Detroit Lions: Kenny Golladay finally getting the credit he deserves

Following Sunday’s win, a former Detroit Lions receiver gave Detroit’s third-year wideout Kenny Golladay the praise he deserves.

The Detroit Lions earned a much-needed win on their home turf this weekend, beating the New York Giants, 31-26. Part of the reason why Detroit was able to win was despite an inconsistent running game, quarterback Matthew Stafford was able to air out the ball against a putrid Giants defense.

Stafford threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns, one going 49 yards to Marvin Hall Jr. and the other two going to third-year wide receiver Kenny Golladay.

The second of Golladay’s touchdown was perhaps the highlight of the game, as running back J.D. McKissic threw the ball back to Stafford on a trick play, who launched a deep ball to a wide open Golladay for a 41-yard touchdown.

Following the win, former Detroit Lion wide receiver and current New York Giant Golden Tate talked to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press and commented on the big day for the former Northern Illinois Huskie.

"“When he first got there, I was like, ‘This dude is not very good,’ and he quickly, quickly changed that.’ His work ethic — he showed up wanting to be good. In his first year, he showed us some glimpses of wanting to be amazing. The second year he did amazing … His third year, he’s just thriving. He’s thriving.”"

Golladay has come a long way since that initial judgement from Tate, as he has now truly earned his “Babytron” nickname.

Golladay’s strong performance of six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns proved Golladay’s role in the offense. He came through more than once on key third downs, proving to be the safety blanket that the Lions offense has lacked since Tate’s departure.

He has proven to be able to excel with the deep ball this season, as he has averaged more than 20 yards per catch in each of the last three games, benefiting from offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s risky play-calling full of passes that air the ball out.

Top wide receivers in the NFL separate themselves from the pack with elite skills, and Golladay has proved to be really good at catching passes in traffic, as he and Marvin Jones Jr. were each in the top 3 in contested catches, tying each other for second for 11 contested catches.

While Jones Jr. did put up an impressive four touchdown catches last week, games like today prove that Golladay is this team’s anchor on offense.

Especially with running back Kerryon Johnson going on the IR, Golladay is now arguably the best athlete on the offense now, and he uses his elite physical skills to create separation and make top catches.

Partially thanks to Golladay and a big day from the Detroit wide receivers, the Lions improve to 3-3-1, keeping their playoff hopes alive and showcasing this passing attack as being a force to be reckon with in the league.

If Kenny Golladay has a few more games like the one he had on Sunday, a Pro Bowl invite for the wide receiver is inevitable, if not this season, then next one for sure.