Detroit News

Denver — Attempting to overcome a roster severely depleted by injuries and six COVID-19 cases this week, while playing against an opponent riding an emotional wave fueled by the death of a franchise icon this week, the Detroit Lions were overwhelmed by the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, 38-10. Buoyed

Denver — The Detroit Lions secondary, already significantly shorthanded by four COVID-19 cases this week, suffered another, potentially more serious blow in the opening quarter of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.  Jerry Jacobs suffered the injury after he collided with Broncos receiver Tim Patrick on a third-down play early in the game, which caused the

Denver — Justin Rogers grades the Detroit Lions’ performance in their 38-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. Quarterback This was a pretty standard Jared Goff performance, with a respectable completion percentage, but minimal damage done downfield. His longest pass of the game, a 20-yarder to Josh Reynolds, came against a softer coverage on a third-and-22 play.

The Lions marched into Denver missing more than 20 regulars on their roster due to a flu outbreak, and looked the part in Sunday’s 38-10 loss to the Broncos. The offense couldn’t get much going without T.J. Hockenson, Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift, the defense couldn’t stop Denver’s run game without leading tacklers Tracy Walker

Detroit News contributor Nolan Bianchi offers his observations after the first half of the Lions game against the Broncos. The Replacements The Lions came into this game with seven players elevated from the practice squad due to COVID-19 and the flu, and it’s been pretty apparent early on. Practice squad corner Nickell Robey-Coleman was forced into

By Matt Schoch |  Special to The Detroit News With the first win under their belts, the Detroit Lions are officially playing out the string. Happy NFL Draft season. With no top-flight quarterback available, and depending on your opinion on the top-flight edge rushers available, losing the No. 1 pick might not be all that bad.

Denver — The already shorthanded Detroit Lions lost two more players to the COVID-19 reserve list on Saturday, bringing the team’s total to six on the week. Included in that group are four defensive backs, including Saturday’s additions, cornerbacks Ifeatu Melifonwu and Mark Gilbert. They joined safety Tracy Walker, cornerback Bobby Price, running back Jamaal Williams

James Hawkins, John Niyo, Justin Rogers and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News offer predictions for Sunday’s Lions-Broncos game at Empower Field at Mile High (4:05 p.m., Fox/97.1). ► James Hawkins: The Lions are riding into Mile High on a high, but the good feelings might not last long. The Broncos’ defense is stingy and allowing

Allen Park — It’s not exactly uncommon for a tight end to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, given it’s happened six times in the past decade. But two or more tight ends in the first round, now we’re getting into rarer air. That’s happened twice during the same stretch. That makes

Allen Park — Where does a great play design come from? Most football coaches will tell you there’s not many new ideas left, merely derivatives of previous concepts, deployed with good timing and better execution. In Detroit, reflective of the entirety of coach Dan Campbell’s philosophy, that process is collaborative. A great example would be a

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions will be decidedly short-handed when they travel to Denver to play the Broncos on Sunday. After navigating a flu outbreak throughout the week, the team was abruptly forced to place starting safety Tracy Walker and running back Jamaal Williams on the COVID-19 reserve list Friday afternoon. They were the team’s

Allen Park — You wouldn’t know it now, but as a youngster, Jamaal Williams’ running style was predicated on speed. He was more lightning than the thunder role he currently occupies in the Detroit Lions’ backfield. It was an injury — a broken ankle before his freshman season of high school — that changed the course of Williams’ athletic trajectory.

Allen Park — You wouldn’t know it now, but as a youngster, Jamaal Williams’ running style was predicated on speed. He was more lightning than the thunder role he currently occupies in the Detroit Lions’ backfield. It was an injury — a broken ankle before his freshman season of high school — that changed the course of Williams’ athletic trajectory.

By Steve Kornacki |  Special to The Detroit News Lions at Broncos ► Kickoff: 4:05 p.m., Sunday, Empower Field at Mile High, Denver ► TV/radio: Fox/97.1 ► Records: Lions 1-10-1, Broncos 6-6 ► Line: Denver by 10.5 Detroit News contributor Steve Kornacki breaks down the Lions’ Week 14 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Key matchup LIONS TIGHT END T.J. HOCKENSON VS. BRONCOS PASS COVERAGE Hockenson has more

Detroit — The plan made sense. Then it got sidetracked, as Lions plans tend to do. And now? Now it might work in an entirely different way. You know the plan. Trade Matthew Stafford to the Rams, get two first-round picks and Jared Goff, who gets a one- or two-year trial to see if he

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions were down more than 40% of the team’s active roster on Thursday as the team continues to combat a flu outbreak in the facility. In total, 21 players were held out of practice. Many of the absences were precautionary, but there were three new players listed with an illness on

Allen Park — Three months into his first NFL season and Detroit Lions rookie linebacker Derrick Barnes has yet to play more than half of the team’s defensive snaps in a single game. Barnes has come close, within a snap or two multiple occasions, including last Sunday against Minnesota, but he remains on the backside of a

Allen Park — There’s clearly a mutual admiration shared between Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell and Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and had circumstances been slightly different, the two might have ended up paired together in Detroit this season. When the Lions put Matthew Stafford on the trade block this offseason, at the quarterback’s request, the Carolina

Allen Park — With the NFL still navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s another virus wreaking havoc within the Detroit Lions organization this week. On Wednesday, the team took proactive measures to counter a rapidly spreading flu virus, in hopes of getting it contained ahead of Sunday’s game against Denver. With multiple players told to stay home, including

Justin Rogers, James Hawkins, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News offer their predictions for Week 14 of the NFL season. All picks made against the spread. Detroit +8.5 at Denver Rogers: Denver Hawkins: Detroit Niyo: Detroit Wojnowski: Denver Pittsburgh +4 at Minnesota Rogers: Minnesota Hawkins: Pittsburgh Niyo: Pittsburgh Wojnowski: Minnesota Las Vegas