D.J. Wonnum’s biggest moment for the Lions didn’t show up in the sack column. It came on a field goal block that helped Detroit leave Green Bay with a 20-17 win, and now it’s earning him league-wide recognition.
Wonnum was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after getting a hand on the Packers’ field goal attempt in the final minutes. That kick followed Detroit’s fourth-down stand on its own 24 with just under five minutes left, a sequence that sparked plenty of debate about Dan Campbell’s decision to go for it.
The Lions were stopped there, but Green Bay managed only five yards on the next possession while using just 1:25 off the clock. The Packers then lined up for what should have been a routine field goal, only for Wonnum to get a piece of it.
Detroit later got its own field goal and converted as time expired.
Per Lions PR, it was the first blocked field goal by a Lions player since Jeremiah Ledbetter in November 2017.
The honor is Wonnum’s first Player of the Week award of any kind in his career. He’s the first Lions player to win Special Teams Player of the Week since kicker Jake Bates in Week 10 of 2024, when Bates drilled a game-winner in that primetime comeback against the Houston Texans. It’s also the second weekly award for a Lion this season, after Jahmyr Gibbs took home NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 5.
Wonnum’s stat line otherwise stayed quiet - two total tackles - but the one play that mattered most swung the game and helped separate 4-2 from 3-3.
The award also reinforces how strong a pickup Wonnum has been since signing with Detroit in March. At the time, plenty of fans grumbled about the move: another pass rusher with injury questions and a career high of 8.0 sacks. The louder wish was for the Lions to swing bigger and land Maxx Crosby or Hendrickson.
But the production tells a different story. Crosby has 2.0 sacks, Hendrickson has 2.0, and Reuben Bain has 1.0.
Wonnum has 5.0 sacks, the same total as those three combined. That matches Aidan Hutchinson’s sack total as well.
Hutchinson has done more than Wonnum overall, especially against the run, but Detroit also needs a complementary edge who can capitalize when offenses tilt their attention toward Hutchinson.
Wonnum has done exactly that, and then some. His work has helped the Lions stay tied for the league lead in sacks at 21.0 even after their bye week, and the blocked kick only adds to the case that he’s already become one of Brad Holmes’ best free-agent additions.
In Other News...
Lions Face A Huge NFC North Test In One Critical Area
The Week 8 meeting with Minnesota arrives as one of those division games that can tilt the tone of an entire stretch run, and for Detroit the focus is on how well the offense handles a defense built to make life uncomfortable. Sam LaPorta and Jared Goff are central to that conversation, with the Lions needing their passing game to stay on schedule against a Vikings unit that has made a habit of turning routine snaps into stressful ones.
Sione Vakis role also looms larger than usual, since the Lions will need dependable support around Goff if they want to keep the offense in rhythm. On the other side of the ball, Aidan Hutchinson remains one of the key figures in a matchup that could come down to which front can impose its will first, with the NFC North race adding extra weight to every possession. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Trade Deadline Pressure Is Now Squarely On Brad Holmes
The Bears move for Jeffrey Simmons only sharpened the conversation around what Detroit still needs to sort out before the trade deadline. For the Lions, the focus remains on the defensive secondary, where the front office has to decide whether the answer is a major swing for a proven cornerback or a quieter set of additions that help without forcing a heavy price.
Brad Holmes is now the one under the microscope because the roster is good enough to make a real push, but not so complete that every hole can be ignored. The case for restraint leans on the idea that key pieces in the back end are on the way back and that young help is still developing, yet the counterargument is simple enough: if Detroit wants its ceiling to rise, this is the spot where an aggressive move would matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Keep Getting Linked To Maxx Crosby For One Big Reason
Maxx Crosby is still in Las Vegas for now, but the chatter around him has not gone away, and Detroit keeps coming up for a simple reason: the Lions are one of the few teams good enough to make a swing like that feel plausible. The Raiders are open to listening on trade offers ahead of the 2026 deadline, even if Crosby reportedly does not want to be moved, which is enough to keep his name in circulation whenever an edge rusher becomes available.
For the Lions, the timing only adds to the speculation. Their roster is mostly healthy, they have not had to elevate anyone from the practice squad lately, and there is no immediate injury scramble forcing their hand. That kind of stability tends to make outside observers wonder whether Detroit might be preparing for a bigger move down the road, even if nothing is imminent right now. [Read more 🡒]