Lions rookie report: Rookie heroics lead to win over Packers

Recapping the huge contributions of the Lions rookie class in the Week 18 win over the Packers

The Detroit Lions may not have been fighting for a spot in the playoffs, but this win over the Green Bay Packers sure felt like a meaningful game.

Winning 20-16, Detroit got off to a slow start but things seemed to have clicked for them in the second half. Thanks to some heroics by members of the rookie class, Detroit came out victorious and eliminated Green Bay from playoff contention.

EDGE Aidan Hutchinson

The second-overall pick from the 2022 draft class, Hutchinson was a dominant force throughout the first half of the game. He picked on Packers right tackle Yosh Nijman early and often, and beat him for two sacks on Aaron Rodgers.

He didn’t get to the quarterback in the second half, but his presence was enough to get Nijman benched for rookie Zach Tom.

S Kerby Joseph

Earlier this season, Kerby Joseph intercepted two passes from Aaron Rodgers to secure a Lions victory.

In what feels like deja vu, Joseph once again made his presence known in the Lions’ secondary. The rookie from Illinois initially intercepted Rodgers in the third quarter, but it was called back due to a hands to the face penalty by John Cominsky.

It didn’t take long for the rookie to make magic happen again. On Rodgers’ final pass of the game, he took a deep shot for Christian Watson but Joseph got under it and came away with a pick.

Joseph finished the day with five total tackles. With the season at an end, the Lions’ coaching staff will have to figure out how to get Joseph into a full-time starting role alongside Tracy Walker.

The rest of the rookies

Pass rusher James Houston took down Aaron Rodgers once in this game, but the tackle was not credited as a sack. He got the start at his hybrid linebacker/defensive end role and played well both in coverage and against the run.

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez started the game at linebacker in a 5-2 defensive front. He had a fairly quiet game, and even had some drives where he was on the bench in favor of Derrick Barnes. Rodriguez assisted on three tackles on defense and on punt coverage.

Tight end James Mitchell continued his streak of having one catch for a first down in a game. He caught one pass for seven yards in the first half. Mitchell also committed a penalty late in the game, but it didn’t end up costing much for Detroit.

Wide receiver Jameson Williams technically scored a touchdown in this game, but it was called back due to a penalty committed by swing tackle Matt Nelson. Williams was targeted once when it counted, but he dropped the pass from Goff. The rookie speedster will need to spend this offseason studying the playbook and getting some practice in with Goff to build up that chemistry for next season.

Defensive lineman Josh Paschal was active but did not record any stats or do anything of note, despite coming off a two-sack performance just one week ago.

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