Another game, another week of disbelief that they’re the same Detroit Lions we know and love. Forgive me if this week’s stock market report is a bit one-sided, it was a great team performance from start to finish. Here are your movers this week:
Refueling: James Houston, DL
Houston now leads this team in sacks. The guy who didn’t play an NFL snap before Thanksgiving Day. The guy who wasn’t one of the 53 players in training camp. The guy who got drafted in the sixth round. The guy who fired Justin Fields three times on Sunday.
Filling up: Penei Sewell, OL
I put Penei Sewell on the list at the end of November after flirting with the league lead on penalties. The middle part of the season was not kind to him. Since then, however, Sewell has played a clean and efficient ball, both on and beyond the line of scrimmage. The latter was especially true on Sunday. Sewell frequently blocked 10-20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, including on an early screen from Kalif Raymond and later on a backhand from Jameson Williams.
Sewell is the cornerstone of this offense and this team, and the Lions are better when Sewell is better. Sewell was great on Sunday and the rest of the offense followed.
Fuel Up: Josh Paschal, DL
Josh Paschal had a strong running presence when he made his NFL debut in late October. But since suffering an injury mid-season, Paschal has remained fairly calm. On Sunday, he returned to the spotlight, but not in the way we remember him. He got his first career sack, including one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league. Even more impressive, however, was his second bag, which he managed to pull out while standing.
That’s the kind of development you want to see in your young players, and it’s very encouraging progress for a guy who hasn’t had a training camp.
Falling stock: Jeff Okudah, CB
Okudah has gone from CB1 and potential returning player of the year in the first half of the season to being benched now for the second week in a row. He alternated with Mike Hughes on Sunday against Jerry Jacobs, a continuation of last week’s personnel change after Okudah struggled against the Jets and Panthers. Notably, Okudah was also the starting shooter on punt coverage.
Okudah didn’t have a bad game, but these changes are a clear testament to what this coaching staff thinks his value is right now. He lost some of their confidence he had before (and you can’t blame them after the last two games). You rarely put your best players on special teams, especially at punt gunner. Okudah is consumable, and Sunday made that clear.
Refueling: Jameson Williams, WR
After bursting onto the scene with a long touchdown reception against the Vikings, Jamo has been quiet ever since. The Lions clearly wanted a change this Sunday, targeting Williams early and often on offense. However, he and Jared Goff weren’t on the same page and that led to a handful of missed pitches. Ben Johnson apparently decided that Williams got the ball no matter what, as Williams was the beneficiary of a reverse throw that would go 40 yards in the third quarter opener. It would be Williams’ only touch of the day, but it was a nice one and part of a statement from the Lions to start the second half.
Out of Stock: Shane Zylstra, TE
Zylstra came down to earth after last week’s three-touchdown game at Carolina. During his only reception on Sunday on a third and long, he slipped about 5 meters from the first try. His only other appearance on the stat sheet was a hold call that brought down a D’Andre Swift conversion on third down early in the fourth quarter. It’s not a terrible day for a guy who doesn’t usually appear much, but it seems like last week’s performance was an outlier rather than a sign of things to come.
Stock up: Jared Goff, QB
Goff was, for the most part, in his Sunday bag. What really stood out to me for warranting a stock, however, was his second-half toss off a rope on the sideline to DJ Chark, who made a one-handed catch for the first down. Rarely have we seen Goff throw confidently into such tight coverage, so to do so and place the ball impeccably was a sight to behold. Goff’s chemistry with Chark continues to heat up, and it opens up a dimension of Goff that we’ve never seen before.
Quick shots
Store
Brad Holmes, General Manager: I don’t need to say much, just read the names on this week’s stock. It builds an absolute madhouse of a list.
Mike Hughes, BC: Hughes has been the beneficiary of Jeff Okudah’s unfortunate struggles, and he continues to step up admirably – we didn’t hear his name called much on Sunday, but for a corner that’s often a good thing.
DJ Shark, WR: Shark is becoming a fixture on this offense after returning from injury, and as mentioned above, his chemistry with Jared Goff continues to improve week after week. He also threw a nice block on Jamo’s backhand to open up the last 10 or so yards.
If you eat Melifonwu, S: After a terrible performance last week in Carolina, Iffy rebounded well on Sunday, finishing with one half sack and two passes defended.
Aidan Hutchinson, DL: Hutchinson now holds the NFL record for most interceptions by a defensive lineman in a season. Not bad, rookie.
0 Comments