Detroit News

Matthew Stafford has seen plenty of rough years in his 12 seasons quarterbacking the Detroit Lions, but none have been quite as turbulent as 2020. With two games to go, he’s dealt with not one, but two COVID scares, a head coaching change, painful injuries to his thumb and ribs, and is now seeing the

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News When the Detroit Lions fired Brayden Coombs on Monday, a team source told The Detroit News not only did the former assistant go rogue calling a fake punt, not even all 11 players on the field knew the call.  Turns out punter Jack Fox was among those who didn’t

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Detroit Lions long snapper Don Muhlbach, with 14 appearances this season, climbed into the top 50 of the league’s all-time games played list. And while he insists he hasn’t sat down to think about what the future holds, the 39-year-old, 17-year veteran sure sounds like he feels like he

The Detroit News Justin Rogers, Rod Beard, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News offer their predictions against the spread for Week 16 of the 2020 NFL season. Tampa Bay -7.5 at Detroit Rogers: Tampa Bay Beard: Tampa Bay Niyo: Tampa Bay Wojnowski: Tampa Bay Minnesota +6.5 at New Orleans Rogers: New Orleans Beard:

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News After announcing two positive COVID-19 tests within the organization on Tuesday, the Detroit Lions now face a greater challenge after a number of the team’s coaches, including most of the defensive staff and interim coach Darrell Bevell, have been deemed to be high-risk close contacts, according to an NFL

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Plenty of opposing coaches have raved about Matthew Stafford over the years, but Tampa Bay’s Bruce Arians went above and beyond with his praise for the Lions quarterback during a Tuesday conference call.  “He’s one of my all-time favorite guys,” Arians said. “He’s tough as nails. Like I said the other

Remember that jaw-dropping throw Matthew Stafford made against Kansas City last year — a dart to Kenny Golladay through an inconceivable small window between four defenders for a touchdown? Well, Stafford donned his wizard’s cap again this past Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. It was early in the game, with the Lions trailing 7-0 and facing

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News A little more than a year after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury, Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson revealed previously unknown information about the severity.  Hockenson missed the final four games of his rookie season with what was labeled an ankle injury. Twisted down near the sideline by Chicago

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The Detroit Lions announced Tuesday morning that they’ve closed their practice facility following two members of the organization testing positive for the COVID-19 virus.  “Earlier this morning, we were informed of two positive COVID-19 tests within our organization,” the team said in a statement. “As a precaution, the team practice

James Hawkins   | The Detroit News Lions cornerback Alex Myres made waves on social media during his NFL debut. Unfortunately for Myres, he ended up at the wrong end of the highlight reel when he received a vicious stiff-arm from Titans running back Derrick Henry during Sunday’s 46-25 loss. On a first-down carry during the

Justin Rogers ,  James Hawkins   | The Detroit News Not much has gone well for the Detroit Lions this season, but one area where the team has consistently excelled is on special teams. That wasn’t enough to save first-year coordinator Brayden Coombs, who was fired Monday after calling an unauthorized fake punt during the team’s 46-25

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News For the first time since 2014, three Detroit Lions players have been named to the Pro Bowl roster. On Monday night, the NFL announced tight end T.J. Hockenson, center Frank Ragnow and punter Jack Fox earned the honors for the 2020 season.  Hockenson, the No. 8 pick in the

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Not much has gone well for the Detroit Lions this season, but one area where the team has consistently excelled was on special teams. That wasn’t enough to save first-year coordinator Brayden Coombs, who was fired Monday after the team’s 45-26 loss to the Tennessee Titans.  According to a

Brett Martel  |  Associated Press New Orleans — Patrick Mahomes’ repertoire of side-arm throws, basketball-style push passes, underhanded flips and renowned improvisation humbled yet another highly regarded defense. Mahomes passed for 254 yards and three touchdowns, and the Kansas City Chiefs extended their winning streak to nine games with a 32-29 victory over the New Orleans

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John Niyo   | The Detroit News Nashville — One by one, they’re joining the queue for interviews. Louis Riddick. Rick Smith. Scott Pioli. Thomas Dimitroff. And those are just the guys who are no longer currently employed by NFL teams. The list of known candidates for the Lions’ general manager vacancy will only grow in

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Nashville — Justin Rogers grades the Detroit Lions’ performance in their 46-25 loss to the Tennessee Titans.  Quarterback Yeah, the Lions got blown out, but can we take a moment to marvel at what Matthew Stafford was able to accomplish in a game not even he thought he’d be able

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News What more can be said or written about Matthew Stafford’s toughness?  As he’s done several times in his career, the Detroit Lions quarterback defied reasonable expectations by playing through an injury that would sideline so many others in his position.  A week ago, Stafford was forced to pull himself

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Nashville — On paper, it seemed there would be no way the Detroit Lions were going to be able to slow down Derrick Henry and the high-scoring Tennessee Titans offense. In reality, that’s exactly how it turned out.  The Titans scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and blew open

Paul Newberry  |  Associated Press Atlanta — Tom Brady took a knee, then headed toward the Atlanta Falcons sideline to exchange a few words with Matt Ryan. It all looked so familiar. Yep, Brady did it again to Ryan and the Falcons. Rallying Tampa Bay from a pair of 17-point deficits, Brady recreated his Super