Free Press sports writer Rainer Sabin highlights the best and worst performances from the Detroit Lions' 31-24 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, Sept. 27, at Ford Field.
Winners
Lions run defense
One of the Lions’ top defensive priorities is to stop the run. Dan Campbell believes it is an essential key to victory. But in a 41-31 loss to Buffalo in Week 2, the Bills trampled the Lions on the ground. They rushed for 236 yards and scored three touchdowns on 36 attempts. Players failed to fit gaps and set edges, which led to huge gains.
In the days that followed, coordinator Kelvin Sheppard aimed to plug the holes and shore up the foundation of his leaky defense. It seems he accomplished that mission. On Sunday, the Lions suppressed the Jets’ running game,
limiting them to 58 yards on 19 carries.
Jahmyr Gibbs
In the early stages Sunday, Gibbs drew more attention for the mistakes he committed than the contributions he made. Twice he failed to shield Jared Goff from oncoming rushers. The pair of pass protection breakdowns led to two sacks that caused the Lions to lose a total of 19 yards.
As the home loss against Minnesota last season illustrated, blocking is not Gibbs’ forte. Gibbs became the highest-paid running back in NFL history because he makes plays. And that’s what he did as the game progressed. On Detroit’s first scoring drive in the second quarter, Gibbs touched the ball six times and accounted for 42 of the 49 yards the Lions gained before they settled for a short field goal. Later, Gibbs helped Detroit build a double-digit advantage in the third quarter, when he took a handoff just inside the red zone, eluded two defenders in the backfield, reversed direction and raced 17 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. He then scored twice more, supplying the game-winning points on an 11-yard catch with 2:30 left in regulation. He finished with a team-high 164 yards from scrimmage.
Jacob Saylors
No player averaged more rushing yards per game than Saylors this preseason. But since the real games began earlier this month, he has yet to carry the ball. Where Saylors makes his money is on special teams.
And on Sunday, he earned his paycheck.
Both his kickoff returns – one that covered 44 yards and another that went for 37 – set the Lions up with good field position that they capitalized on by scoring touchdowns. It was a boffo effort by a player who continues to make a name for himself whenever he gets his hands on the ball.
Losers
Roger McCreary
McCreary received a promotion, starting in place of Rock Ya-Sin on the outside. But he didn’t make the most of the opportunity.
In second quarter, he surrendered a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kenyon Sadiq, who beat him on a seam route up the field before lunging to make a nifty catch in the end zone. It was hard to fault McCreary in this instance because his coverage was actually pretty good. Sadiq just made a nice play. But for most of the afternoon, McCreary didn’t do enough to limit whichever tight end or receiver he was guarding.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith, in turn, seemed to figure out he was the weakest link in a Detroit’s depleted secondary. By the end of the game, McCreary gave up six catches to five different players, surrendering 83 receiving yards.
Lions pass defense
Let’s be real: McCreary wasn’t the only Lions defender victimized. McCreary’s mates in the secondary were also burned.
So were the Lions’ linebackers.
Detroit entered Week 3 having yielded the second-most passing yards in the NFL. On Sunday, they did little to stop Smith, the soon-to-be 36-year-old veteran. Smith completed 31 of 37 pass attempts for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
The Lions will have a hard time winning many more games if they can’t limit opponents’ ability to strike through the air. After all, Detroit will face better quarterbacks than Smith as the season progresses.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions winners and losers: Run defense steps up, Roger McCreary does not
