Week 8 - Raiders vs Lions Post Game Observations

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The Lions started a bit slow against the Raiders but pulled away in the second half for a solid "W".  It wasn't perfect, especially early and was definitely a tail of two-halves.  Despite being down two starters on the O-Line, losing Kayode Awosika and making some really bad turnovers the Lions powered their way to a solid bounce-back win.  Despite the fact that he was on the opposing team it was fun to watch Maxx Crosby.  He deserves a ton of credit for wrecking plays in just about every conceivable way.  Hopefully the bye week will give the Lions O-Line a chance to finally get healthy.  That said:

Dan Campbell:  The Lions left the loss to Baltimore in Baltimore and came ready to play.  That was the most important thing that needed to be done.  Check the box on that.  Dan Campbell has been criticized for his clock management but the he handled it perfectly at the end of the first half.  Executing 5-7 minute drives at the beginning of the 4th quarter is becoming a hallmark for this team when they have a lead and it puts a ton of pressure on opposing teams.  I think he might need to work with Ben Johnson to tweak the offense to make it less predictable early in games but other than that, Dan Campbell had a pretty good day.

Ben Johnson:  It is tough to say what is going on with the offense.  It started pretty slow.  The raiders seemed to telegraph our fakes and mis-direction plays.  Baltimore seemed to telegraph a lot of our plays as well.  We had some uncharacteristic problems in the Red Zone also.  However, Ben Johnson made some good adjustments at halftime and the offense started rolling in the second half. The O-Line played better as the game went on but it seems like teams are having some success at disrupting our blocking schemes.  I was surprised to see Sam LaPorta single-blocking Maxx Crosby and unsurprisingly it let to a significant TFL.  Granted, we were down two starters on the O-Line but the Raiders aren't exactly stellar up front outside of Maxx Crosby.  I hope that the Lions make some adjustments to their blocking schemes because other teams seem to be figuring them out.

Aaron Glenn:  Aaron Glenn had a good day.  The played well early but weren't necessarily dominant.  The D-Line was still in containment mode against a not-great Raiders O-Line early but really picked up the pressure as the game went on .  The Lions still stayed engaged with their blockers too long but it didn't come back to haunt them.  Example:  In the first quarter Alim McNeill bull-rushed his blocker straight past Jimmy G but didn't get a hand on him.  I hope they watch the tape of Maxx Crosby in this game because he put on a master class of knowing when to disengage from blockers to make a play on the ball.  The secondary did a nice job all day.  They still need to get consistent sack production from the D-Line so that they don't have to rely on blitzing from LBs, CBs and Safeties.

Offense:

Jared Goff-He has a really solid bounce-back game despite throwing a really ugly pick-6.  He deserves some credit for not letting the INT and the fumbles by Josh Reynolds and Craig Reynolds get him frustrated.  He did a really good job of hitting his receivers in stride today and was putting the ball into some pretty tight windows.  The one thing with Jared Goff his that he still isn't used to the speed of Jameson Williams.  That throw he put behind him early is a good example.  Jamo is still developing but Jared Goff needs to put him in a position to succeed also.

Jahmyr Gibbs-He finally had the break-out game everyone has been waiting for.  He got tough yards inside.  He ripped off chunk plays on outside runs.  He was really good in the passing game as well.  If he and David Montgomery are both playing well after the bye this offense is going to be fun to watch

Sam LaPorta-Another solid game from Sam LaPorta.  He is really good at making the tough catch when we need it.  Some of his shorter routes need to be closer to the first down marker but other than that, he continues to play at a high level.

Amon Ra St Brown-He put together a really good game against the Raiders.  The Lions introduced some different routes on the outside and the worked really well.  He has become the ultimate technician as a WR

Jameson Williams-He got roughed up in Baltimore but came back and showed some signs of growth.  He drew a long PI on a solid double-move.  If he starts running come-back routes and combines that with deeper routes using that double-move make this offense really explosive.  His catch over the middle in traffic was solid.  We wasn't bothered by the contact or making a catch in somewhat contested space.  As with Jahmyr Gibbs, his break-out game is coming.

Craig Reynolds-He has done pretty well with additional reps since David Montgomery went down.  His Red Zone fumble was not great but sometimes that happens when RBs try to hard to fight for yardage.  It happened last year with Jamal Williams a couple of times.  Still, that is something he needs to not let happen again.  His performance should help the Lions limit the wear and tear on both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs

O-Line-They had a solid game.  They started slow but got rolling as the game progressed.  They have been allowing more pressure in Jared Goff this year compared to last year and that seemed to continue against the Raiders.  Hopefully getting everyone healthy will help with that.

Brock Wright-He has been pretty quiet this year due to the emergence of Sam LaPorta but his blocking in this game really made a difference.  

Defense:

Alim McNeill-He had a really good game especially in the 4th quarter when we needed to close the game out.  We need him to do this against good teams though.  If he can learn to disengage from his blockers a little sooner his game will go to another level.  

Julian Okwara-He notched another sack today and played well in a limited role.  It is good to see him find some success after battling through injuries and almost losing his roster spot.  I don't think too many people expected that.

Alex Anzalone-Alex Anzalone come so far as a player since he joined the Lions.  He has cleaned up his missed tackles.  He is much better in coverage.  His blitzing skills, particularly his timing, have really gotten a lot better.  

Tracy Walker-He continues to play really well.  He is making plays all over the field.  He may not have great hands but his play in just about every other area has been fun to watch.

Kerby Joseph-He finally had the game he needed to have.  He was a little slow to return to form after returning from an injury.  He was in perfect position when he made the INT in the endzone.  Next time, he needs to take the touchback.  

Cam Sutton-He is quietly having a really good season for the Lions.  Granted, the Raiders offense is in shambles but he was matched up with Davante Adams for much of the day and didn't let him impact the game.  He got lucky on one deep route where he was beat but Jimmy G couldn't make the throw.  He is to the defense what ARSB is to the offense.

D-Line as a Group-I don't know quite know what to think about our D-Line.  They seem to be having a hard time getting to the QB and collapsing the pocket consistently.  We have started blitzing LBs, CBs and Safeties to generate more pressure and sacks.  Josh Pascal hasn't provided a complimentary EDGE threat we were expecting.  Maybe he will get there.  I do know that if the Lions want to make a deep playoff run, our D-Line will have to be able to collapse the pocket and sack opposing QBs without relying on too much blitzing.

 

Special Teams:

Riley Patterson-His kickoffs have been going deeper into the end-zone than in his previous stint with Detroit.  Knocking down 3 FGs including a 52-yarder was good to see.  I haven't seen the replay on his late missed FG but LS Scott Daly went right to the trainers after that play.  I am not sure if whatever injury he had affected the kick or not.  Still, he kept us in the game early and nailed a longer FG.  He seems to be slowly and steadily becoming a good PK.

Overall:  This was a solid win for the Lions.  They weren't perfect and they were missing some key players but they found a way to win convincingly.  The offense still needs to be less predictable and get into a rhythm earlier in the game.  I don't think we have had a game where it really seems like the offense is hitting on all cylinders quite yet.  The D-Line is still a bit of an enigma with respect to pass-rush.  Hopefully, the bye week will give the coaching staff a chance to work out these issues and have the Lions set up for a solid post-season run.  

The Big Picture:  We are 6-2 with a two game lead in a division without any strong challengers.  We should be getting Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow and James Houston back after the bye.  Our remaining overall schedule isn't that tough but we do play some quality teams such as Dallas, San Diego and New Orleans.  If this team stays focused and avoids any "trap games" they are primed to win the division and make some noise in the playoffs.