Tag: D’Andre Swift

3 Lions Stars of Week 6: D’Andre Swift left Jaguars in the dust

The Detroit Lions landed their second victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars due to the performances of this weeks 3-star winners

The Detroit Lions made quite a few adjustments during the bye week and it showed in their victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a new looked defense and an efficient running game, the Lions road to a 34-16 victory.

From start to finish, the Lions controlled the tempo of this game either with dialed up blitzes leading to turnovers or key runs on offense. The Lions victory was a straight team effort, and all facets seem to be in sync with one another. Now there are some areas to look over this coming week, but there are plenty of areas you can hang your hat and work with.

With multiple players showing up this week, there are plenty who deserve this week’s LionsWire three-star honors, but here are the three stars for this week.

1st Star: D’Andre Swift

It was the D’Andre Swift show today.

After seeing his snaps limited against the Cardinals, and featured more against the Saints, Swift was used heavily in the offense this week. And he didn’t disappoint, churning out 116 yards on the ground, averaging 8.3-yards per carry, and becoming the Lions’ first 100-yard rusher of the young 2020 season.

On top of that, he found the endzone twice to add for good measure.

Swift has landed on the first star honors two weeks in a row now, and he seems to be putting it all together to start the second quarter of the season. Expect the Lions to continue their heavy usage of Swift after back-to-back impressive performances.

2nd star: Trey Flowers

If anyone needed to step up on defense, it was Flowers, and he stepped up in a big way this week. The run defense was able to hold the Jaguars to only 44 yards, and it was due in large part to Flowers containing and closing any gaps that might’ve been open.

He finished the day with five total tackles and a strip-sack where his fellow defensive end Romeo Okwara recovered.

He also occasionally dropped in coverage, and on one play, he made a hit that rung D.J Chark bells so bad Flowers made him contemplate if he wanted to continue with the abuse.

Flowers was able to bring consistent pressure, making Gardner Minshew uncomfortable all day, and didn’t allow James Robinson to run over them. His leadership was on display, and the defensive line rallied behind him and he showed up in a big way against the Jaguars.

3rd star: Jonah Jackson

The final choice was between Jackson and Kenny Golladay, but ultimately I went with Jackson due to his presence being missed when the Lions opted to go back to their guard rotation.

The Lions started hot in the running game due largely to Jackson’s mulling ability and opening up gaps for Swift to strike.

Afterward, the Lions went to a guard rotation, and you could tell the offense was sorely missing his presence on the field. The Lions put him back either due to some injuries or the coaching staff wising up.

Jackson has quietly been the Lions’ best rookie so far this season, and if the Lions learn anything, he needs to stay on the field the whole game.

Star standings after Week  4:

  • D’Andre Swift: 60 points
  • Jack Fox: 40 points
  • Kenny Golladay: 40 points
  • Trey Flowers: 30 points
  • Adrian Peterson: 30 points
  • Matt Prater: 30 Points
  • Tracy Walker: 20 points
  • T.J. Hockenson: 20 points
  • Jamie Collins Jr.: 20 points
  • Jonah Jackson: 10 points

The big question following this week’s win is: Is this the Lions learning from their lessons, or is it just another week to have high hopes for next week’s matchup. We will see when the Lions hit the road to face the Atlanta Falcons who secured their first victory by beating the Minnesota Vikings. Hopefully, it’s the former, but we will have to wait and see.