When the Detroit Lions were getting ready to play against the Green Bay Packers last week, I was more than nervous. Did I think they were going to lose? No, not particularly but any sense of doubt came from the fact that the Lions having so many injuries on defense. Meanwhile, I just knew that the Lions were in a tough spot with their remaining schedule for the rest of the season.
Any loss could be detrimental to the Lions hopes of winning the NFC North or claiming the number one seed in the NFC.
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That feeling has since changed after last Thursday’s win against the Packers. As I mentioned on the Detroit Lions Podcast earlier this week, I said that the Lions winning that game feels like a turning point to the season. It feels like a new door has opened for Detroit and they’re the only team walking through that door. We’ll see if that holds true today against the Buffalo Bills.
With that, the Lions have to focus on one game at a time. Which, we all know, is exactly what they’re doing in their locker room. So focusing on the Lions and Bills game for today, I have three thoughts for what I’ll be watching or focusing on with this game.
Kwon Alexander and Jamal Adams fit in Detroit
From watching the limited snaps from Alexander and Adams in their Lions debut last week against the Packers, they certainly didn’t look out of place. Despite being older players on the Lions defense (29 and 30 years old), both players still appear to have short-area quickness, and they’re able to contribute in the box.
We didn’t see Adams drop into pass coverage, but he was effective when blitzing. With him being sent off the edge, he was able to stay square to the quarterback and most importantly, Adams was able to keep Jordan Love in front of him. This forced the Packers quarterback to one side of the pocket. The question for today is whether Adams will be able to do that to Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
So far this year, Allen is 5th in the NFL for rushing yards by a quarterback with 416 rushing yards. Over the last four weeks, we’ve seen an increase in rushing from Allen. He’s generated 50 rushing yards or more in 3 out of his last 4 games. In those games, he’s had 8 carries or more. If the Bills game plan is for Allen to run more against Detroit, we could see an expanded role for Jamal Adams in this game.
As for Kwon Alexander, he’s still explosive and effective when triggering downhill. There were times that he got washed against the run when playing Green Bay last week, but he didn’t look out of place. Most importantly, he gives the Lions another option or potential weapon at the linebacker position.
Losing Alex Anzalone, Malcolm Rodriguez and Derrick Barnes was not on anyones bingo card this season. Fortunately, the Lions have seen consistent performances each week from Jack Campbell. Meanwhile, they’ve got Zeke Turner, David Long and now, Kwon Alexander to contribute in the middle of their defense.
Similar to Jamal Adams, I could see players such as David Long and Jack Campbell being sent on blitzes, and Alexander could be used in more of a spy-type role on Allen this week. Whatever the case may be, one thing is for sure, we should all feel confident in what the game plan is and will be for Aaron Glenn’s defense.
Jameson Williams impact on the Lions offense
Since coming back from his suspension in week 10, Jameson Williams has been one of the Lions most consistent players. Since week 10, he’s had 5 targets or more in each game and has generated 50 receiving yards or more in each game but one of them.
Additionally, these aren’t forced targets like they were earlier in the year. We all remember when Goff targeted Williams 20 times in two games to start the season and each throw felt forced. Now, the passing game has opened up and Williams is a big part of that success.
Whether it be a deep ball down the field or Goff anticipating Williams on a crossing pattern, the big play ability is there on every single snap. Meanwhile, Williams continues to take pride in blocking on the perimeter for his teammates.
Having Williams find success on deep and shallow crossers also helps open up so much more of the Lions passing game. As we know, Amon-Ra St. Brown can run any route in the route tree. With consistent or more attention drawn to Williams, that puts St. Brown in more one-on-one situations and he tends to feast in those situations.
Lastly, Williams tends to influence defensive backs on the post or vertical route being run on the Lions Dagger Concept. We’ve seen it run multiple times this season, and the primary top target on that Dagger Concept is Tim Patrick. This trio of wide receivers all correlate with each other, and it’s helping Jared Goff and the Lions offense to find continued success in the passing game.
For the Buffalo Bills defense, they’ve already listed cornerback Rasul Douglas out with a knee injury. Meanwhile, their starting safeties, Damar Hamlin (back, ribs) and Taylor Rapp (neck, shoulder) are questionable today. If all three players are listed as out, we could see more from Jameson Williams in the Lions passing game.
Lions Ground and Pound Game
There’s a term in mixed martial arts (MMA) called ground and pound, and when you watch the Lions run game, it looks and feels just like that. They will pound defenses on the ground and into the ground, for that matter.
The combination of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery is the best running duo in the NFL right now. Ranked with the 4th best rushing attack in the NFL with 151.1 rushing yards per game, the Lions run game is led by Jahmyr Gibbs.
Through 13 games, he already has 1016 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season. His 5.7 yards per carry only ranks behind Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry for starting running backs in the NFL.
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As we know, Gibbs has earned the nickname, Sonic, and Montgomery has earned the nickname, Knuckles. But both have an element of both in their game. For example, Gibbs has no problem lowering his shoulder and running over a defender. Meanwhile, Montgomery is faster than given credit for and may be one of the most efficient runners in the NFL due to his vision and cutting ability.
For Montgomery, he only averages 4.3 yards per carry and his 771 rushing yards this season is better than just “okay.” The two running backs have combined for 10 rushing touchdowns or more in consecutive seasons and they’re the first duo to ever achieve that in NFL history.
When watching the Bills defense against the Rams last week, their interior defensive line was getting exposed. They had interior defenders revealing their chest far too frequently and they rarely fought pressure with pressure to squeeze down gaps. They were getting moved off the ball with ease and if that’s how they’re going to play against the Lions, then we could see Gibbs and Montgomery have their best games of the season.
On the road, the Bills run defense allow 130.7 rushing yards per game. In addition to that, they’ve allowed an average of 122.7 rushing yards per game in their last 3 games. Obviously, we’ll see how the game goes but I would expect a heavy dosage of Sonic and Knuckles for the Lions in this game.
