Defense was largely optional in the Detroit Lions’ 41-38 win in Los Angeles over the Chargers in Week 10. After a solid first few possessions, the Lions defense was the football equivalent of using an overripe banana as a hammer.
No matter what combination of personnel defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn trotted out against Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense, the banana kept getting smushed. And Glenn certainly tried mixing things up.
Aidan Hutchinson was the primary workhorse, with the DE playing 59 of the 72 snaps. The other EDGE spot rotated between several players and combinations:
Josh Paschal – 39
John Cominsky – 27
Julian Okwara – 22
Charles Harris – 18
Romeo Okwara – 18
That entire grouping aside from Hutchinson netted three total tackles and one QB pressure for the game.
The secondary was consistent. The primary five DBs — Brian Branch, Cam Sutton, Jerry Jacobs, Tracy Walker and Kerby Joseph — all played at least 60 of the 72 snaps. Will Harris saw five snaps in spot relief, with Ifeatu Melifonwu on the field for two and Khalil Dorsey for one, a play where Jacobs had to sit after needing attention from trainers.
On offense, the entire line played the whole game intact. Jared Goff also played all 66 offensive snaps. Rookie TE Sam LaPorta played 53, with Brock Wright on for 34 and James Mitchell chipping in another seven at TE, showing the Lions’ emphasis on 2-TE sets against a very talented Chargers defensive front.
The running back and wide receiver snap counts have an interesting breakdown. With both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery healthy at RB, Gibbs played 38 snaps to Montgomery’s 25. Reserve Craig Reynolds played three. Add those up and you get 66, shelving the idea of using Gibbs and Montgomery together for at least another week.
At wideout, Amon-Ra St. Brown played 61 of 66 snaps, followed by Josh Reynolds at 46. Jameson Williams asserted himself as WR3 by outrepping Kalif Raymond 34 to 17.