Category: Gameday

Lamar Jackson’s career struggles against the Steelers continue

Once again Lamar Jackson just couldn’t put up the same kind of numbers against the Steelers that he regularly does vs the rest of the NFL

Once again, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson couldn’t put up the same numbers against the Pittsburgh Steelers he regularly does versus the rest of the National Football League.

In an 18-16 loss on the road, Jackson’s quarterback rating was 66.1, about half where it had been (123.2) for the season entering this game. He also completed just 48.5% of his passes on Sunday, a significant drop-off from the 69.1% completion rate he was at before this game.

His yards per attempt at Pittsburgh today was three below his season average.

“I don’t know what it is, man,” Jackson said, somewhat presciently, heading into this game.

Compounding the problem was that he threw his third interception of the season. He had thrown just two in 10 games and 288 attempts entering this massive divisional clash.

In the run-up to this game, head coach John Harbaugh discussed how well his franchise quarterback had been handling the football.

“I think Lamar has just been intentional about playing as well as he can across the board, and that’s a big part of it,” Harbaugh said, as cited in ESPN.

“There are so many things that go into playing the quarterback position, and then so many things that go into the thing that you’re talking about, as well.

“We’ve improved greatly in those huddle, pre-snap communication areas; we have to continue to get better at that and then operating the plays at a high level.

“So, all of those things go into it, and all of us would say we have to continue to improve with a sense of urgency in everything we’re doing.”

The subpar performance dropped Jackson’s record at Heinz Field/Acrisure Stadium to just 1-4. In those games, he’s accounted for five touchdowns versus 11 turnovers, completing 56.7% of his passes while guiding the Ravens to just 19 ppg.

Ravens fall to 7-4 as offense sputters in 18-16 loss to Steelers in Week 11

Ravens fall to 7-4 as offense sputters in 18-16 loss to Steelers in Week 11

Lamar Jackson will have to wait a few weeks to get that much-needed win over the Steelers after the Ravens sputtered in neutral for most of the afternoon in an 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium.

The NFL’s No. 1 ranked quarterback in QBR, Jackson was 16-33 passing for 207 yards (6.3 avg), one touchdown, one interception, and a 66.1 rating, the lowest of this season.

Jackson had four carries for 46 yards, while Derrick Henry was held to 65 yards (5.0 avg) on 13 carries and one rushing touchdown, tying the single-season franchise record for touchdowns.

Zach Orr’s maligned defense held Pittsburgh to 4-16 on third downs and 303 total yards, but Pittsburgh held the football for 36:22, compared to Baltimore’s 23:38.

The Steelers held the Ravens ‘ top-ranked offense to 329 yards and just 124 yards rushing. Justin Tucker’s two missed field goals will further magnify the two-point loss. On the day, Tucker was 1-3 on field goal attempts, while Steelers kicker Chris Boswell was a perfect 6-6, including a 57-yard field goal.

Baltimore will quickly regroup before a massive Monday night matchup against Jim Harbaugh and the 6-3 Los Angeles Chargers.

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Lions blow away the Jaguars and also some franchise records in the process

Lions blow away the Jaguars and also some franchise records in the process

Last week’s Detroit Lions game went down to the wire, full of drama and suspense. The Lions won in Week 10 in Houston 26-23 on the last play of the game after trailing the Texans almost all night.

There was no such drama with Sunday’s Week 11 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Ford Field. Detroit was in complete control of the visitors from Duval almost from the opening kickoff. The Lions rolled to a 52-6 home win in a game that wasn’t close after the opening possessions.

The Lions scored every time they touched the ball in the first half, going 4-for-4 on touchdown drives. All four gained at least 64 yards, with the Lions outgaining the Jaguars 306-104 at the half.

Halftime was but a delay in the ongoing onslaught. Detroit’s starting offense scored touchdowns on all three possessions it played in the second half, rolling the lead to 49-6 before head coach Dan Campbell inserted the reserves early in the fourth quarter.

Jared Goff completed 24 of his 29 pass attempts, netting 412 yards and four TDs. Three of his five incompletions were intentional throwaways en route to a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Just for good measure, Goff outrushed Jagaurs starting RB Travis Etienne, 21 to 17, while the Lions starters were still playing.

Detroit’s defense also came to play, suffocating a banged-up Jaguars offense missing QB Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars went 3-and-out four times in their first eight possessions, with Kerby Joseph ending another with an interception off Mac Jones. Jacksonville gained just 170 net yards.

In the end, the Lions set a new franchise record for most yards gained in a game with 644. They also picked up a team-best 38 first downs. Both are in the top 10 single-game performances in NFL history.

WATCH: Derrick Henry ties Ravens franchise single-season TD record with 15th score

Baltimore running back Derrick Henry ties the Ravens franchise single season touchdown record in game vs. Steelers

Derrick Henry came to Baltimore to win a Super Bowl, but the future Hall of Famer will likely exit with several franchise records.

Henry has now scored a touchdown in all 11 games the Ravens have played. Henry has 15 total scores (13 rushing, two receiving), which ties in with the franchise record held by Ray Rice (2011) and Mark Ingram (2019).

Henry has 1,120 yards (6.1 avg) on 151 carries, 12 rushing touchdowns, and one fumble.

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Lions inactives vs. Jaguars: Sam LaPorta out, 3 healthy scratches on the OL

Lions inactives vs. Jaguars: Sam LaPorta out, 3 healthy scratches on the OL in Week 11

The Detroit Lions released their inactive player list for the Week 11 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The biggest name was one that was already known, with tight end Sam LaPorta already ruled out with a shoulder injury.

LaPorta is the only player on the active roster out due to injury. Cornerback Carlton Davis broke his thumb during the week, but he’s active. So is left tackle Taylor Decker, who missed Week 10 with a shoulder/chest issue.

All the other inactive Lions are considered healthy scratches, with three of them coming along the offensive line:

OL Giovanni Manu
G Christian Mahogany
T Colby Sorsdal
S Loren Strickland
DE Al-Quadin Muhammad

Muhammad is inactive thanks to the addition of veteran Za’Darius Smith, who will make his Lions debut against the Jaguars.

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Steelers sending a ‘motivated’ Patrick Queen out for coin toss vs. Ravens

Patrick Queen will be one of the Pittsburgh captains for Sunday game vs. the Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens and Steelers are set for the first of two highly intense matchups, and Patrick Queen has already declared this contest a must-see TV event.

Speaking to reporters about Sunday’s matchup and reflecting on free agency, Queen said that Baltimore didn’t offer him a new contract before he signed a three-year deal with Pittsburgh.

“I wasn’t wanted back. I didn’t get an offer back. It’s definitely kind of upsetting, being there for four years, the bond that you grow with your teammates. At the end of the day, the first few months, you definitely go through those feelings.”

Looking to add his own spice to the contention, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is planning to make Queen a captain for the game, and he’ll be out front for the coin toss.

The running mate for Roquan Smith, Queen made his first Pro Bowl this season after logging 125 tackles (78 solos) and matching a career-high with six passes defended. He also added 3.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery for the best defense in the league.

Queen is the only NFL defender to have produced at least 400 tackles (with 445), double-digit sacks (13.5), and double-digit takeaways (four interceptions and six fumble recoveries) since 2020.

This season in Pittsburgh, Queen has 62 tackles, no sacks, and a 101 passer rating allowed on 324 coverage snaps.

Lions vs. Jaguars: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction

Lions vs. Jaguars: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction for the Week 11 matchup in Ford Field

This Sunday’s morning coffee brings back reflections of the last time the Lions played the Jaguars. That meeting in December of 2022 was the first time Dan Campbell’s Lions played like a great team.

Those Lions blew out a Jaguars team that would go on to win a playoff game. Detroit has never looked back. Adding significantly more talent on both sides of the ball and growing the impressive young core has made the Lions a viable Super Bowl contender. At 8-1, the Lions welcome back a Jaguars team that is a rotting shell of the sprightly crew that was on the business end of the 40-14 beatdown two years ago.

Why I think the Lions will win

Barring another fluky five-turnover performance from Jared Goff, the Lions passing offense should be able to hit big plays against the Jaguars. Goff’s five INT anomaly in Week 10 matches the entire season volume from Jacksonville’s defense in 10 games; they’re not a team that creates takeaways or stresses the ball well in either run or pass defense. And they don’t have anyone who can effectively mark Amon-Ra St. Brown working the intermediate part of the field.

If the Jaguars shift to compensate, then they don’t have any answer for Jameson Williams over the top. Or Jahmyr Gibbs out of the backfield on a quick swing pass. Or Brock Wright leaking out the back side on a delayed TE release. Or David Montgomery on a sprint draw play behind Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler, with Penei Sewell having already cleared out the linebacker.

In short, the Lions offensive diversity presents overwhelming issues for a Jaguars defense that got torched for 35 points by the Bears (!!) not too long ago.

Flip the side to Jacksonville’s offense. Trevor Lawrence might not be worth his astronomical salary, but Lawrence is at least a quality starting QB who has some real ability. He’s out, replaced by panicky, immobile, slow-to-throw Mac Jones. That’s a very poor fit with a replacement left tackle in Walker Little trying to fill in for injured starter Cam Robinson. Just for good measure, top RB Tank Bigsby is also out with an injury.

Even if they all played, the Lions defense still matches up well with a slow-paced offense that tries a little too hard to generate big plays. They might hit a couple, even with Jones at the helm. But asking this Jacksonville offense to keep pace with Detroit on the scoreboard is not a conducive path to victory for the visitors.

The Lions do the little things so much better, so much more frequently than the Jaguars. Things like third down offense and defense, red zone offense and defense, ball security, first-down rushing offense and defense. The 14-point spread in the odds reflects the relative confidence in the ability of each team to play to its capacity.

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What worries me about the Jaguars

I’ll be honest on this one. Not much concerns me about the Jaguars, not if the Lions take them seriously and play even a B-minus game or higher. There just isn’t enough breadth of impact talent on the Jaguars roster to compete with the Lions — if Detroit is focused and plays hard for four quarters.

That’s not to say the Jaguars are bereft of talent or ability. Their defensive front can cause some problems. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker are an athletic pass-rush combo that can impact the quarterback. Walker (7 sacks) and Hines-Allen (5.5) can each defeat good blocking and take advantage of missteps by the offensive line. Roy Robertson-Harris is the type of nationally underappreciated interior presence who can make a name for himself, too. He’s better than most Lions fans will expect him to be.

The Jaguars linebackers might be the fastest combo in the league. It doesn’t mean they tackle all that well (notably Ventrell Miller) or cover well (notably Devin Lloyd), but they do create some issues with their overall speed and ability to be where the offense doesn’t want them to be. With Sam LaPorta out, it makes life for the Jacksonville LBs a lot easier.

I’d be remiss to not mention Jaguars rookie wideout Brian Thomas. He’s been consistently outstanding, a legit No. 1 target and playmaker already. His size, speed and confident panache make Thomas a major potential problem. The Jaguars have a pair of quality pass-catching tight ends in Brenston Strange and Evan Engram, too. If they get anything from the likes of Christian Kirk or Gabe Davis, even Mac Jones can make some hay against a very good Lions secondary.

Final score prediction

The Lions have the better unit in every phase of this matchup against the Jaguars. As long as Detroit doesn’t get cute playing with its food, this shouldn’t be a stressful Sunday for Lions fans.

Lions 36, Jaguars 13

 

Lions win over the Texans: What they’re saying about Detroit’s epic comeback

Lions win over the Texans: What they’re saying on social media about Detroit’s epic comeback

Facing a 16-point halftime deficit on the road against a team that almost certainly will win its division (again), the Detroit Lions overcame. With no run game in the first half, with quarterback Jared Goff throwing five INTs in the first 10 drives, with several key players out of the lineup with injuries, it looked bleak for the Lions.

Didn’t matter. None of it could hold back the grit of Dan Campbell’s team. The Lions rallied around a heroic defensive effort, improved play from Goff and two clutch field goals from Jake Bates to turn a 23-7 humiliation in the first half into a 26-23 triumph that will have Detroit fans buzzing for days.

Here’s a sampling of the social media reaction to the Lions’ epic win, starting with safety Kerby Joseph,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a common theme from fans, and also the wife of offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler,

 

 

Lions stun the Texans and a national TV audience with an epic comeback win

The Lions stun the Texans and a national TV audience with an epic comeback win in Week 10

The Detroit Lions are 8-1 and alone in first place atop the entire NFC. For about 58 minutes of Sunday night’s game against the Texans in Houston, it sure looked like the Lions were headed for a second loss.

Not this team. Not Dan Campbell’s gritty Lions.

Despite five interceptions from Jared Goff, some really shaky offensive line play much of the night and falling into a 23-7 halftime hole, the Lions pulled off a comeback for the ages. First-year kicker Jake Bates squeezed a 52-yard field goal about six inches inside the left upright as time expired to lift the Lions to a 26-23 win.

The Lions overcame so much in this one, with many of those obstacles being self-imposed. Goff was uncharacteristically off all night, not just on the interceptions. The run game did nothing for the first three quarters, a combination of poor blocking and designs that the Texans defense was more than ready to defend. There were costly penalties on both sides of the ball.

Aaron Glenn’s undermanned defense played strong enough to keep the struggling offense within striking distance. Carlton Davis intercepted C.J. Stroud twice in the second half, the second one in the end zone with an incredible effort that prevented a sure-fire touchdown.

Detroit’s defense shut out Houston in the second half. The Lions offense got one last chance to win after Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed badly from 58 yards. Bates had just made a close-shave inside the right upright from 56 to tie it up. Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown picked up enough yards to get Bates in range, and the Houston-area native delivered.

It was a thrilling comeback for the Lions, one that left the NBC broadcast crew stunned. The grit to pull this one off, on the road against the AFC South-leading Texans in prime time, is the sort of victory that will earn these Lions more “team of destiny” type of talk.

Jared Goff had a bad night and social media let him know about it

Lions QB Jared Goff threw 5 INTs in the first 3 quarters against the Texans and the social media response was harsh

Jared Goff has been outstanding throughout the 2024 season. The Lions quarterback was deservedly a prime candidate for the NFL MVP through the first nine weeks of the season.

Week 10, alas, was not Goff’s night. In the first three quarters against the Houston Texans, Goff threw five interceptions. He had thrown just four in the first eight games and none since Week 3.

Not all of the picks were his fault, and the third was an end-of-half Hail Mary that was inconsequential. That didn’t stop the internet from having some fun at Goff’s expense. Note that at this time of the game, Goff was 9-for-23 with 5 INTs…