Detroit News

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News If you answer anyone other than Aaron Donald when asked who is the best defensive tackle in football, well, you’d be wrong. Fortunately for the Detroit Lions, they won’t have to see Donald this year, outside of an unforeseen postseason meeting. But this Sunday in Atlanta, they’ll have to deal with

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News While it might be too short of a window to play this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions cornerback Justin Coleman was cleared to return to practice Thursday after a five-week stint on injured reserve.  In his second season with the Lions, Coleman led the team in defensive snaps

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News It’s unclear how much the Detroit Lions planned to play offensive lineman Joe Dahl in his return from injured reserve last Sunday, but in all likelihood, it was less than the 34 snaps he was actually needed in the victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  A starter prior to suffering

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The Detroit Lions were without four starters during Wednesday’s practice, their first in preparation for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Defensive end Trey Flowers (wrist), wide receiver Marvin Jones (knee), center Frank Ragnow (groin) and cornerback Desmond Trufant (hamstring) were all sidelined.  Additionally, wide receiver Danny Amendola was limited

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The NFL’s trade deadline is Nov. 3, a little less than two weeks away, and all eyes will be on the Detroit Lions after the team has swung three big deals the past two years at this time, acquiring one high-profile starter, while dealing two away.  “Honestly, I really

Rod Beard ,  Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The Detroit Lions had made some noticeable improvements with their pass rush in Sunday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. If they’re going to build on that progress, they’ll need to do it without rookie defensive end Julian Okwara, who suffered an injury to his right leg in the

The Detroit News  |  The Detroit News Justin Rogers, Rod Beard, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News offer their predictions against the spread for Week 7 of the 2020 NFL season. Detroit +1 at Atlanta Rogers: Atlanta Beard: Detroit Niyo: Detroit Wojnowski: Atlanta More: Lions film review: Breaking down what went right for the

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News With each passing game, it feels like T.J. Hockenson is so close to putting it all together. The Detroit Lions tight end, in his second season, has flashed in every aspect of his role this year. In each of the first three games, he recorded at least four receptions for

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The Detroit Lions have averaged more than 30 points in the past two games, but starting wide receiver Marvin Jones’ role in the outputs has been noticeably absent.  In those two games, a loss to New Orleans and win over Jacksonville, Jones has been targeted seven times. He’s caught

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News When things were going as poorly as they were for the Detroit Lions defense, it was only natural for outside observers to try and diagnosis the issues. Was the lack of a pass rush due to the team’s reluctance to blitz more often? Were the issues in coverage related

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News The Lions kept their season alive, and turned down the heat on coach Matt Patricia’s hot seat, with a complete dismantling of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Sure, it was a game the Lions should have won, given the quality of the competition. But that doesn’t diminish how the

Rod Beard   | The Detroit News It’s been 13 months since the Lions last had back-to-back victories. That’s thirteen months. That mini-streak came with a pair of three-point wins, over the Chargers and Eagles, in weeks 2 and 3 last season. The Lions followed with three straight losses, so there’s not much evidence that momentum

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Here are four observations after having a night to ponder the Detroit Lions’ 34-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  First down Do you know the last time the Lions scored 34 points in a game? It was the season finale in 2017, Jim Caldwell’s last game as coach. In that otherwise

Dave Campbell  |  Associated Press Minneapolis — With a fresh start and little to lose, the Atlanta Falcons played like it from start to finish. The Minnesota Vikings made a big mistake on their very first play and simply never recovered. Julio Jones returned from injury to catch two of Matt Ryan’s four touchdown passes,

Teresa M. Walker  |  Associated Press Nashville, Tenn. – Expectations for Derrick Henry already are pretty high, with his history of mighty stiff arms and long touchdown runs. Last season’s rushing leader keeps finding new ways to top himself, taking the Tennessee Titans along with him yet again. Henry took a direct snap and ran

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Jacksonville, Fla. — The Detroit Lions faced concerns about their offensive line coming into Sunday’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, only to deal with far more issues than anticipated once the game got underway.  Prior to kickoff it was unclear whether center Frank Ragnow would be able to suit up

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Earlier this week, one thing Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia emphasized was simplifying what he was asking his players to do. And while it’s difficult to quantify what that looks like in real-time, if the Lions’ performance in Sunday’s 34-16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars can be directly tied

Bob Wojnowski   | The Detroit News Jacksonville, Fla. — The Lions were desperate, the straits were dire, the season teetered. Something had to change, and apparently, it’s not that complicated. Hand the ball to D’Andre Swift. Introduce your defense to the opposing quarterback with an occasional blitz. Play Jacksonville. The Lions’ three-part plan worked swimmingly

Jacksonville, Fla. — Justin Rogers grades the Detroit Lions’ performance in their 34-16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Quarterback Matthew Stafford wasn’t particularly sharp, placing several throws behind his receivers throughout the contest, but he was good enough to get the job done. His best completions came downfield, including a 48-yard bomb to Kenny Golladay on

Justin Rogers   | The Detroit News Jacksonville, Fla. —Whether it was the result of a simplified game plan, or an inferior opponent, the Detroit Lions delivered their most complete performance of the season coming out of the bye. The Lions jumped out to an early lead and never let up, hammering the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-16, on