Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett breaks down the Detroit Lions’ 15-9 win over the Green Bay Packers and looks at players and coaches who helped and hurt their stock Sunday at Ford Field.
Stock up
S Kerby Joseph: A third-round pick out of Illinois, Joseph has shown big-time playmaking ability since entering the starting lineup in place of an injured Tracy Walker in early October. Joseph had the first two interceptions of his career Sunday, to go with forced fumbles each of the past two weeks, and made 10 tackles and had another pass breakup before leaving with a brain injury. He’s been a godsend for a defense that has struggled to get takeaways most of the season.
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LB Derrick Barnes: Barnes played his best game as a Lion on Sunday. He had a game-high 12 tackles, his first sack of the season and stopped AJ Dillon on third-and-goal from the 1 on the final play of the first quarter in what turned out to be a huge momentum swing for the Lions when Aaron Rodgers threw an interception on the next play. Malcolm Rodriguez and Alex Anzalone have played well this season, but Barnes has earned more playing time in the season’s second half.
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DL Isaiah Buggs: Buggs did not have a statistical line that compared to Joseph or Barnes, but he was a key part of the Lions’ defensive effort Sunday. The big nose tackle shoved Packers lineman Zach Tom into the backfield on Barnes’ third-and-goal stop and had the pressure that forced Rodgers’ second interception. Buggs has flown under the radar all season, except by his teammates. “Playing behind him as a linebacker is all you can ask for because literally we barely have to take on blocks when we’re playing behind him,” Anzalone said. “He takes two every time in the run game and I love it. He’s playing awesome.”
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Stock down
QB Aaron Rodgers: He’s been a Lion killer his entire career, but Rodgers’ decline as a player is real. He threw three interceptions Sunday, including two in the red zone for the first time in his career, and underthrew several other passes when the Packers were in need of big plays. Rodgers was visibly frustrated on the field at times, and after the game reporters asked if he regretted returning for an 18th season. With Rodgers playing the way he is, Green Bay’s run as king of the NFC North is over.
LS Scott Daly: Long snappers don’t make stock watch often, but Daly had a bad snap on an extra point Sunday, two weeks after he had a bad snap on a punt. The Lions avoided disaster in both instances; Jack Fox fielded Daly’s low snap against the Cowboys and got a punt off, and while Michael Badgley missed his PAT on Sunday, the Packers were flagged for running into the kicker on the play. The Lions went for two on the do-over and converted, but Daly can’t afford many more miscues or the Lions will be forced to find a replacement.
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RB D’Andre Swift: Swift had 50 yards from scrimmage in limited action Sunday, so it wasn’t that he was effective when he was on the field. But the third-year running back has not played sparingly or not at all in the Lions’ past seven games and the team has managed to run the ball just fine in his absence. Yes, the Lions miss Swift’s big-play ability, but his health issues mean the Lions can’t count on him going forward as a key part of their rebuild.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.