Tag: Al-Quadin Muhammad

Lions pass rush vs. Bears pass protection: Something’s got to give

Something’s got to give in battle between Detroit’s injury-ravaged D and Chicago’s bad blocking and Caleb Williams’ terrible sack rate

The Chicago Bears have a very real problem with pass protection. The Detroit Lions, thanks to injuries, have a problem rushing the passer of late.

Something’s got to give when the two square off in Soldier Field on Sunday.

Detroit’s pass rush has fallen off since the team lost starters Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes and (especially) Aidan Hutchinson in a four-week period. The Lions rank 26th in sack percentage and 23rd in QB pressure rate, but those figures fall to 27th in sack rate and 30th in pressure rate since Hutchinson was lost.

Now the Lions roll into Chicago without their top remaining rusher, DT Alim McNeill. It’s hard to quantify just how much that will impact the Lions pass rush, but consider he’s been responsible for almost exactly 20 percent of the team’s QB pressures over the last five weeks. Needless to say, it’s not a good development.

If ever there was a fortuitous time for the dilapidated Lions defense to make a statement, it’s facing the Chicago Bears. Losers of eight games in a row, their inability to protect rookie QB Caleb Williams, as well as Williams’ own inability to protect himself, has been one of the big reasons for the losses.

No current starting quarterback gets sacked more frequently than Williams, who averages going down on every ninth dropback. Over the last four weeks, which includes the first meeting between the two NFC North rivals, Williams has been both sacked and pressured more frequently than any other quarterback. Chicago allows a sack rate over 12 percent in that timeframe, despite ranking in the middle of the pack (18th) in pressure allowed rate.

From NFL Inside Edge, the sack rate for starting QBs:

In the Thanksgiving meeting in Detroit, the Lions sacked Williams five times and recorded 16 QB hurries (per PFF) on 44 dropbacks by the Bears offense. In the two games since, the Lions have recorded one sack and the 21st-ranked pressure rate in the league. And that was with McNeill!

The Bears pass protection gave and the Lions defense took in that last meeting. If Detroit can win that battle of give/take on Sunday, it will go a long way toward helping the Lions to get back on the winning path.

Al-Quadin Muhammad stepped up big in Lions win over Bears

Pressed into action due to injuries, Al-Quadin Muhammad played very well in Detroit’s Thanksgiving win over the Bears

Facing myriad injuries across the defensive front, the Lions desperately needed someone to step up in the Thanksgiving matchup with the Chicago Bears. Al-Quadin Muhammad answered the bell for Detroit.

The veteran defensive lineman played very well in the Lions win, notably in the second half. Filling in for injured Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike–both of whom were lost for the game in the first half–Muhammad offered energy and pass rush presence. Playing 43 snaps, Muhammad registered a sack and seven QB pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats from the game.

“I thought Muhammad played big for us,” coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “It was good to get him back in the lineup. He’s a relentless player, gives you all he’s got.”

The sack was Muhammad’s first of the year. He had 6.5 for the Colts in 2023, the only season of his seven-year NFL career where Muhammad was a regular starter. After spending time this season on Detroit’s practice squad, Muhammad could once again be called upon to play significant reps as the Lions’ injuries mount. No. 69 looked ready for more in a strong Thanksgiving performance.

 

Lions inactives vs. Colts: Terrion Arnold and a new OL added to the list

Lions inactives vs. Colts: Terrion Arnold and a new OL added to the list of players that won’t play for Detroit in Week 12

The inactive player list for the Detroit Lions in their Week 12 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts features a name no one wanted to see on the sidelines. The Lions ruled out starting cornerback Terrion Arnold on Saturday with a groin injury that the first-round rookie suffered in Thursday’s practice. He was initially listed as questionable before being downgraded.

Arnold’s absence is the biggest inclusion on the Lions’ inactive list. The rest of the list for Week 12 is populated with some usual suspects:

OL Giovanni Manu
OL Colby Sorsdal
DL Al-Quadin Muhammad

Defensive tackle Brodric Martin is inactive in his return from the I.R. list. That’s not terribly surprising given the injuries around the rest of the roster.

Offensive lineman Kayode Awosika is also inactive for the first time all season. That leaves the Lions with rookie Christian Mahogany as the top reserve guard, the first time Mahogany has been active.

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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Lions elevate two from practice squad for Week 9

Lions elevate two from practice squad for Week 9

The Lions announced Saturday they have elevated two players from the practice squad for Week 9 against the Packers. Detroit called up tight end Shane Zylstra and outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad.

Zylstra has surpassed Parker Hesse as the No. 3 tight end. Detroit released Hesse Saturday but he is a candidate to return on the practice squad. This is the third and final elevation the Lions can use on Zylstra. Expect him to be signed to the practice squad very soon.

Muhammad was called up last week against the Titans and had six pressures in the 52-14 win. It was his first appearance for the Lions. Detroit can elevate Muhammad one more time from the practice squad before having to sign him to the active roster.

Lions DE Al-Quadin Muhammad can provide a spark on the defensive line

Lions DE Al-Quadin Muhammad can provide a spark on the defensive line, and he proved it in Week 8 vs. the Titans

When the Detroit Lions lost defensive Aidan Hutchinson for the remainder of the season, there was certainly some doubt on how you can replace him. Certainly, there’s no replacing a player as good as Hutchinson but the Lions may have someone that can help provide a spark.

That player is defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad. The 29-year-old defensive end is not new to the NFL. He’s bounced around the league to teams such as the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. He even found himself on the Dallas Cowboys this past summer but was cut in August.

Since then, he found his way onto the Lions practice squad. At this point, I’d be surprised if Muhammad found his way back to the practice squad. After his first game with the Lions, it sure feels and looks like he’ll be here for the long haul this season.

In his debut, Muhammad did not record any tackles, but he did generate a team-high 6 pressures for the Lions defense against the Titans. Let’s dive into some film to take a look at what kind of spark he’s providing for the Lions defensive line.

The first rep that stood out on Sunday against the Titans was the play above. Looking at DE 69, you can see Muhammad aligned over Titans LT 55 JC Latham. The Titans 2024 1st Round Pick was known for his ability to anchor and the power within his game.

However, that’s not going to slow down Muhammad on this rep. Once the ball is snapped, you can see him turn speed-to-power and he uses a long arm to put Latham into the ground as he pressures Rudolph on this pass. If Muhammad was a step faster, this would have been a sack but this type of pressure is something that we’ve seen Hutchinson do so many times for the Lions defense.

The next play I want to highlight is on a 4th and goal for the Titans. On this play, Calvin Ridley ran out of the back of the end zone and reentered the field of play. This was a penalty and the Lions declined it to force a turnover on downs.

That said, I want to watch Muhammad on this play. Aligned in a wide-9 alignment, you can see him on the outside shoulder of the tight end. As the tight end looks to check release to the end zone, you can see Muhammad burst up field.

As he gets close to the right tackle, you’ll notice Muhammad chop the hands of the right tackle and he’ll rip through towards the quarterback. The impressive thing about this rep is how quickly Muhammad chop-rips on this rush. It appears that he trips on the turf as he begins to turn the corner to the quarterback. If he keeps his feet, these will turn into sacks for him and the Lions defense.

Overall, there’s much to be desired with what we saw from Al-Quadin Muhammad in his Lions debut. The 6 pressures is encouraging and at some point, those will lead to sacks and bigger plays.

Throughout his career, we’ve seen some positives from him. Looking back at 2021, Muhammad started 17 games for the Colts and he was able to generate 48 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. In his seven-year career, he’s been able to compile 152 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. As the season continues, he should become more productive, and it certainly looks like he will begin to carve out his role for the Lions defense.

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Snap count notes: Sorting the Lions defensive line mix against the Titans

Snap count notes: Sorting the Lions defensive line mix against the Titans to cover for all the injuries at EDGE

Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn had to do a lot of patchwork along the defensive front in the Detroit Lions’ Week 8 win over the Tennessee Titans. Thanks to recent injuries to the top three pass rushers on the roster (Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes, Aidan Hutchinson in order of injury) and top replacement starter Josh Paschal being inactive due to illness, the roster scramble was real.

The Lions started the game with Levi Onwuzurike and practice squad elevation Al-Quadin Muhammad as the starting EDGE players, going heavy on the front. Muhammad wound up playing the most snaps of any defensive lineman with 49, edging past DT Alim McNeill (45) and Onwuzurike (44). Starting nose tackle DJ Reader saw 39 reps.

Newcomer Isaiah Thomas made his Lions debut with 38 snaps. Rookie Mekhi Wingo, like Onwuzurike, played both inside and outside during his 30 reps. The same was true for Pat O’Connor in his 31 reps, though Wingo was outside a little more frequently than No. 95. James Houston played 19 snaps, with 13 from the right side and six on the left per Pro Football Focus tracking.

The disparity between the offensive and defensive snap counts was stark, with Detroit only running 48 offensive plays and the Titans offense on the field for 76. Fantastic special teams by the Lions and four Tennessee turnovers played a huge role in the lack of need for Detroit’s offense to play a lot of snaps en route to 52 points.

Quick notes:

–Jalen Reeves-Maybin was injured Malcolm Rodriguez’s primary replacement, with 14 snaps. Ben Niemann played seven in that LB role.

–The Lions pulled as many starters as they could for the final six offensive snaps, including Hendon Hooker coming in for Jared Goff at QB.

–Practice squad elevation TE Shane Zylstra played 13 snaps, a big uptick from the three he played in Week 7.

–Rookie RB Sione Vaki played one snap on offense.

–Safety Kerby Joseph was the only defensive player to stay on the field for every snap.

Lions elevate 2 players for Week 8 matchup with the Titans

Lions elevate 2 players for Week 8 matchup with the Titans, including veteran pass rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad

Faced with an acute shortage of EDGEs thanks to injuries and illness, the Detroit Lions added one from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s Week 8 matchup with the Tennessee Titans.

The Lions elevated veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad for the game with the Titans. It will be Muhammad’s first time playing in a Lions uniform, though the 29-year-old has played in 84 NFL games and started 34, mostly with the Indianapolis Colts. Head coach Dan Campbell indicated on Friday that Muhammad would get called up for this game.

Detroit also elevated tight end Shane Zylstra for the second week in a row. No. 84 played three offensive snaps in the Week 7 win over the Vikings.

Josh Paschal’s illness put the Lions in a pass rushing bind vs Titans

Starting DE Josh Paschal’s illness put the Lions in a pass rushing bind vs Titans, but head coach Dan Campbell has a plan

Just when it seemed like some much-needed stability and good fortune was coming to the Detroit Lions defensive line, more adversity struck. Starting DE Josh Paschal, who bagged the first of Detroit’s four sacks of Sam Darnold in Week 7, is suffering from an illness that has kept him out of practice all week.

Based on Dan Campbell’s press conference before Friday’s session, don’t expect Paschal to suit up for Sunday’s visit from the Tennessee Titans.

“Paschal’s dealing with something right now.,” Campbell said. “He’ll be OK long term, but he’s got a little bit of something. So, I don’t see him practicing today.”

Paschal jumped into a starting role only after Marcus Davenport and then Aidan Hutchinson went down with serious injuries in wins over Seattle (Week 4) and Dallas (Week 6). Playing as the “next man up”, Paschal represented a real dropoff in pressure creation and attacking versatility from the Week 1 starters.

The new next man up is freshly acquired Isaiah Thomas. The Lions signed him to the active roster last week after losing Hutchinson to a broken leg. Thomas had been on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad after failing to make the Cleveland Browns following the preseason.

“Yes, we will use Isaiah. He’s done enough during the week to want to get him out there and get him some reps. He’s in a good place and we’re excited to see him play.”

The Lions won’t rely just on Thomas, however. Campbell cited pretty much every defensive lineman on the roster, including practice squad member Al-Quadin Muhammad, as guys who will have to pick up the slack for the wounded pass rush.

“Yeah, that’s why those three guys have to step up between Isaiah (Thomas) and Muhammad and (James) Houston. They have to help, they have to help and that’s where it goes but as always, we spread the load across that D-line with Levi (Onwuzurike) and (Alim McNeill) Mac and (DJ) Reader and (Mekhi) Wingo and (Pat) O’Connor, so we have plenty in there and they pick up the slack.”

If you’re looking for an omission there, it would be Isaac Ukwu. The undrafted rookie started the last two games in Davenport’s spot as a practice squad elevation. Despite showing some vitality late in the win over Dallas, Ukwu struggled against Minnesota’s strong offensive line.

Lions shuffle up the practice squad coming out of the bye week

Lions shuffle up the practice squad coming out of the bye week, adding two players and releasing two others

The Detroit Lions made some roster changes to the practice squad coming out of the bye week. Two new players have signed on, while the Lions released two current members of the practice squad.

Detroit added EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad and LB Cam Gill to the practice squad on Monday.

Muhammad is a familiar face for Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn from their Saints days. He was a 6th-round pick by New Orleans in 2017, though he bounced around several NFL teams since. He was most recently on the summer roster of the Dallas Cowboys, whom the Lions face this week.

Gill fits more as a SAM LB type. The 26-year-old has played three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and also spent time with the Carolina Panthers.

To make room, the Lions said goodbye to safety Erick Hallett and kicker Matthew McCrane from the practice squad. Neither player had been elevated during the season and both joined Detroit after the season started following preseason action on other teams.