also playing well enough to make it a huge concern.
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2025 Detroit Lions: Game 1 Lions vs Packers. (39 Viewers)
- Thread starter Da Guru
- Start date
Need to start scouring the grocery markets. Clearly the car wash guys are not cutting it.
Unless he was hurt, that is totally inexcusable.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
he knew it immediately
had a great year
so did CD3
Hutch was the favorite to be DPotY
This was a really good defense
Now it’s BB, Jack Campbell, & a bunch of Replacements
Snotbubbles
Footballguy
Pro-football-reference has him at 30. Still seems a bit low considering Pascal and Onwuzurike played 57 and 53 snaps, respectively.
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions - December 15th, 2024 | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Buffalo Bills 48 at Detroit Lions 42 on December 15th, 2024 - Full team and player stats and box score
www.pro-football-reference.com
Didn't get to watch the game, but was BUF running hurry up on offense. They might have gotten defensive packages they liked and used hurry up to keep certain players off the field. It's definitely a tactic I would employ if I thought the opposing defense lacked depth.
Da Guru
Fair & Balanced
Dam..terrible injury for a big D-lineman. Probably miss half next season now too.
Grigs Allmoon
Footballguy
No, not really.
Still have Mosely to plug in, who has probably only been inactive because he doesn't play special teams.
Rakestraw should be back soon, too, I think.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Schefter reporting Montgomery has a knee issue that will potentially sideline him for the remainder of the season.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
Of course he does
TartanLion
Footballguy
Yeah… can’t help but feel we are toast now for the big one unless AG has a massive scheme change or some other unseen force suddenly arrives to everyone’s surprise. The O now has no room for error at all to just get us this division, but with the run D seriously compromised, our love for man coverage now becoming seriously compromised, and no consistent edge threat to really rely on, I can’t help but feel that we are like a slowly capsizing boat that has finally leaked too much water. Awful to say, but it might take some significant injuries on some other teams to level this back up.
TartanLion
Footballguy
Of course he does
FFS. For us and for fantasy
Damn, the Lions lost a lot more than just the game yesterday. Sucks to see.
Between the defensive injuries and Monty going down, I think we're going to see if Jared Goff was ever really worthy of MVP talk, because the win/loss is gonna be more on him than ever.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Of course he does
It was a sweet run
Played .800 ball for two+ seasons
Guess I’ll get started on my draft research
TartanLion
Footballguy
Of course he does
It was a sweet run
Played .800 ball for two+ seasons
Guess I’ll get started on my draft research
I know it’s done when even you are throwing up the white flag
I AM booked for a job in Qatar on superbowl week and would be flying back Monday morning as the game is occurring so there is that massive wedge of absolute Sod’s Law to rely on, we have that going for us, if nothing else, when the job came in I immediately had visions of a Lions Super Bowl.
You wouldn't think it was that serious because he came back in the game.
King of the Jungle
Footballguy
We just can’t have nice things…ugh
King of the Jungle
Footballguy
Agree. Not being a threat to pressure the QB is going to make it a rough road against anyone in the NFC. At this point today, I would take last years playoff defense over this snake-bitten unit. They will fight like heck, but this is a huge bummer. And we still have three games…no more injuries please…
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
It certainly seems that way. Campbell and the team will continue to not complain about injuries but as fans we can say it, even if they can't.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Gonna have to win shootouts
Jah needs to see about 90 touches the next 3 games
Jah needs to see about 90 touches the next 3 games
King of the Jungle
Footballguy
The cost of doing that may come and bite us in the playoffs (wear and tear). It is important to remain balanced as it helps keep the defense rested (which they will need more than ever). I would like to start seeing them get Laporta more involved in the passing game like he was his rookie year. This will help supplement the run game a bit on short to intermediate routes. Maybe Vaki can add something in the run game as well (and he looked like a decent option in the pass game). We are at an injury threshold and literally cannot afford any more. Beating Gibbs into the ground would be leave this offense too empty handed.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
They’ve got two capable backups. They’re just going to lean on Jah more IMO.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Plugging the latest holes in the boat
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room; a fresh batch of injuries that will further test Detroit’s ability to keep its season on track.
The good vibes stemming from getting five players back in the fold ahead of Sunday were reversed before the game's final whistle with the likely season-ending losses of defensive tackle Alim McNeill, cornerback Carlton Davis III, and ace special teamer Khalil Dorsey.
It's like a kick in the teeth the day after getting a root canal.
Here's a recap of the situation, assuming McNeill and Davis are done. It would mean six of the team’s projected Week 1 starters are shelved, with only linebacker Alex Anzalone likely to return this season from that group.
But, like the others who have fallen along the way, there’s nothing the Lions can do about it.
The season doesn’t stop and their opponents don’t care. The defense has to regroup and push forward.
Here are how the replacement plans might shape up at defensive tackle and cornerback.
Let's start with McNeill, a workhorse who regularly plays at least 70% of the team’s defensive snaps weekly. Early speculation is Levi Onwuzurike will slide over to backfill most of those 3-tech reps beside nose tackle DJ Reader. But Onwuzurike was already seeing between 40-50 snaps each week, often as a big end.
That means more work for Jonah Williams, the 290-pound lineman poached off the Rams practice squad late last month. He was limited to 11 reps against Buffalo, but is in line for a bump in playing time.
It also means more consistent reps for Al-Quadin Muhammad, Pat O’Connor and Myles Adams, who was a healthy scratch in his second game with the Lions.
The cornerback situation is the larger conundrum because the Lions can take it in so many different directions.
The easiest solution is plugging Kindle Vildor into Davis’ starting spot. Alternatively, the Lions could turn to Emmanuel Moseley, who has been a healthy scratch the past couple of weeks. He has experience playing both the outside and in the slot. He could start at either spot if the Lions wanted to shift nickelback Amik Robertson into Davis’ role.
The Lions could also move Robertson and make safety Brian Branch more of a hybrid defensive back based on down and distance, with backup safety Brandon Joseph entering the game on nickel packages.
Finally, there are potential reinforcements on the way with rookie Ennis Rakestraw and veteran safety Ifeatu Melifonwu both eligible to return off injured reserve as soon as this week. Still, it’s difficult to imagine either would be immediately thrust into large defensive roles.
I’d lean toward the Lions choosing the simplest solution and turning to Vildor. But I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge my interest in seeing what Moseley can offer after two injury-plagued years. He was brought back this season for a reason. Now is the time to see if the team can get anything out of him.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room; a fresh batch of injuries that will further test Detroit’s ability to keep its season on track.
The good vibes stemming from getting five players back in the fold ahead of Sunday were reversed before the game's final whistle with the likely season-ending losses of defensive tackle Alim McNeill, cornerback Carlton Davis III, and ace special teamer Khalil Dorsey.
It's like a kick in the teeth the day after getting a root canal.
Here's a recap of the situation, assuming McNeill and Davis are done. It would mean six of the team’s projected Week 1 starters are shelved, with only linebacker Alex Anzalone likely to return this season from that group.
But, like the others who have fallen along the way, there’s nothing the Lions can do about it.
The season doesn’t stop and their opponents don’t care. The defense has to regroup and push forward.
Here are how the replacement plans might shape up at defensive tackle and cornerback.
Let's start with McNeill, a workhorse who regularly plays at least 70% of the team’s defensive snaps weekly. Early speculation is Levi Onwuzurike will slide over to backfill most of those 3-tech reps beside nose tackle DJ Reader. But Onwuzurike was already seeing between 40-50 snaps each week, often as a big end.
That means more work for Jonah Williams, the 290-pound lineman poached off the Rams practice squad late last month. He was limited to 11 reps against Buffalo, but is in line for a bump in playing time.
It also means more consistent reps for Al-Quadin Muhammad, Pat O’Connor and Myles Adams, who was a healthy scratch in his second game with the Lions.
The cornerback situation is the larger conundrum because the Lions can take it in so many different directions.
The easiest solution is plugging Kindle Vildor into Davis’ starting spot. Alternatively, the Lions could turn to Emmanuel Moseley, who has been a healthy scratch the past couple of weeks. He has experience playing both the outside and in the slot. He could start at either spot if the Lions wanted to shift nickelback Amik Robertson into Davis’ role.
The Lions could also move Robertson and make safety Brian Branch more of a hybrid defensive back based on down and distance, with backup safety Brandon Joseph entering the game on nickel packages.
Finally, there are potential reinforcements on the way with rookie Ennis Rakestraw and veteran safety Ifeatu Melifonwu both eligible to return off injured reserve as soon as this week. Still, it’s difficult to imagine either would be immediately thrust into large defensive roles.
I’d lean toward the Lions choosing the simplest solution and turning to Vildor. But I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge my interest in seeing what Moseley can offer after two injury-plagued years. He was brought back this season for a reason. Now is the time to see if the team can get anything out of him.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Silver lining calibration
In each of the four years under coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have delivered a dud that's trumped the season’s other defeats in scale.
In 2021, at the beginning of the rebuild and in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were several ugly outings, particularly when quarterback Jared Goff was sidelined for a few late in the year. But none were as embarrassing as a 44-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Halloween, which resulted in first-year defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn symbolically burying the game tape before the team’s bye.
The following year, the Lions got shut out by the New England Patriots, 29-0. What made that loss so much worse was former Lions coach and local pariah Matt Patricia miscast as the Patriots' offensive coordinator, and he was leaning on a fourth-round rookie QB making his second start.
And in 2023, the Baltimore Ravens jumped out to a 35-0 lead and cruised to a 38-6 victory. That result also had Lions fans questioning whether their team was more pretender than contender, despite coming into the matchup with a 5-1 record.
The history lesson isn’t designed to be a magic elixir for your Monday morning hangover, but sets up a reminder of how the Lions responded to each of those shortcomings.
In 2021, after the Eagles debacle, the Lions allowed just 43 points the next three games, before finally breaking through for their first win of that trying season a month later. In 2022, it took a couple more weeks to stop the season-starting slide, but after falling to 1-6, they finished 9-7, barely missing the postseason. And after getting throttled by the Ravens, the Lions steadied the ship with three consecutive wins en route to the franchise’s first division title in three decades.
It would be disingenuous to suggest the Lions haven’t faced adversity this season. To the contrary, they’ve been living in it.
But despite a slew of injuries and some games where they’ve had their backs against the wall, they managed to claw their way to win after win, establishing a new franchise record for consecutive victories.
And, for what it’s worth, the springboard for that run came off another disappointing effort, a loss to Tampa Bay where Detroit experienced dreadful red zone woes, turning just one of seven trips into a touchdown.
On Sunday, the Lions dug a hole too big to climb out. The defense was brutalized, like it was against Baltimore a year ago, lacking answers for the superstar, dual-threat quarterback.
But maybe the Lions needed this. Maybe it was a required reminder that marries nicely with their 2024 mantra, “It takes more," which was birthed from last season’s second-half collapse in the NFC Championship. There’s no question the Lions have taken the message to heart, from their offseason approach to their attention to detail in practice each week. Still, they came out of this game believing they hadn’t matched the opposition’s energy.
That’s uncharacteristic of what we’ve come to expect from this team. But, remember, the Bills’ raging fire on Sunday was seemingly lit by an uncharacteristically poor performance a week earlier. What if the Lions needed a similar kick in the ***?
“Yeah, maybe it’s a good wake-up call for us and a nice little recalibration for us,” Goff said after the game.
Honestly, the timing couldn’t be better. With the mounting injuries, the Lions could use a fresh injection of emotional energy. And if falling on their face in one of the most highly anticipated, nationally televised regular season games in recent years was what was needed to provide that, so be it.
Because this game didn’t matter. It didn’t matter to the standings, it didn’t matter to the team’s goals of winning the division, earning the No. 1 seed, or getting to the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
History tells us the Lions, under Campbell, will respond. That’s bad news for the reeling Bears, and the banged-up 49ers after them, who are due a dose of vengeance similar to the one the Lions doled out to the Cowboys earlier this year.
In each of the four years under coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have delivered a dud that's trumped the season’s other defeats in scale.
In 2021, at the beginning of the rebuild and in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were several ugly outings, particularly when quarterback Jared Goff was sidelined for a few late in the year. But none were as embarrassing as a 44-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Halloween, which resulted in first-year defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn symbolically burying the game tape before the team’s bye.
The following year, the Lions got shut out by the New England Patriots, 29-0. What made that loss so much worse was former Lions coach and local pariah Matt Patricia miscast as the Patriots' offensive coordinator, and he was leaning on a fourth-round rookie QB making his second start.
And in 2023, the Baltimore Ravens jumped out to a 35-0 lead and cruised to a 38-6 victory. That result also had Lions fans questioning whether their team was more pretender than contender, despite coming into the matchup with a 5-1 record.
The history lesson isn’t designed to be a magic elixir for your Monday morning hangover, but sets up a reminder of how the Lions responded to each of those shortcomings.
In 2021, after the Eagles debacle, the Lions allowed just 43 points the next three games, before finally breaking through for their first win of that trying season a month later. In 2022, it took a couple more weeks to stop the season-starting slide, but after falling to 1-6, they finished 9-7, barely missing the postseason. And after getting throttled by the Ravens, the Lions steadied the ship with three consecutive wins en route to the franchise’s first division title in three decades.
It would be disingenuous to suggest the Lions haven’t faced adversity this season. To the contrary, they’ve been living in it.
But despite a slew of injuries and some games where they’ve had their backs against the wall, they managed to claw their way to win after win, establishing a new franchise record for consecutive victories.
And, for what it’s worth, the springboard for that run came off another disappointing effort, a loss to Tampa Bay where Detroit experienced dreadful red zone woes, turning just one of seven trips into a touchdown.
On Sunday, the Lions dug a hole too big to climb out. The defense was brutalized, like it was against Baltimore a year ago, lacking answers for the superstar, dual-threat quarterback.
But maybe the Lions needed this. Maybe it was a required reminder that marries nicely with their 2024 mantra, “It takes more," which was birthed from last season’s second-half collapse in the NFC Championship. There’s no question the Lions have taken the message to heart, from their offseason approach to their attention to detail in practice each week. Still, they came out of this game believing they hadn’t matched the opposition’s energy.
That’s uncharacteristic of what we’ve come to expect from this team. But, remember, the Bills’ raging fire on Sunday was seemingly lit by an uncharacteristically poor performance a week earlier. What if the Lions needed a similar kick in the ***?
“Yeah, maybe it’s a good wake-up call for us and a nice little recalibration for us,” Goff said after the game.
Honestly, the timing couldn’t be better. With the mounting injuries, the Lions could use a fresh injection of emotional energy. And if falling on their face in one of the most highly anticipated, nationally televised regular season games in recent years was what was needed to provide that, so be it.
Because this game didn’t matter. It didn’t matter to the standings, it didn’t matter to the team’s goals of winning the division, earning the No. 1 seed, or getting to the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
History tells us the Lions, under Campbell, will respond. That’s bad news for the reeling Bears, and the banged-up 49ers after them, who are due a dose of vengeance similar to the one the Lions doled out to the Cowboys earlier this year.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
He is capable of carrying the load.
But they still have a lot of weapons. I don’t think they’re going to forget how to score.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Alim McNeill might start off on the pup. I’d expect that to be the only one.
One thing that makes confident in him is the work ethic. Guy is unbelievably committed to getting everything out of his body. Same with David Montgomery.
Any others that I’m not considering?
TartanLion
Footballguy
I’m surprised he prefers Vildor sliding right in. Vildor has been where the quality has noticeably dropped off before. The guys coming back are more talented but maybe need another week or two.
As for the RBs, Reynolds will of course slide in for some touches particularly if we have a lead and are in clock eating mode. Otherwise, we all know Gibbs will see an uptick.
2021 Reynolds went 11 for 83 on the road at Denver and 26 for 112 at home to Arizona back to back weeks, followed by 11 for 29 on the road to Atlanta. That’s the last period of major activity he had.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Vildor played well yesterday. He looked like garbage the spot start he had when Arnold was out, but he wasn’t part of the problem vs the Bills.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
The highest-graded Lions in Week 15 vs the Bills:
Sam LaPorta - 78.9
Taylor Decker - 78.7
Penei Sewell - 78.3
Amon-Ra St. Brown - 75.2
Alim McNeill - 72.5
Dan Skipper 91.8
Jared Goff 62.0
Robertson coverage - 77.2
Vildor coverage - 70.0
David Long 70.4
Patrick O’Connor 69.8
Special Teams:
Sione Vaki 78.8
Jack Campbell 71.0
Craig Reynolds 69.2
Hogan Hatten 64.8
Sam LaPorta - 78.9 Taylor Decker - 78.7 Penei Sewell - 78.3 Amon-Ra St. Brown - 75.2 Alim McNeill - 72.5Dan Skipper 91.8
Jared Goff 62.0
Robertson coverage - 77.2
Vildor coverage - 70.0
David Long 70.4
Patrick O’Connor 69.8
Special Teams:
Sione Vaki 78.8
Jack Campbell 71.0
Craig Reynolds 69.2
Hogan Hatten 64.8
Yogibear
Footballguy
I was reading an article on MSN which listed the 5 free agents they need to sign to patch up the holes in the ship.
Sign to 53-man squad: RB Latavius Murray
Re-sign to 53-man squad: CB Jerry Jacobs
Sign to practice squad: DT Lawrence Guy, CB Patrick Peterson and WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Sign to 53-man squad: RB Latavius Murray
Re-sign to 53-man squad: CB Jerry Jacobs
Sign to practice squad: DT Lawrence Guy, CB Patrick Peterson and WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Da Guru
Fair & Balanced
The highest-graded Lions in Week 15 vs the Bills:
Dan Skipper 91.8
Jared Goff 62.0
Robertson coverage - 77.2
Vildor coverage - 70.0
David Long 70.4
Patrick O’Connor 69.8
Special Teams:
Sione Vaki 78.8
Jack Campbell 71.0
Craig Reynolds 69.2
Hogan Hatten 64.8
Any Broderick Martin sightings? Beside at Jets Pizza.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
The highest-graded Lions in Week 15 vs the Bills:
Dan Skipper 91.8
Jared Goff 62.0
Robertson coverage - 77.2
Vildor coverage - 70.0
David Long 70.4
Patrick O’Connor 69.8
Special Teams:
Sione Vaki 78.8
Jack Campbell 71.0
Craig Reynolds 69.2
Hogan Hatten 64.8
Any Broderick Martin sightings? Beside at Jets Pizza.
inactive
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Brodric has almost doubled his snaps - 13 Y1, 25 Y2. Might hit triple digits by Y4 at this rate.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Looks like LB/STer Anthony Pittman will be brought back. Look for a CB or two to be signed this week as well.
Yogibear
Footballguy
Earlier today, the Chiefs released Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Could he be the perfect replacement for David Montgomery? In my opinion, the answer is an emphatic "Yes!" Note to Brad Holmes: sign CEH before you go to Chicago on Sunday. He may not give the same kind of production that Monty did, but he'd be the ideal mate for Jahmyr Gibbs.
swabs
Footballguy
I don't want any of the guys from the previous post or CEH..... Maybe Jacobs just because he knows the system. Wtf would they want OBJ?
TartanLion
Footballguy
Agreed. I’m finding these suggestions bizarre to be honest. OBJ ?
we have no issues with our WR room. CEH utterly pedestrian, and a pedestrian version of Gibbs, not a hard nosed grinder like Monty who is that whilst being good in every other aspect like balance, catching ability, speed etc. L Murray ? He was past his peak about 5 years ago. Really befuddling stuff
Yogibear
Footballguy
They should at least sign Royce Freeman off the Bears' practice squad.
Agreed. I’m finding these suggestions bizarre to be honest. OBJ ?
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