Tag: Detroit Lions vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Film Review: Jahmyr Gibbs has best game of his career against the Raiders

Film Review: Lions rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs has best game of his career against the Raiders

When the Detroit Lions selected running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, it was no secret that the expectations were going to be high. Much like most first-round picks, those expectations tend to get put on players right away. Especially for running backs…

So far this season, Gibbs has been very consistent as a pass-catcher. He’s got 28 receptions on 33 targets that’s resulted in 165 yards. Against the Ravens, Gibbs was one of the lone bright spots for the Lions offense. He had 11 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. However, it’s felt like for some time that Gibbs was due for a breakout performance.

On Monday night football against the Raiders, he had that breakout performance. Against the Raiders, he had 26 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown. In addition to that, he had five receptions for 37 yards. He is showing that he can be a bell cow back; everything is pointing up for Gibbs and the Lions’ offense. Let’s jump into the tape from Monday night to showcase some of the best runs from Jahmyr Gibbs!

Starting with the play above, the Lions come out in a trips left formation but it’s a condensed set. As the center and left guard pull to the play-side, Gibbs takes the delayed hand-off from Jared Goff. In these tight areas, Gibbs shows quick feet, good burst and the ability to follow his blockers through the hole. Had he not got tripped up by the safety coming downhill, there’s a chance he would have taken this one to the end zone.

Moving to the next play, the play above was one of my favorite carries from Gibbs on Monday night. He shows terrific start-and-stop ability on this run. As he takes the hand-off from Goff, the original hole he was supposed to run through closes quickly. He bounces this run to the outside and shows terrific burst to hit the next opening. With great vision, effort and burst, Gibbs was able to make something out of nothing with this run.

Lastly, I want to cover the touchdown from Gibbs. It’s a perfect run, and it sums him up as the type of playmaker he can be for this Lions offense. On the play above, the Lions come out in 12 personnel and run a simple inside zone run.

As Gibbs takes the hand-off, he sees a defender pressing the line-of-scrimmage but he’s also able to see the slightest opening to his right. With a simple lateral cut, Gibbs cuts up-field and forces the initial defender to miss the tackle at the line-of-scrimmage. Getting through the opening, Gibbs has the explosiveness and burst to make defenders look silly. He does just that and once he makes another defender miss in the open field, he’s off to the races.

It was a career night for Gibbs with the 152 yards on the ground and the 37 yards through the air. He forced 11 missed tackles against the Raiders and 102 of his rushing yards came after contact.

As the Lions are on their bye week, Gibbs will get a much-needed break. However, I’d hope that he gets paired back up with David Montgomery in this Detroit backfield. Regardless, this type of performance should give the Lions and their fans reassurance that Gibbs can absolutely be one of the most dynamic weapons in the NFL.

Best and worst PFF Grades from Lions Week 8 win against Raiders

Another week, another dominant performance for Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions. In primetime in front of a national crowd, too.

Another week, another dominant performance for Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions. In primetime in front of a national crowd, the Lions started out slow but caught fire at the end of the first half and used that to take full control in the second half.

With a dominant win comes some significant PFF scores.

The offense had plenty to be happy about, especially between the skill players. On defense, the front seven shined with someone even securing their highest grade of the season against the Raiders.

Raiders fire their coach and GM after ugly loss to Lions

Detroit’s domination over the Raiders proved the final straw for McDaniels and Ziegler

The Las Vegas Raiders have fired head coach Josh McDaniels and GM David Ziegler in the wake of the team’s dreadful performance in Monday night’s loss in Detroit.

The Lions 26-14 win in a game that wasn’t at all competitive was the final straw for Raiders ownership. Demonstrative on-field complaints from top receiver Davante Adams and other players were finally heard. The Lions dominated the game, more than tripling the total yardage and gaining 29 first downs to just 12 for McDaniels’ pedantic offensive scheme.

Las Vegas is 3-5 at the time of the change. Former NFL linebacker Antonio Pierce takes over as the replacement coach.

Quick takeaways from the Lions’ Monday Night Football win over the Raiders

Post-game takeaways from the Lions win over the Raiders, including thoughts on Aaron Glenn’s defense, offensive mistakes, 3 stars of the game and more

Monday night’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders was a weird one for the Detroit Lions. It might have been the most dominant performance by the Lions all season in improving to 6-2, yet some critical mistakes prevented it from being a blowout on the scoreboard.

The Lions beat the visiting Raiders 26-14 on Monday Night Football, breaking out the new blue helmets. Detroit dominated everything but the scoreboard in the first home MNF game since 2018.

Here’s what I took away from watching the Lions rough up the Raiders in real-time.

Lions defense had the best pass rush game of any NFL team in the last five years

The Detroit Lions defense recorded the highest QB pressure rate by any team in a game since 2018 in win over the Raiders

Aaron Glenn dialed up a fantastic game plan to attack Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo and the Las Vegas Raiders offense. The Detroit Lions defensive coordinator was in his bag all night long in Monday night’s 26-14 win.

Glenn’s unit, coming off a lousy game in the Week 7 loss in Baltimore, had one of the most dominating performances by any NFL defense in years. The pass rush was the best by any team since 2018 in terms of generating pressure.

From Next Gen Stats,

“The Lions defense generated pressure on 71.4% of Jimmy Garoppolo’s dropbacks, the highest pressure rate by a defense in a game since 2018. Five different Lions defenders generated 3+ pressures. Garoppolo was sacked 6 times on the night.”

Defensive tackle Alim McNeill had six of those pressures and two sacks. Linebacker Alex Anzalone added two sacks and five pressures of his own, the same number as DE Aidan Hutchinson.

Garoppolo threw for 126 yards in completing just 10 of his 21 pass attempts. That lousy rate also reflected very well on the Lions’ defense, this time the coverage.

“The Lions defense also allowed the lowest completion percentage over expected (-20.1%) in a game this season. Garoppolo finished 10 of 21 for 126 yards & INT.

🔹 Jimmy G Comp Pct: 47.6%
🔹 Avg Completion Probability: 67.7%
🔹 Comp Pct Over Expected: -20.1%”

After the game, head coach Dan Campbell gave Glenn the game ball. He earned it with one of the best single games by any Detroit defense in the Super Bowl era.

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Jahmyr Gibbs: ‘I know every game I have a chance to do this’ after breakout game vs. Raiders

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs says, “I know every game I have a chance to do this” after putting up almost 200 yards on the Raiders

Monday night’s 26-14 victory by the host Detroit Lions over the Las Vegas Raiders could very well be remembered as the Jahmyr Gibbs breakout game. Detroit’s rookie running back stole the show with a dynamic performance in his seventh career game.

Gibbs had a phenomenal game. He rushed for 152 yards on 26 carries, including an electrifying 27-yard touchdown scamper where he bounced an inside run around the right corner and hit paydirt. The rookie also caught five passes for 34 yards.

After the game, he joined Scott Van Pelt on the ESPN set and gave a gracious, humble interview — one that was very difficult to hear over the cacophonous “let’s go Lions!” chant by scores of fans still in Ford Field some 30 minutes after the game ended.

“I go into every game with confidence, knowing my ability, knowing my offensive line,” Gibbs told Van Pelt. “I know every game I have a chance to do this.”

Gibbs talked about playing his role and not worrying about the fantasy football criticism when the fans erupted again.

“It’s amazing,” Gibbs said while acknowledging the crowd. “The fans did a great job for us. Appreciate all of them.”

Gibbs is the NFL leader in yards from scrimmage over the last two weeks, gaining 315 total yards. That’s come with starter David Montgomery out of the lineup with a rib injury. Gibbs “can’t wait” until they’re back together on the field after the bye week.

 

Lions dominate the Raiders but not the scoreboard in Week 8 win

The Lions dominated the Raiders in the Week 8 win but it didn’t show on the scoreboard

The Detroit Lions debuted their blue helmets in the Monday Night Football matchup against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders. The helmets looked great and so did the Lions defense in a 26-14 win that was a lot closer on the scoreboard than it should have been.

Detroit largely dominated the Raiders all night. The Lions nearly doubled the time of possession, more than doubled the first down battle (29 to 12) and more than tripled the total offensive yardage (487 to 157). Yet numerous mistakes from the home team prevented the game from being a monster win.

The Lions gave the ball away three times. Two of them came in Raiders territory, including a terrible pick-6 thrown by Jared Goff and a questionable call that ruled a red zone fumble by Craig Reynolds happened. Detroit’s red zone offense struggled all night, a combination of iffy play-calling decisions and some untimely poor execution.

The game shouldn’t have been close. The Raiders didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver in the first half. Their offense picked up nine first downs in its first nine drives, six of which came on Las Vegas’ first scoring drive. Jimmy Garoppolo completed just 10 of his 21 passes for 126 yards and a red zone INT of his own that might be the easiest pick Kerby Joseph ever gets.

Las Vegas had no answer for the rookies on the Lions offense. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 152 yards and a touchdown and added five catches for 37 yards. Sam LaPorta also scored on one of his eight receptions for 57 yards.

Detroit outgained La Vegas by 329 yards, the second-largest margin in any game all year. The one that topped it was Miami hanging 70 points on Denver and outgaining the Broncos by 363. Had the Lions avoided the costly giveaways, they could have handily doubled their 26 points.

The Lions hit the bye week at 6-2 and rebounded nicely from an ugly loss in Baltimore in Week 7. Las Vegas falls to 3-5.

Lions sign RB Devine Ozigbo, elevate OL Michael Niese

Lions sign RB Devine Ozigbo, elevate OL Michael Niese for Week 8 matchup with the Raiders

The Detroit Lions finalized the roster for the Week 8 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders by making a couple of additions on Monday.

The Lions signed running back Devine Ozigbo to the active roster from the practice squad. Ozigbo has been elevated in each of the two prior weeks while the team has dealt with injuries. Detroit had an open roster spot so no move was needed to create space on the 53-man roster.

The Lions also elevated offensive lineman Michael Niese from the practice squad. Niese will serve as the backup center behind Graham Glasgow, with starter Frank Ragnow ruled out.

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

Lions vs. Raiders: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction for the Week 8 matchup on Monday night

Monday Night Football always seems to make the day drag so long. Normally I write this weekly piece over the morning coffee, but today’s edition comes while anxiously waiting for kickoff in a few hours after lunchtime.

Why I think the Lions will win

  • The Detroit pass rush should create a lot of problems for the Raiders offensive line and QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Left tackle Kolton Miller is a pretty strong pass protector; he’ll be a good matchup for Aidan Hutchinson when they square off, and he’s not a guy who needs or likes TE help (Taylor Decker is that way too). The Raiders right tackle is Thayer Munford. Hutchinson has faced him before…

  • The Raiders passing offense doesn’t stretch the field, which plays into the hands of Detroit’s defense. Garoppolo is one of the worst downfield passers in the league, completing just 36 percent of his passes beyond 20 yards (that’s 28th in the NFL; Jared Goff is 1st at 69 percent). They don’t even try deep shots often despite having a mismatch (against everyone) in Davante Adams on the outside. It’s similar to the Buccaneers matchup with Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans. The Lions are vulnerable over the top but do a pretty nice job containing what’s in front of them in coverage — and even better when the safeties aren’t worried about deep shots.
  • Despite the Lions offensive line being badly banged up, they still should (should!) match up well against the Raiders in pass protection. Maxx Crosby is essentially the only Raider who is not a below-average threat rushing the passer. Crosby is exceptional, but he’s basically flying solo. Makes it much easier to scheme help packages and identify the threats for the inexperienced Lions’ interior protection.
  • The young Alabama speed should have a real advantage in this game. Jahmyr Gibbs at running back and Jameson Williams at wide receiver need to step up, especially with Amon-Ra St. Brown not at full strength. Call me crazy, but I think the youngsters rise to the occasion and remind the Ford Field fans why the Lions drafted them in the first round of the last two drafts. The Raiders do not match up well with offenses that have multiple speed options.
  • The Las Vegas secondary is one of the worst-tackling units in the league. Lions TE Sam LaPorta is already one of the NFL’s best at YAC. LaPorta will have opportunities to turn a 6-yard slant into a 31-yard TD.

What worries me about the Raiders

  • They’re a team without much of a middle class. Normally that’s a limiting factor, but their stars are real problems for Detroit. Crosby, Adams, RB Josh Jacobs–those guys are really good. It’s when the unexpected guys have strong games that the Raiders become really formidable. And they’re overdue for that after getting trounced by rhe lowly Bears. Guys like Bilal Nichols and Jakobi Meyers have that potential, and the Lions have shown vulnerability to the unexpected superstar.
  • The injuries across the Lions lineup are a legit concern. Detroit has better depth than most squads, but it’s going to be tested with so many players sidelined or limping into the last game before the bye week.
  • Expanding on that idea, the complexity of Ben Johnson’s offense is great when the line is intact. With as many as three starters in new spots, it’s asking a lot for the replacements to emulate the complex blocking schemes and assignments of the starters. It went poorly in Baltimore, to be kind. Johnson has not always adjusted well to the personnel on hand. If he asks Graham Glasgow to be Frank Ragnow at center, it’s apt to be problematic. If Johnson tunes the offense to what Glasgow and the reserve OGs do well, everything should be fine. If not, it could be a very long night for Jared Goff and an even longer one for Jahmyr Gibbs and Craig Reynolds at running back.

Final score prediction

Early in the week, I expected the Lions to cruise to an easy win in this one. The injuries have diminished my expectations for the double-digit home romp for Detroit. The sportsbooks agree too; the line has fallen from 8.5 points in Detroit’s favor down to 7 in most books. That’s right where I’m at. Lions 23, Raiders 16.