The Detroit Lions got the kind of win that can settle a team down. At home in Week 3, they beat Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets 31-24, a result that helped wash away some of the bad feeling left behind by their Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Jahmyr Gibbs was the headliner, and there wasn’t much mystery about why. He piled up 20 carries for 99 yards on the ground, added 65 receiving yards on seven catches, and scored three total touchdowns.
He also had two excellent scoring celebrations. With Detroit’s defense slow to find its footing, Gibbs kept the offense moving and kept the Jets from ever fully taking control.
He’s still climbing the Lions’ rushing touchdown list, and the debate about whether he or Bijan Robinson is the NFL’s top back is very much alive. To be honest, that answer might just depend on who has the ball last.
Detroit’s offense also looked more settled overall, and Drew Petzing deserves a lot of credit for that. After another sluggish start, he opened things up and helped the Lions build a 24-10 lead.
At one point, he even had Skyler Gill-Howard in motion on a Gibbs touchdown, which says plenty about how creative he was willing to get. The ball was spread around, and even though Jared Goff didn’t lean heavily on Amon-Ra St.
Brown, the unit looked more in sync.
That showed up most clearly with Isaac TeSlaa and Jameson Williams, who finally got going after quiet starts to the season. The two combined for 115 receiving yards.
Williams was especially sharp, making acrobatic grabs and athletic plays along the sideline. TeSlaa also came through on several drives, including the Lions’ final possession on offense.
He made a key catch right after the Jets tied the game in the fourth quarter, and that play set up another Gibbs touchdown.
There were positives on the back end, too. Chuck Clark, starting at safety for the Lions’ first three games, delivered the game-sealing strip sack on Geno Smith in the fourth quarter to stop a possible tying or winning drive.
Christian Izien, making his first start at safety with Avonte Maddox out for the rest of the year, led the team with 11 tackles and added three tackles for loss and one pass deflected. With no Thomas Harper for at least four weeks and Brian Branch still on the way back, those two are going to be leaned on heavily, and the early signs are encouraging.
Not everything was clean, though. Detroit’s pass rush still had too many stretches where it disappeared, even though the defense finished with five sacks.
During the Jets’ comeback push, the front didn’t consistently get home, and that opened the door for Garrett Wilson to make plays and for Smith to help force the game into a tie in the fourth quarter. It looked more like a scheme issue than anything else, which keeps the pressure on Kelvin Sheppard.
Special teams kept doing its part, as well. Jake Bates was perfect on his extra points and hit his only field goal attempt.
Jack Fox punted well all game, Detroit’s gunners controlled the return game, and Jacob Saylors had a career-high 44-yard return. Dave Fipp’s group has been one of the quieter strengths of the Lions’ season so far, and this game was another example of why.
The cornerback room, though, had a rough day. The defense ultimately made the play that won it, but the secondary spent too much of the game handing out free yards.
D.J. Reed drew two pass interference penalties, and both of them led to touchdowns.
Rock Ya-Sin also picked up a penalty on his first snap after coming off the bench. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. did look solid in limited action, and that group may keep changing anyway.
And then there’s the bigger picture: Detroit’s schedule may end up working in its favor. Even with the fourth-quarter scare against the Jets, the Lions can still get a lot better from here.
As the defense gets healthier and the offense settles in, they should have a chance to look every bit as dangerous as they did against New York. Their strength of schedule is weaker than the rest of the NFC North, and that could turn into a real advantage.
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 🡒]