Jaguars vs Lions - Post Game Observations

[Just Want A Title]

The Lions played a very complete game today.  The offense seemed to be hitting on all cylinders today.  The vertical passing game showed signs of life.  The defense played well but might have gotten a little lucky with some of the drops by the Jaguars.  Our Special Teams played well going 4/4 on FGs and helping with field position with a couple of nice returns.  That said:

Coaching:

- This might have been the best game by Dan Campbell and his staff to date.  They could have suffered a let-down due to the long layoff or been over-confidence after playing Buffalo so close.  Instead, they played a smart and at times dominant game in all phases

- Ben Johnson is doing a great job at play calling and scheming up a hard-to-defend offense.  The only negative thing about todays performance is that it seemed like there were some good cut-back opportunities in our running-game

- Aaron Glenn had another good day but I think teams have found a weakness with intermediate and deep-crossing routes.  I am not sure if that is a scheme or execution issue

Offense:

- Jared Goff played a great game.  He played within himself and was very accurate on short and intermediate routes.  The Lions didn't take many deep shots but the 1st Quarter throw to DJ Chark was perfect.  He showed pretty good pocket awareness and didn't make mistakes when he was pressured.  It was good to see him build some chemistry with DJ Chark while managing to connect on passes to WRs TE, and RBs.

- DJ Chark finally had the type of game we have been waiting for.  I know he is on a one-year deal but if our top 3 WRs are Amon Ra St Brown, DJ Chark and Jameson Williams next year our offense will be fun to watch

- D'Andre Swift finally showed signs of life today.  He was pretty good in the passing game making plays on wheel-routes and screens.  He even made some tough runs.  I think today's game showed the perfect role for him assuming he can continue to stay healthy

- Jamal Williams had another good game and is probably our MVP on offense with 14 TDs  However, there might be a minor concern with his ball-control of-late.  I know he is a hard-nosed runner but I think he needs to do a better job of not taking big hits.  He lost a fumble after getting rocked by Ed Oliver last week and almost lost another one this week.  It might be a case of him trying to do too much

- Brock Wright is developing into a really solid TE.  His blocking has always been pretty good and he made some important contributions on the passing game today.  Kudos to Brad Holmes for signing him as an UDFA

- The O-Line continues to be really strong.  They were good in pass protection and opening up holes in the running game.  Lets hope this remains a part of our identity as a team.

- Amon Ra St Brown continues to perform at such a high-level.  His performance and how he plays speaks for itself

- What happened to James Mitchell?  We could really use someone like him to move the chains rather than run so many out-routes

- Clock management issues?  None this week.

Defense:

- Aidan Hutchinson had another solid game.  He was double-teamed a lot but got to Trevor Lawrence later in the game when we needed a stop.  

- Given the the amount of double-teams that were drawn by Aidan Hutchinson the other D-Lineman didn't really get home for sacks as one might expect.  They did create pressures and hurries but we will need more than that against really good teams

- The secondary played pretty well today but they were playing against a team that basically rolls with three slot WRs.  Still, they did a nice job of limiting big plays and YAC.  The pass break-up by Jerry Jacobs was a really good play.

- Kirby Joseph had a run of 4-games where he played really well but his play has dropped off a little bit the last two games.  It looks like he is thinking a little more and it may be slowing him down

- On the other hand, Alex Anzalone has been pretty good the last two games.  He may be better as a role-player than a starter but he made some good plays today

- Derrick Barnes had really good run-stop for a loss.  It would be nice to have more situations where Derrick Barnes and Malcom Rodriguez are playing together.  That said, adding a talented LB in the off-season should probably be high up on the to-do list.  Trent Simpson seems like he would be a perfect fit

- I want to like Jeff Okudah more than I like him now but watching him fall down in coverage really made me cringe.  This hasn't happened a lot this year but sometimes his footwork is just atrocious.  We got lucky because the pass was over-thrown but a really good team would have made us pay for that

- DeShon Elliot has quietly had a pretty good season.  Playing along side a rookie is never easy.  He and Kirby Joseph have done a sold job if keeping things in front of them and limiting big plays.  

- James Houston racked up another sack at the end of the first half.  It will be interesting to see how much more upside he has as time goes on.  

Special Teams:

- Michael Badgely deserves a lot of credit for making all four FGs today.  He may not be our kicker of the future but being able to hit FGs from 40-48 yards consistently is a huge boost for the Lions

- Justin Jackson is flashing in the return game.  It seems like he is due to break a return for a TD soon

 

The Lions had a good game against a team that they were favored to beat.  They did a nice job of avoiding the trap of coming out flat after a long layoff.  Our stretch run is going to be pretty interesting.  Thoughts?

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by Just Want A Title

[Sllim Pickens]

I only watched the first few possessions and then had to drive and listen on the radio but here are a few things I liked:

- The clock management before the half was much better.  We forced Jacksonville to burn a couple timeouts and still gave them the ball back but with less time and less time outs.  The run play on 3rd and long was smart, almost got a first down, and forced that use of another TO.  That almost was catastrophic for Jacksonville with Lawrence getting hurt on that final drive but fortunately for them he was ok. 

- The playcalling out of halftime seemed much better.  We have been brutal in 3rd quarters and coming out and having a long drive for a TD was huge. 

- The defense played very well in this one and a week after Lawrence broke out it was great to see.  They dont have the WRs who can truly take advantage of our DBs but it was a good game overall even if Zay Jones helped us out a few times by dropping the ball.  We definitely need more talent on the back end but will help to get Okwara back and get more pressure up front consistently.  

- James Houston is having a heck of  a start to his career.  Three sacks in his first ten snaps is absolutely insane.  He should get more reps but likely will lose some to Okwara next week.  

- ARSB - He is a top 5-7 WR in the league IMO.  He may not have the after burners that Hill, Chase, Jackson etc have but he is a chain mover.  Great hands, great routes, super reliable, and just makes plays.  He has been so fun to watch and cant wait to see what happens as we add more talent to the WR room with Jameson getting more reps since it should open things up for him underneath.  I think Chark finally showing up today really helped him and Swift given they had to respect the deep ball and Jamo will only make that better.  

Overall this team is fun to watch.  I was so disappointed after the Miami game and was sad to see this staff and team that had so much promise wasting away on dumb calls and mistakes.  Seeing them play like this now is also frustrating because we were so close to winning and should have won 3 more games, with one of those against Minny which would have put us 1 game out of the division lead right now.  We have the talent to do it and its exciting to finally be coming together all while also likely ending up with a top 5 pick from the Stafford trade.  

[Just Want A Title]

1 hour ago, Sllim Pickens said:

I only watched the first few possessions and then had to drive and listen on the radio but here are a few things I liked:

- The clock management before the half was much better.  We forced Jacksonville to burn a couple timeouts and still gave them the ball back but with less time and less time outs.  The run play on 3rd and long was smart, almost got a first down, and forced that use of another TO.  That almost was catastrophic for Jacksonville with Lawrence getting hurt on that final drive but fortunately for them he was ok. 

- The playcalling out of halftime seemed much better.  We have been brutal in 3rd quarters and coming out and having a long drive for a TD was huge. 

- The defense played very well in this one and a week after Lawrence broke out it was great to see.  They dont have the WRs who can truly take advantage of our DBs but it was a good game overall even if Zay Jones helped us out a few times by dropping the ball.  We definitely need more talent on the back end but will help to get Okwara back and get more pressure up front consistently.  

- James Houston is having a heck of  a start to his career.  Three sacks in his first ten snaps is absolutely insane.  He should get more reps but likely will lose some to Okwara next week.  

- ARSB - He is a top 5-7 WR in the league IMO.  He may not have the after burners that Hill, Chase, Jackson etc have but he is a chain mover.  Great hands, great routes, super reliable, and just makes plays.  He has been so fun to watch and cant wait to see what happens as we add more talent to the WR room with Jameson getting more reps since it should open things up for him underneath.  I think Chark finally showing up today really helped him and Swift given they had to respect the deep ball and Jamo will only make that better.  

Overall this team is fun to watch.  I was so disappointed after the Miami game and was sad to see this staff and team that had so much promise wasting away on dumb calls and mistakes.  Seeing them play like this now is also frustrating because we were so close to winning and should have won 3 more games, with one of those against Minny which would have put us 1 game out of the division lead right now.  We have the talent to do it and its exciting to finally be coming together all while also likely ending up with a top 5 pick from the Stafford trade.  

What I like about this coaching staff is that when they recognize something as a mistake they correct it pretty quickly.  What is a little odd is is a lot of our problems seemed to have been caused by "experienced coaches".  The offense improved a lot when Anthony Lynn stopped calling plays.  The defense improved a lot when Aubrey Pleasant was let go.  We have a relatively young/inexperienced coaching staff that is having growing pains along with the players but that seems to work much better for this team.

[Sllim Pickens]

2 hours ago, Just Want A Title said:

What I like about this coaching staff is that when they recognize something as a mistake they correct it pretty quickly.  What is a little odd is is a lot of our problems seemed to have been caused by "experienced coaches".  The offense improved a lot when Anthony Lynn stopped calling plays.  The defense improved a lot when Aubrey Pleasant was let go.  We have a relatively young/inexperienced coaching staff that is having growing pains along with the players but that seems to work much better for this team.

Pleasant was a relatively young and inexperienced coach himself.  He had coached CBs for a few years but this was his first try at the whole back end.  

I disagree on the coaches finding a problem and fixing it quickly.  It took a while to let go of Pleasant or to correct whatever he was doing wrong.  They also have struggled with clock issues and in game time management for two years until this game where it really didnt matter.  They are improving which is a good thing, and seem to be making the right adjustments and aren't afraid to make shocking changes, but they arent always too swift in doing so.