The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Lions Hold Off Saints

The Detroit Lions narrowly escaped the New Orleans Saints after taking a 21–0 lead, only to watch the Saints charge all the way back and send the game into overtime. Detroit would ultimately hold on, winning 31–30.

Overall, there were some good things, some bad things and some ugly things during this game.

The Good

Detroit’s run game looked phenomenal, and by run game, I mean Jahmyr Gibbs.

Gibbs had 29 carries for 156 yards, along with five receptions for 30 yards. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry and had a long run of 21 yards.

One thing I will say is that Gibbs had a handful of runs that seemed like they could have broken for 50-plus yards. He was consistently finding open space and making big plays when Detroit needed them.

Gibbs was PFF’s highest-graded offensive player, earning a 75.2 overall grade and a 77.9 run grade.

Penei Sewell looked outstanding as usual, earning an 85.9 run-blocking grade. Center Juice Scruggs also stepped up to the occasion, earning a 73.1 overall offensive grade and a 69.8 run-blocking grade, which was the second-best run-blocking grade on the Lions.

The Bad

I hate to say it, but Jameson Williams was not great.

Williams had two drops and possibly one more that could have made it three. He finished the day with four receptions for 45 yards on nine targets.

Williams’ biggest mistake came on a deep pass that would have been a completion of more than 50 yards. The ball hit him right in the hands, but he was unable to come down with it.

Overall, Williams has dealt with drops in the past, and this isn’t something I’m overly concerned about moving forward. However, if the drops continue, this could become ugly, as Williams is one of the more important playmakers on the Lions.

The Ugly

By far, the Lions’ secondary was the ugly part of this game.

Detroit allowed Saints quarterback Tyler Shough to throw for 410 yards. The Lions are clearly missing their two starting safeties, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.

Although Chuck Clark did record an interception, the cornerbacks were not at their best.

Rookie cornerback Keith Abney had the best PFF grade among the Lions’ cornerbacks with a 75.1, but he was only targeted twice all game.

Starting cornerback DJ Reed was targeted nine times, allowing five receptions for 134 yards. He earned a 60.1 PFF grade and surrendered a 47-yard completion, which was the longest pass of the game.

Rock Ya-Sin played even worse, earning a 48.1 coverage grade. He was flagged for two penalties and allowed seven receptions on nine targets for 52 yards and a touchdown. Ya-Sin also missed one tackle and did not record a single pass breakup.

Detroit looked good defensively in the first half, but the secondary got absolutely shredded in the second half.

Moving Forward

Detroit will have to clean up its secondary and make adjustments with the Buffalo Bills scheduled as its next opponent.

Buffalo is also coming off a victory in which it put up 36 points against an outstanding Houston Texans defense.

If things don’t change, Detroit will have to start winning games through shootouts, and that is not something that will take you very far in the playoffs.

The Lions escaped with a win this time, but they won’t be able to rely on that every week.