Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs took the biggest fine of Week 1, with the National Football League hitting him for 23,027 for the use of his helmet on a run into the end zone against the New Orleans Saints.
The play did not draw a flag, but Gibbs could be seen lowering his head and making contact with Saints cornerback Quincy Riley. It was also the first time in his four-year career that he had been fined after an NFL game.
Among all the fines handed out after the opening week, Gibbs’ was the largest. The league issued fines to 20 players in Week 1.
The NFL’s impermissible use of the helmet rule, listed in Rule 12, Article 10, says, "It is a foul if a player lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent."
Gibbs has already been back to work for Detroit, carrying 16 times for 52 yards against the Bills after piling up 156 rushing yards on 29 carries in Week 1.
The Lions offense needed time to settle in against Buffalo, but it found its footing after halftime. Jared Goff kept feeding Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Detroit finished with 31 points for the second straight game.
"We’ve been in these games before where we’ve scratched our way back and got right back into it and won these games. And so I don’t think there was ever a moment of panic or anything.
It was, you know, status quo. And we really wanted to cut that game to one score.
And we got closer," said Goff. "We got to 10, and one more possession maybe would have done it for us, but we weren’t able to get it to one score, and it sucked.
But, yeah, we scratch and claw. We have a lot of pride, certainly, on this team.
And we’ll never say die. It goes all the way to the end.”
In Other News...
Lions Fans Had Another Reason To Be Furious During Bills Loss
The Lions already had plenty to stew over after Thursday nights 41-31 loss to the Bills, but the frustration did not stop with the scoreboard. As Buffalo pulled away behind Josh Allens five total touchdowns, the broadcast managed to add another jolt for Detroit fans when a graphic incorrectly listed the Bills at 3-0 and the Lions at 1-2.
It was the kind of small but glaring mistake that tends to feel bigger in the middle of a disappointing national showcase. For Lions supporters, it only sharpened an already sour night, one where the team left with a loss and the broadcast booth gave them one more reason to grumble. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Rookies Suddenly Have A Chance To Fix A Growing Secondary Problem
The Lions first game at their new stadium did more than hand them a 41-31 loss to Buffalo. It also underscored how much youth and depth matter on a secondary that is still sorting itself out, with several rookies sidelined or inactive while the team tried to piece together its back end. First-round pick Blake Miller missed the game with a knee injury, and cornerback Keith Abney was inactive as Christian Izien returned, leaving Detroit with fewer young options than it had hoped to evaluate in a high-profile setting.
Avonte Maddoxs foot injury only adds to the uncertainty, because the Lions are now looking at a defensive backfield that could use quick answers. For a team that has leaned on development at key spots, the situation creates an opening for rookies to get back into the mix and potentially stabilize a problem that became harder to ignore in a lopsided home debut. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Finally Found One Defensive Strength In Another Ugly Collapse
The Lions left Buffalo with another defensive mess to sort through, but there was at least one encouraging sign buried inside the collapse. While Josh Allen and the Bills pounded out 203 rushing yards and scored repeatedly, Detroits pass rush showed some life, with Aidan Hutchinson helping drive a defense that generated 23 pressures, two sacks and eight quarterback hits.
Even in a game where the problems looked bigger than the progress, that pressure up front mattered because it hinted at something the Lions can potentially build on. The back end still needs help, and the defense remains in search of answers, but there are reasons to think the picture could change soon with safeties on the way back and the possibility of outside roster help, including a corner such as Joey Porter Jr. [Read more 🡒]