Guten tag, Detroit Lions fans.
The Munich road trip comes to a close with a victory, as the Lions beat the schnitzel out of the New England Patriots on Sunday. In perhaps their most complete game of the season, the offense was nigh unstoppable while the defense silenced the entire New England arsenal. The final score ended as 35-10, but it could have been far worse for the Patriots.
Two injuries were at the forefront of this game—both happening on the same play. Quarterback Drake Maye suffered an ankle
injury after being tackled by Aidan Hutchinson on a sack. The Patriots offense was paltry under backup Tommy DeVito and would not score until late in the fourth quarter. Hutchinson, meanwhile, suffered an injury while celebrating that very sack. He too did not return and is likely done for the season.
The season-ending Hutchinson injury looms large for Detroit, but we should at least appreciate the team-wide performance in this beatdown.
Note: The label of “loser” is used to evaluate and contrast in-game performance and is not an indictment of a player’s ability, value, or character. The term is not intended to be disrespectful in nature.
Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
I am running out of words to describe Jahmyr Gibbs, so instead, I will use only three: most valuable player. There is no other way to illustrate Gibbs’ impact on the Lions right now. He gets the most out of every play—give him an inch and he takes a mile. Gibbs finished with 22 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns while adding seven catches for 99 yards. He was arguably more impressive than those numbers indicate, too. Gibbs looks untouchable. The offensive line, receivers, and tight ends were moving people ahead of him, but Gibbs’ ability to turn any play into a big gain was a game-changer.
We are truly witnessing something special.
Winner: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR
Can you tell that St. Brown wanted to make the most of his first game in Germany?
The Lions star receiver of German ancestry put on a clinic in Munich, rattling off chunk play after chunk play. He ended the day with just four catches, but he turned those into 98 yards and two touchdowns. The first was a brilliant 56-yarder in which he juked most of the Patriots defense. The second was just 28 yards, but the final eight of those were a rugby scrum powered by will, determination, and a handful of Lions pushing behind him.
For most teams, a performance like this would be the highlight of the game. For the Lions, it’s just another day at the office. They are so fortunate to have players like St. Brown and Gibbs playing at an All-Pro level on a weekly basis.
Winners: Roger McCreary and Rock Ya-Sin, CBs
The absence of Drake Maye definitely benefitted the Lions defense, but that should not detract from the sticky coverage provided by Ya-Sin and McCreary. The Patriots only had 90 passing yards on the day as A.J. Brown and the other Patriot pass catchers were smothered by the Lions defensive backs. McCreary got his first interception of the season and was phenomenal in coverage, recording two passes defended and zero explosives allowed. Ya-Sin, after struggling to start the season, has found his footing of late. He also had a pass defended and, per PFF, did not allow a catch on three targets.
Early on in year, losing D.J. Reed would have been a death sentence for the Lions defense, but Ya-Sin and McCreary have stepped up and the Lions have weathered the storm.
Winner: Offensive line
A week after the offensive line got bullied by the Miami Dolphins, they got their act together against the Patriots. Gibbs’ shined on Sunday, but he never reaches that level without capable blocking ahead of him. All five of the starters were blasting through the Patriots front seven, generating plenty of rushing lanes for Gibbs to showcase his speed and agility. The return of Christian Mahogany surely impacted this blocking turnaround—hopefully the disciplinary penalty he received last week sticks going forward. Jared Goff was sacked twice on the day, but both were arguably coverage sacks. Aside from a pair of penalties (one on Blake Miller, one on Tate Ratledge), there was very little to criticize from the blocking up front.
Winner: Derrick Moore, DE
Are we witnessing Moore’s rookie breakout? It was a slow start to his season, but he is coming into his own lately. Moore had a pair of sacks against the Patriots and now has four sacks across his last two games. He has flashed the full toolkit—speed, bend, power, finesse, and motor. Consistency is still the name of the game for Moore’s development, particularly in run defense, but his pass rush prowess over the last month has been encouraging. His rapid development becomes even more paramount with Aidan Hutchinson missing extensive time due to his injury.
Winner: Derrick Barnes, LB
I thought that this was arguably Barnes’ best game of the season. Barnes was a menace in run defense, racking up a team-leading seven tackles and three run stops per PFF. As a pass rusher, Barnes flashed some serious closing speed, pressuring the Patriots quarterbacks on multiple occasions. Most encouraging of all, Barnes looked capable in coverage—normally his weakness. The Patriots had little success with their tight ends and running backs and Barnes was a key reason why. He never looked lost in coverage and shadowed his man effectively.
The Lions needed Barnes to step up after Jack Campbell’s injury, and performances like these do a lot to instill confidence in the linebacking corps going forward.
Quick hits:
Winner: Drew Petzing, OC
Petzing was on fire on Sunday. The Lions got a lot of great performances on offense, but none of them happen without the right play call at the right time. Nearly everything Detroit threw at New England worked. Petzing deserves to be in the conversation for best offensive coordinator in the league.
Winner: Sione Vaki, RB
Vaki only had a limited number of touches before garbage time (six carries for 28 yards and one catch for 17 yards), but he continues to make impactful plays when called upon. He also had a brilliant pass block that enabled Goff to hit St. Brown for his 56-yard touchdown. Even if Isiah Pacheco returns this season, Vaki has cemented his spot as a dependable RB2.
Loser: Sam LaPorta, TE
He and Brock Wright are doing well as blockers, especially with the sidecar formation, but his lack of impact as a receiver (one catch for 16 yards) is concerning. Over the last four games, he has just nine catches for 99 yards.
Winner: Alim McNeill, DT
Another week with a sack for McNeill. Few defensive tackles in the league have his combination of run stopping and pass rush.
Winner: DJ Wonnum, DE
Moore finished with two sacks, but Wonnum was a solid contributor as well. He had a sack of his own along with multiple pressures. Given his ability as a pass rusher and run defender, he will be relied upon as an every-down player with Hutchinson missing time.
Winner: Brian Branch, S
Branch has unquestionably played a massive part in the Lions’ defensive turnaround. His ability in coverage and run defense are instrumental to the entire defense succeeding. He had two passes defended and three run stops on Sunday.
Losers: Ennis Rakestraw and Nick Whiteside, CB
Rakestraw only played a few snaps but made the least of them. He gave up a catch to Hunter Henry after a poor tackling attempt. On the ensuing drive, he committed a pass interference—a 30-yard penalty that nearly outpaced the Patriots offense. As for Whiteside, he got called for pass interference late in the game that helped facilitate a Patriots touchdown. With Ya-Sin and McCreary playing well, Rakestraw will likely stay limited to reserve duties and Whiteside might get shuttled back to the practice squad.
Winner: Isaac TeSlaa, WR
TeSlaa is still only catching a pass or two per game, but he makes the most them. His touchdown grab was a brilliant acrobatic catch. When you factor in his blocking, this was a perfect performance for a tertiary option on offense.
Winner: K.J. Britt, LB
Not only was Britt surprisingly active on defense (22 snaps per PFF), he was surprisingly solid. His coverage and run defense were both stout. The Lions have been rotating Malcolm Rodriguez and Trevor Nowaske behind Barnes, but now Britt also enters the fray as a depth option.
