Tag: Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford does not want to be shut down for the season

The Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has made it clear, he does not want to be shut down for the season despite his fractured back.

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The Detroit Lions currently sit with a record of 3-6-1, and their season is seeming to come to a bitter end, with playoff hopes basically non-existent even if they win out.

The question on many fans’ minds is: When will Matthew Stafford be back?

The league knows how tough Stafford is; 136 consecutive starts under center, playing with injuries, broken fingers, you name it. Ultimately, fractured bones in his back from a hit late in the Week 9 game against the Oakland Raiders forced the quarterback onto the injury report. Stafford is having one of the most productive seasons in his career and was on pace for 4,998 yards, 38 touchdowns to go along with only 10 interceptions before the injury.

Wednesday (video below), Stafford was asked about whether he’d come back this season.

“I am doing everything I can, to get out there as fast as possible,” he told reporters. “I understand your question, but this is what I love to do. I love playing football. I appreciate all the hard work that all the guys in this locker room and in this organization put into going out there and trying to win games on Sunday and I love being a part of that.”

Stafford further explained that it doesn’t matter whether it’s Week 14-17, that he wants to be out there on the field.

“It’s tough for me to sit there without the pads on and not be able to impact the game on the field the way I’m used to doing,” Stafford continued. “That’s driving me to get back out there, and whenever we all deem it’s the right time for me to get back out there, I’ll be out there.”

It’s a difficult dilemma to have for the Lions right now. Play Stafford when he’s healthy, or shut him down for the remainder of the season and protect your franchise quarterback? We will find out their decision soon enough.

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You can watch the entire Stafford interview from Wednesday below:

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot calls out Bears offense, K Eddy Pineiro

Kicker Eddy Pineiro and the Bears’ offense have been put on blast by Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot following Week 11 loss vs. Rams.

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When a team suffers through a disappointing loss like the Chicago Bears did Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, there are always critics out there ready to share their thoughts on what’s going wrong. Add to that list Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, had some unflattering remarks about the city’s NFL team.

Lightfoot, speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, laughed as a question was asked about whether or not she would watch the Bears-Lions game on Thanksgiving with her mother.

“I’m sure she’ll watch a little bit of it. The question is, will it be worth watching, and that remains to be seen,” Lightfoot said.

When a follow-up question was asked if she had any advice for the Bears, the mayor didn’t hold back: “Find an offense; and Eddy Pineiro, find your leg again.”

As a Bears season-ticket holder for 20 years, Lightfoot has some ground to stand on when it comes to her knowledge of the team. But when the mayor personally calls you out, you know it’s been a rough season.

Pineiro was anointed as the solution to the team’s kicking woes earlier this season when he drilled a 53-yard field goal to beat the Denver Broncos 16-14 in Week 2. He hit 9-of-10 field goals in the team’s first six games but has floundered over the last few weeks. He has only converted three of his last seven field-goal attempts, including going 0-for-2 during the loss to the Rams.

Meanwhile, the offense’s struggles have been well documented this season, as they have ranked near the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category since Week 1. Whether QB Mitchell Trubisky remains the starter as he battles through a hip pointer, or whether Chase Daniel takes over for the second time this season, remains to be seen, but there appears to be no answer when it comes to offensive production over the final six weeks.

While Lightfoot looks ahead to the Thanksgiving matchup, the Bears need to take care of business on Sunday against the New York Giants as they attempt to salvage their season.

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Mailbag: Are Matt Patricia, Bob Quinn on thin ice?

Mailbag: Are Matt Patricia, Bob Quinn on thin ice, and other questions about all things Detroit Lions

With the Detroit Lions sitting at the bottom of their division at 3-6-1 and less than a one percent chance of making the playoffs, fans are ready to declare this season over.

Let’s see what fans want to know about the Lions’ future in this week’s mailbag:

Would drafting Ed Oliver have made much of a difference in the Lions’ record this year? — @5xs_the_destiny

Detroit’s on-field issues go beyond the defensive line’s poor performance thus far. Yes, Oliver is quite the player for Buffalo, but it’s hard to see him be as successful on this team.

So to answer your question, no. Unless Oliver can play defensive line, inside linebacker, running back, and backup quarterback all at the same time, he wouldn’t make much of a difference for the Lions this season.

I think Patricia and Quinn have a minimum of another year. If they were to be let go, do they think about promoting Bevell? –@NJdetlionsfan

I too believe that both coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn are on thin ice within the Detroit Lions organization.

If that’s the case, the team will have quite a predicament on their hands. I’d imagine that if Patricia leaves, so do most of his staff.

Bevell would likely be a front runner for the job. He’s meshed nicely with the team and the organization, and I think he has the football smarts to be a head coach in the league. This may open the door to a guy like Kris Richard, his defensive coordinator in Seattle, to hold that position in Detroit next year.

Why are Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia still employed? –@JerryD12238647

Because mid-season firings would only make this season worse. Who would replace them right now? Whoever the Lions could scrounge up this far into the year would be infinitely worse than the current situation.

Give them one more season. If they can’t find success in 2020, they’ll surely be out of a job.

Over or under Lions winning 2.5 games rest of season. What draft pick does that get? — @NickFaberNFL

I’m taking the under. With an injury-plagued team and a struggling defense, I can’t see Detroit scraping up more than two wins to close out the season.

As far as draft status goes, it’s pretty likely that they’ll be selecting in the top-ten again. They’re sitting at tenth right now and I don’t think that will change too much after the next six games.

How much will it cost/save Detroit to cut ties with Wagner, Jesse James, and Jarrad Davis? — @larrymoreorless

If my math is correct, cutting those three would leave the Lions with $17,556,270 in dead money, and that’s not counting any cap hits that they have currently.

Given that Detroit doesn’t have capable replacements for Wagner or Davis, I can’t see them moving on from those two. As for James, he has not lived up to expectations, but neither have any of the tight ends on the roster. I’d give him another season or two.

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions this week!

Be sure to send in your questions to me on Twitter next week and give me a follow while you’re at it! I can always be found @maxgerbs.

Nick Bawden placed on injured reserve

The Detroit Lions have announced that they have placed fullback Nick Bawden on injured reserve with a knee injury. This is the second season in a row where Bawden’s season has ended prematurely due to a knee injury.

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The Detroit Lions have announced that they have placed fullback Nick Bawden on injured reserve with a knee injury. This is the second season in a row where Bawden’s season has ended prematurely due to a knee injury.

Bawden’s rookie season was also cut short after he tore his ACL in mini-camp and was placed on injured reserve.

Coming out of this year’s training camp, expectations were high for Bawden as offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell found new and creative ways to use him in the game plan. As the regular season rolled around, much of those creative plays were subdued and in 10 games Bawden only had four catches for 17 yards.

Of course, he did do this:

 

The Lions backfield has been injured all season and losing their fullback will surely have implications on an already struggling run game.

On Tuesday the Lions worked out four fullbacks — Derrick Coleman, Tommy Bohannon, Tre Madden, and Aaron Ripkowski, per Adam Caplan — but did not sign any at this time.

One in-house option to replace is rookie tight end Isaac Nauta who is currently on the Lions practice squad. Nauta played some H-Back in college and even took snaps at fullback for the Lions in the offseason. It wouldn’t be overly surprising to see the Lions work with Nauta as the fullback in practice this week, then promote him to the active roster later in the week (the Lions typically make these moves on Saturday).

Lions Week 12 injury report: Matthew Stafford plus 6 others unable to practice on Wednesday

The Detroit Lions Week 12 injury report is headlined by Matthew Stafford but another six players were also unable to practice on Wednesday including Frank Ragnow, Trey Flowers, Da’Shawn Hand, Tracy Walker, Jamal Agnew, and Nick Bawden.

The Detroit Lions (3-6-1) are heading to Washington (1-9) for a Week 12 matchup of two underperforming and banged-up teams.

The Lions have been bitten by the injury bug once again, which is beginning to happen with an unforgiving regularity. In addition to the four players who were unable to play due to injury, another five were forced from last weekend’s game, including Frank Ragnow and Trey Flowers who suffered concussions, as well as Tracy Walker, Jamal Agnew, and Nick Bawden who all suffered lower-body injuries.

Unable to practice on Wednesday

QB Matthew Stafford (back, hip)
C Frank Ragnow (concussion)
EDGE Trey Flowers (concussion)
DL Da’Shawn Hand (ankle)
S Tracy Walker (knee)
RET. Jamal Agnew (ankle)
P Sam Martin (abdomen)
FB Nick Bawden (knee) — placed on injured reserve

Ahead of last week’s game, it was reported that Stafford’s injury could last up to six weeks, but he may be able to return sooner. “Sooner” doesn’t appear to be this week as Stafford is still only observing practices.

Ragnow and Flowers are currently in concussion protocol, so it’s not overly surprising that they were unable to practice today. Brain injuries are unique but we will likely learn more about their health after their practice report status on Thursday.

Hand still not being able to practice is concerning.

Walker surprising returned to the field last Sunday but only lasted 23 snaps before being injured again and leaving the field. Agnew was also forced from last week’s game with injuries and we likely won’t know much more about their availability until tomorrow.

With punter Matt Wile on the practice squad, it looks like the Lions will be giving Martin some rest days to get fully healthy. Martin has yet to miss any game action this season.

We found out after practice that not only was Bawden not at practice but he was being placed on injured reserve — his season is cut short once again.

Limited practice

RT Rick Wagner (concussion)
C.J. Moore (hamstring)

Wagner is still moving through the NFL’s concussion protocol and a return to practice today is a big step in the right direction. He still needs to have a full practice and then be cleared by an independent doctor but he is getting closer to returning to game action.

Moore didn’t leave last week’s game with an injury, so this injury must have popped up after the game sometime. Limited at this point is good news but we will know more as the week progresses.

No longer listed on the injury report

DE Romeo Okwara (groin)
WR Danny Amendola (hand)
DT Damon Harrison (groin)
DT Mike Daniels (foot)
DT A’Shawn Robinson (ankle, thumb)
NT John Atkins (wrist)
CB Darius Slay (neck)
S Will Harris (quad)

Most of the players listed here being removed from the injury report isn’t overly surprising, with one glaring exception — Romeo Okwara.

Okwara was limited for most of last week but was unable to play in the game over the weekend, so not being listed here suggests either a miraculous recovery or that the team was exercising a lot of caution last Sunday.

Questioning running back Rashaad Penny’s future in Seattle

The Lions had expressed interest in running back Rashaad Penny before the trade deadline but the Seattle Seahawks opted not to deal him.

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The Seattle Seahawks have not utilized running back Rashaad Penny much since the trade deadline when he was speculated to be a potential trade candidate. In the two games the Seahawks played since the deadline passed, Penny rushed a combined six times for 14 yards and a lost fumble.

The Lions had expressed interest in Penny before the trade deadline, according to a report from Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions were 3-3-1 at the time and were looking to bolster their stable of running backs, but apparently did not think Penny was worth anything more than a third-round pick.

If this report is true, it prompts an abundance of questions and speculation.

What more would Detroit have had to offer for the Seahawks to trade Penny? Is Seattle still confident that Penny can develop into something great at his position and just has a longer learning curve? How is Penny specifically going to be used in the future with Chris Carson soaking up all the carries despite a few mistakes over the course of the season? Did his 55 rushing yards on eight carries against Atlanta make the Seahawks’ decision for them?

Penny has shown flashes of success over his young career thus far, especially with the ball in open space. However, he has some noticeable issues, particularly regarding running between the tackles. He still has potential, as he is only in his second season in the NFL. However, Seattle may soon find out if it regrets not dealing Penny sooner, or if he breaks out and becomes a consistently favorable complement to Carson.

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Lions activate EDGE Austin Bryant from IR

The Detroit Lions announced they have removed EDGE rusher Austin Bryant from injured reserve and placed him on the active roster.

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The Detroit Lions announced they have removed EDGE rusher Austin Bryant from injured reserve and placed him on the active roster.

Bryant was selected in the 4th round out of Clemson, with hopes of him bringing some much-needed pass-rushing capabilities off the edge. After requiring offseason surgery, Bryant missed all of spring camp and entered training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. It wasn’t long into camp before he was removed from the PUP list and able to take the field.

A defensive end in college, Bryant was transitioning to a JACK linebacker role with the Lions, with hopes that his ability to rush from a standing position would translate. Things were going well until Bryant was once again injured and unable to practice.

Bryant would remain injured, but on the 90-man roster throughout the preseason, with the hope that he would be able to return at some point in the regular season. By waiting to place him on injured reserve until after the 53-man roster cut-downs, the Lions had the option to return him from injured reserve when he was fully healthy.

Three weeks ago, the Lions activated a 21-day evaluation period where Bryant was allowed to practice with the team while they evaluated his progress and determined his overall health. That period has come to a close, and the Lions were required to make a decision on his status — thus his addition to the active roster today.

Bryant may still be getting up to speed with the Lions scheme — as he transitions to a new role and has only practiced with the team minimally — so he may not be active on game days right away. But when he is up to speed, and healthy, he will bring another pass rushing element to the Lions front that they desperately need.

Draft Wire pairs Lions and DT Javon Kinlaw in consecutive Mock Drafts

In Draft Wire’s latest 2020 mock draft, they have the Detroit Lions targeting three potential defenders, all at serious positions of need.

With every loss, the Detroit Lions (3-6-1) fan base interest in the 2020 NFL Draft grows. The latest updated draft order has the Lions picking 10th overall putting them in an excellent position to land another quality player and to the surprise of no one, that person plays on defense.

Our brother site Draft Wire has been knocking out draft content year-round and in their latest 3-round mock draft, not only do they have the Lions drafting defense in all three rounds, but they have paired the team with the same first-rounder in consecutive weeks.

With the 10th pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions select:

Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina, 6-5, 308

Here is Luke Easterling’s explanation for pairing Kinlaw with the Lions:

“Matt Patricia’s defense needs more help across the board in the trenches, making this pick a choice between the best value at defensive tackle or on the edge. In this scenario, Kinlaw’s incredible athleticism and limitless upside give him the nod.”

A 2-gapper who will primarily line up at the 3-technique, but can spend time at the 1, 4i, and 5-techniques. Kinlaw’s game is drenched in length and power which makes him an elite run defender, but he also possesses more pass-rushing skills than he is given credit for.

Lions Wire’s own Jeff Risdon has compared Kinlaw to the Pro Bowl version of Shaun Rogers because “they play with a similar style and destructive athletic dominance on the interior”.

With pick 42 in the second round, Easterling has the Lions selecting:

Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State, 6-5, 265

So you want a pass rusher, right? Well, Gross-Matos is a supreme athlete who has the size/length of Romeo Okwara combined with the positional versatility of Trey Flowers — both can also line up on the edge and at the 3-technique.

Gross-Matos is still raw in a lot of areas but he has a loaded toolbox and the potential to develop into an impact player.

With enough length and power to set the edge, Gross-Matos would fit like a glove in the coach Matt Patricia’s defensive scheme, while his pass-rushing ceiling would potentially fill a major hole in the Lions defensive front.

With pick 74 in the third round, Easterling has the Lions selecting:

Lavert Hill, CB, Michigan, 5-11, 181

The Lions stay local here, grabbing the Detroit Martin Luther King high school product. The Lions need help at corner and Hill fits the scheme profile as a multi-year starter in Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown’s aggressive man coverage defense.

Hill is very aggressive and attacks the ball with ferocity, which often leads to pass breakups and interceptions in coverage. In the video clip below, Hill shows his natural instincts to locate the ball at the same time as the receiver, then stacking the route to give him an angle on the ball. Just textbook stuff from Hill here:

That’s as good as you can do it.

Hill’s size does leave something to be desired in this scheme, but he has the identical measurements as Justin Coleman and offers the same ability to play in the slot and on the outside.

Jarrad Davis earns PFF TOTW honors for his Week 11 performance

Detroit Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis earns Pro Football Focus’ team of the week honors for his Week 11 performance against the Dallas Cowboys.

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Detroit Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis earns Pro Football Focus’ team of the week honors for his Week 11 performance against the Dallas Cowboys.

Here’s their reasoning on why Davis was deserving of this week’s recognition:

“Davis was dominant in run defense against Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys on Sunday,” Pro Football Focus said. “He recorded three defensive stops, zero missed tackles, and a 94.9 run-defense grade.”

Elliott was held to 45 yards on 16 carries, for a well below his typical average of only 2.8 yards per attempt — he is averaging 4.3 yards per carry this season and 4.6 over his career.

Davis is coming off the best two-game stretch of his career, according to PFF-Detroit, “has earned an 89.7 overall, led by a strong presence in run defense. His 94.4 run defense grade is the best in the NFL in that span”

Davis joins several other Lions who have earned a spot on PFF’s team of the week, including:

Vegas Watch: Lions open Week 12 as 3.5-point favorites at Washington

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions (3-6-1) open the week as 3.5-point favorites as they head to Washington (1-9) in Week 12 at Fed Ex Field.

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions (3-6-1) open the week as 3.5-point favorites as they head to Washington (1-9) in Week 12 at Fed Ex Field. The over/under currently sits at 42.5 points.

Both teams are in the middle of disappointing seasons and are currently taking the field with the second option at quarterback — albeit for very different reasons. Washington has turned to first-round pick Dwayne Haskins after a lost season, while the Lions have turned to Jeff Driskel after Matthew Stafford suffered a fractured bone in his back.

BetMGM has a lot of various bet lines to wager on in this game, but here’s a look the basic concepts most would be interested in, including the Moneyline, points spread and over/under.

Moneyline

Washington +150

Lions -182

Spread

Washington +3.5 (-115)

Lions -3.5 (-106)

Over/Under

Over 42.5 (-110)

Under 42.5 (-110)

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]