The Detroit Lions picked up their fourth straight victory on Sunday, defeating the Miami Dolphins by a score of 19-9. The final margin wasn’t as decisive as it appears, but Detroit’s defense picked it up and shut down Miami to help keep pace in a competitive NFC North race.
Like any game, there were several things to take away and at 6-2, they could determine whether Detroit can rise to the top in a cutthroat division. For now, the Lions can celebrate the win and see if they can keep their momentum going when they travel to Germany to face the New England Patriots next week.
Immediate takeaways from the Detroit Lions' Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins
The Detroit Lions’ defense did Jack Campbell proud
Although they picked up the win over the Minnesota Vikings last week, the Lions suffered a big loss when Jack Campbell suffered a neck injury in the fourth quarter. Detroit got positive updates throughout the week as Campbell announced he has full movement in his lower body and is working toward regaining normal movement in his upper body, but it was still a question how the Lions would react in their first game without him.
Several Lions showed up wearing Campbell’s No. 46 jersey on the way to the stadium and they brought that energy to the field, holding Miami to nine points and 228 yards of total offense. In addition, the Lions generated a turnover when Malik Willis lofted a meatball sub to safety Chuck Clark in the third quarter.
The Lions are obviously missing Campbell in the middle of their defense. They were also shorthanded due to other injuries, with cornerback D.J. Reed and edge rusher D.J. Wonnum declared inactive before the game. But Detroit may have turned a corner, holding opponents to an average of 14.7 points over their last four games and it’s a fitting tribute to their fallen leader.
The Lions got cute with their offensive line and it almost cost them
Detroit entered Sunday with the No. 1 spot in Pro Football Focus’s offensive line rankings, but they felt like there was room for improvement. That feeling came with a surprise as Miles Frazier replaced Christian Mahogany at left guard. The CBS broadcast later referred to it as a “coaches’ decision,” and it turned out to be a choice that (almost) cost them the game.
Frazier was bull-rushed right into Jared Goff’s lap in the first quarter, which resulted in the quarterback’s second interception of the year. Things didn’t get better as the game continued, as Frazier posted a 48.5 pass-blocking grade and while PFF only charged him with one pressure, it was clear he was a turnstile on the interior.
The Lions offensive line had a rough game overall, allowing Goff to be sacked three times on the afternoon. But the decision to replace Mahogany with Frazier was unnecessary as Mahogany posted a 79.6 overall grade and had allowed just six pressures and no sacks on 190 pass-blocking snaps coming into the game per PFF.
Maybe Dan Campbell and his staff will have a valid reason for the change after the game. But the Lions got cute and it almost handed themselves a costly loss.
Jahmyr Gibbs took another step toward the Offensive Player of the Year Award
Gibbs’s stats weren’t pretty from this game and it may have been part of the Miles Frazier experiment along the offensive line. While he finished with 20 carries for 74 yards and failed to catch his lone target, he was still able to make his mark, scoring the Lions’ lone touchdown of the game on an eight-yard run in the third quarter.
The touchdown was historic as Gibbs became the fifth player in NFL history to have 11 or more touchdowns in each of his first four seasons. Three of the four other players (Eric Dickerson, Marcus Allen, Bob Hayes) to accomplish that feat are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the fourth, Ricky Watters, has a compelling case to join them.
On an afternoon when yards and points were tough to come by, Gibbs’s trip to the end zone was still inevitable, and it’s something that could help the Lions on days when their offense is running on all cylinders and help Gibbs win the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year Award.
Add us as a preferred source on Google