The Detroit Lions needed a clean response after the Buffalo loss, and they got one in the form of a 31-24 win over Aaron Glenn’s New York Jets on Sunday. It wasn’t tidy from start to finish - Detroit let another opponent back into the game - but the Lions finished the fourth quarter the way they had to.
A few players drove that result. A few others made things far more uncomfortable than they needed to be.
DJ Wonnum was everywhere early. He helped slam the door on a Jets drive in the first quarter with a sack of Geno Smith on 3rd-and-4, and later in the first half he forced pressure during the two-minute drill that drew a hold and pushed New York out of field goal range. Wonnum kept coming after the break, too, splitting a sack with DJ Wonnum on the Jets’ opening drive of the second half and helping force a field goal attempt in the red zone.
Jahmyr Gibbs kept filling up the box score in the way he’s been doing all season. He had 70 yards by halftime as Detroit’s top threat on the ground and through the air, then opened the second half by ripping off multiple first downs and finishing a play that looked dead for minus-4 yards with a 17-yard touchdown.
He had 29 rushing yards in the first half and added 31 more on that drive alone. Gibbs wasn’t done there: he hit 100 rushing yards and scored again on the opening play of the fourth quarter, then completed the hat trick with a receiving touchdown after the Jets had tied the game.
Amon-Ra St. Brown also kept his touchdown streak moving. He entered the day tied for the NFL lead in receiving touchdowns through two weeks, and he added another in the first half when he hauled in a fade in the final two minutes to put Detroit ahead 10-7.
Alim McNeill was active from the jump, generating pressure early and blowing up a screen in the first half. He finished the job with his second full sack of the season when the Jets got into the red zone on their opening drive of the second half, then split a sack with DJ Wonnum on the very next play to force a field goal.
Tykee Smith made his presence felt in the run game all afternoon. The former Buccaneer logged three separate run stuffs, including a tackle for loss in the red zone right after New York crossed into scoring territory.
He later read a dump off to Braelon Allen on 3rd-and-2 and dropped him for a 4-yard loss. Smith led the Lions with 11 tackles, and three of them went for loss.
Isaac TeSlaa turned limited chances into real production. He was mentioned earlier in the week as someone who might not see many opportunities, but he made his early targets count by moving the chains on his first two catches. After the Jets erased a 14-point deficit, Jared Goff found TeSlaa wide open on a crossing route for the longest play of his young career, and that catch set up the go-ahead touchdown.
Kenny Clark did a little of everything on the back end, finishing with seven tackles and saving his biggest play for last. In the final minute, he stripped Geno Smith on a sack, and Jack Campbell recovered to seal it.
Jared Goff was efficient and steady throughout the day, throwing for 269 yards while completing 78 percent of his passes. He spread the ball around to eight different pass catchers and used his legs a little, too. When the Jets tied the game, Goff answered with the throw to TeSlaa and then found Gibbs twice, with the second connection becoming the touchdown that decided the game.
On the other side, some of Detroit’s defensive backs had a rough afternoon. Rock Ya-Sin’s struggles from the Buffalo game carried over into Week 3, and he had a difficult time at points against Garrett Wilson. He was also flagged for holding that turned into defensive pass interference in the first half.
Roger McCreary saw more action and more targets, and that didn’t work out well. He was out of position several times on the Jets’ only first-half scoring drive, including on Kenyon Sadiq’s first touchdown.
In the second half, he lost track of Isaiah Williams on a 3rd-and-7 conversion, and with Detroit up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the next snap turned into a 43-yard Jets gain that put New York in the red zone. McCreary was also beaten on third down by Garrett Wilson when the Jets were down seven.
Amik Robertson was the third defensive back to land in the losers group, and Wilson did most of the damage there too. Robertson was beaten deep to set up a Jets field goal in the second half, then got run by again in the fourth quarter and had to grab to avoid a bigger play.
That penalty turned 3rd-and-17 into a New York first down inside the Lions’ five-yard line, and three plays later the Jets cut the lead in half. Robertson was also beaten by Wilson on a double move on fourth down for a touchdown catch, and the play came with defensive pass interference attached.
In Other News...
Isaac TeSlaa May Be Giving The Lions Offense Something New
Isaac TeSlaas Week 3 breakout against the New York Jets gave the Lions another encouraging look at what their passing game can become when the opportunities arrive. He caught all three of his targets for 66 yards, and his work on crucial fourth-down plays and on the long grab that helped set up the game-winning score stood out in a game Detroit needed to finish strong after another uneven start.
What made TeSlaas night matter beyond the box score was the way he described his role. He pointed to the value of blocking and helping create chances for teammates, which fits a Lions offense that has often needed more consistency early in games before finding its rhythm later. If TeSlaa can keep adding that kind of versatility, Detroit may have found another piece that helps smooth out those slow starts. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Ended Up On The Wrong Side Of A Stafford Milestone
Matthew Stafford added another line to a career already packed with them, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to top 20,000 passing yards with two different franchises. He reached the mark with the Los Angeles Rams, building on the massive production he had already piled up during his long run with the Detroit Lions.
It came in a game against the Denver Broncos, where Stafford threw for 390 yards while crossing into rarefied territory again. For Lions fans, it is another reminder of how much of his rsum was built in Detroit, and how his work there still sits alongside what he has done since moving on. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Just Caught A Break Before A Favorable Week 4 Matchup
Jaycee Horns injury gives the Lions a little extra room to breathe heading into their Week 4 trip to Carolina. The Panthers cornerback suffered a torn quad in Week 3 and is expected to be out indefinitely, with injured reserve now a possibility, a tough blow for a pass defense that had been one of Carolinas best early-season strengths.
For Detroit, the timing matters because this matchup was already lining up as one it could attack through the air. Losing Horn changes the look of the Panthers secondary and could force Carolina to adjust on the fly, which is exactly the kind of wrinkle an offense wants to see before a road game. The Lions will still have to handle a defense that has played well overall, but the absence opens a clearer path than they were facing a week ago. [Read more 🡒]