Stafford to T.J. Hockenson on a naked bootleg play-fake is absolutely gorgeous. The game is definitely taking the feel of which team is trying harder to lose than to win. Register today for free or log in to access this premium article. Alas, the drive fizzles badly. But, drafting his successor in Okudah at No. Agnew finally comes through on the punt return by coaxing fair catch interference. This early-going is as bad as Tavai can possibly play. Slay and Coleman both seem more comfortable and it’s playing to Moore’s strength. Days after being dumped from the Lions' practice squad, the former Australian football pro is back with the team.
A misfire to a well-covered Hockenson forces another punt, this one from the Oakland 42. Definitely by design. The Lions are in 4-2-5 scheme here with Davis and Jones at LB and Kennard playing with a hand in the dirt. The Raiders entered the game at 3-4, having lost two in a row, falling to the Packers and Texans. Save 90%. Golladay mistimes the jump just a bit and Worley comes down with the INT in the end zone. He winds up flying several yards past the point of attack and what should have been a stop for a very small gain instead goes for seven yards. Then again, the next play proves why passing is perilous. Quarterback, Matthew Stafford (9) Read more on if the Detroit Lions should consider trading for Jets defensive end Quinnen Williams. Davis badly misplays the Richard inside run on the next rep. Tavai finally does something positive! It’s a jump ball by design but Stafford throws it too far inside. Read more on how rookie running back D'Andre Swift could be utilized against the Atlanta Falcons in the Lions' Week 7 matchup. Jacobs pulls off a simple A-gap dive play for the conversion to keep the drive moving. Overall this was a maddening game to watch. Fortunately, Flowers comes up with two great stops in a row. The boomerang flings back to Detroit for rookie punter Arryn Siposs. The walking wounded context matters greatly here. Tracy Walker, Graham Glasgow and Mike Daniels were all out for Detroit among the starters. Neither player signed with another team, so they are immediately available back in Detroit. 3 with Harris and Tavon Wilson. While Blough was protected through their Week 6 game, he would have been subject to poaching the 24 hours after the game, and the Lions were forced to make a move in order to retain him. A missed deep shot to Golladay probably draws pass interference if it’s certain other QBs making the throw, but alas. It only counts as one missed tackle but Harris blew it at least three times. It’s worth noting that this is the opposite leg he broke at Notre Dame, so there won’t likely be any overlapping concerns surrounding this new injury. The defense again holds. Jones has been playing wounded most of the game. Worth noting that Jones got up slowly from the long pass and was again deliberately slow and kept teammates from touching him during the TD celebration. That doesn’t excuse this call or execution, but it provides some necessary background for what OC Darrell Bevell might have been thinking. Zone defense by Lions: Week 1: 17.9 % Week 2: 18.2 % Week 3: 44.4 % Week 4: 37.0 % Week 6: 60.9 % Lions largely split between Cover 3 (26.1 %) & Cover 2 (21.7 %). He runs into Christian Jones on a simple RB circle route that goes for big yardage by Washington. Okwara will be eligible to return after Week 9, and once healthy, the Lions will be able to introduce a 21-day evaluation period to determine if he can return this season or if he will need to be placed on season-ending injured reserve. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. As hilariously awful as his above throws were, this one from Carr is a rifle shot on the money. Following their practice on Friday, the Lions released their final Week 9 Injury Report and as you can see, they will be without safety Tracy Walker. Raiders go up 7-0. It’s the worst sustained drive I’ve seen all year from Ragnow at center, and Dahl continues to struggle badly at left guard. Throwing a can of corn while effectively sprinting backwards to avoid the blitz, Carr somehow finds Richard on a shallow cross. Ballgame.
Flowers did a fantastic job blowing up the lead block and opening the edge, but Wilson was late to fill and Davis got picked off by a block. Easy money for the Raiders. Oakland did not play well either, but they put the shovel down before the Lions did in digging their own graves. As the Lions continue to rebuild their offensive line, adding a new running back in Swift should bode well for providing balance upon Stafford’s return. Oakland calls timeout to set their defense for the 4th-down play. The Lions defense nicely holds on the opening drive, but the special teams fail. The decision to bring in Patricia’s old friend Cory Undlin as the new defensive coordinator is another move worthy of mentioning this offseason. Stafford comes up short on a scramble attempt on 1st down and is sacked on 2nd down when he trips over Decker’s foot. Shawn Hochuli is the referee. As the rookie TE is making the catch he gets hammered in the head.
It’s a terrible call versus Davis on a terrible throw from Carr. One of the first things the FOX broadcast crew notes is that Hochuli’s crew calls the most holding penalties of any officiating group and both coaches noted that in their pre-production meetings with the TV crew. Stafford delivers another outstanding small-window throw to Danny Amendola, who has been quiet all game. Da’Shawn Hand jumps offsides on 3rd-and-6, making it a short-yardage situation. Justin Coleman was beaten but Carr misses the throw by several feet. So, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that all of the pressure in this Week 9 matchup could be on the Vikings; thus, opening the door for a Lions win.
But, the expectation for Cousins to consistently lead them to victory will still be present. Lions Players That Could Have Most Benefited from Preseason, GM Bob Quinn Criticized Heavily for Lack of Team Identity, Why WR Marvin Jones is a Prime Candidate to be Traded, Hoping this season Lions turn it around against Minn. Based on the teammate reactions, it was Dahl’s error. Jones was released last Saturday in order to make room for quarterback David Blough on the active roster. Interesting that the Lions stick with the 3-safety look and roll with Moore instead of LB Christian Jones on most plays. Logan Thomas was the only Lion down the field on the play and he was blocking the whole time. Please check your email for a confirmation. 3 overall felt like a logical and very promising move for the franchise. Devon Kennard killed a stretch run with excellent edge leverage. A throw hits him in the back in coverage. The Vikings swept the two-game season series with Detroit a year ago. Note: Starters will be listed in BOLD and you will see some players listed more than once as they have multiple roles. 14-10 Lions back up top. It was a 20-7 Vikings win, in which Detroit backup quarterback David Blough threw two interceptions and never really found his footing. Four of the top-5 teams in NFL power rankings Week 9 reside in the NFC. Davis gets flagged for pass interference. Zach Hood of SI Falcon Report answers five questions regarding the Detroit Lions Week 7 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. The extra point puts Oakland up by seven with under 2:00 to play.
Carr drops back to pass and the Lions bring six rushers. Raiders go back on top 17-14. On 3rd down, Carr bobbles a bad snap and then rolls right with his receivers designed to go left. There is nobody out in a route for him to throw to on that side of the field. He did make contact with Zay Jones before the ball was there but he was playing the ball. Minnesota will still pose one of the best ground games in the league, led by the NFC North’s best running back in Dalvin Cook. Both Siposs and Benzschawel had been with the Lions all offseason and on the practice squad all year until their release earlier this week. The Raiders were also penalized for roughing Stafford on the play when Arden Key slammed him to the ground after the throw, landing with his full weight on Stafford’s back. Sam Martin’s punt bounces inside the five but Moore ran out of bounds in coverage. Plus, Detroit upsets Minnesota on the road. Carr capitalizes against a 2-man rush from the 2-yard line, hitting TE Foster Moreau between Kennard and Christian Jones in coverage on the first play of the fourth quarter. 19 is now out too. Prater kicks the short FG after the drive sputters in the red zone and we’re tied at 17. The first matchup exemplified Detroit’s defensive issues, allowing Cousins to throw for 338 yards and four touchdowns. The Raiders go for it but fail when Carr badly misses tiny slot receiver Hunter Renfrow on a quick out. And just as I start to feel good about the coverage, Carr whistles a beauty throw over Davis and in front of Harris, who is very late to react to the play. The next play is sheer waste. The Raiders were missing center Rodney Hudson and return man Dwayne Harris as regulars. Three tight ends in the game (Crosby as an extra), one WR split wide left. No call. Read more to find out the Lions' Week 7 offensive grades, Read more on the final play that gave the Detroit Lions a 23-22 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Forutnately it’s offset by Incognito doing what he does best, earning an idiotic unnecessary roughness call for losing his temper. They set up for a punt return with Agnew deep.