Tag: D.J. Reader

Banged-up Lions face division rival Packers; injury updates and prediction

Five things to watch as Packers visit Ford Field

Lions coach Dan Campbell is amped up every week, but perhaps more so as the Lions face the Packers in a huge divisional contest on Thursday night at Ford Field. 

“They have players everywhere and they’re playing good football. So, this is going to be a great matchup,’’ Campbell said. “Back at our place, it’s just another one of those, division game number four, get it back at home against a really good opponent and it’s – there again, this is why you do it. This is why you coach, it’s why you play, so, we’re fired up for this.”

The Lions, who have won all three of their division contests, won the first meeting against the Pack, 24-14, at Lambeau Field on Nov. 3. Since then the Lions are 4-0 while the Packers are 3-0.

“There will be enough carryover, I’m sure for them as well as us. Things that they did well against us, things that we did well, and then you just kind of play off of that,’’ Campbell said. “And there will be wrinkles on both sides. The weather affected a couple of things, but I think all in all, the blueprint’s there for either team, however you want to look at it. So, I don’t see anything being too significant and we get wrinkles every week. We always get something that’s tendency breakers now. So, we pretty much expect that.”

Five things to watch:

ONE: The Lions’ defense must contain Packers RB Josh Jacobs who is having a good season. “Big, powerful, hard to tackle, run after contact, and I said this the first time that we played them, is when you have a running back of that nature, it changes the mindset of the O-line. So now the O-line knows that we have this physical runner, so now that turns into a more physical offensive line and all they have to do is show him, give him a little crease, and they know that he’s going to make three yards out of nothing,’’ Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “Most of those three yards end up getting to be six and seven yards and he’s going to break a tackle. So, I think he fits that scheme perfectly and he’s doing a hell of a job as far as complementing the whole offense which allows now the vertical passing game to show up.”

TWO: Quarterback Jordan Love had a fairly good game in the first meeting of the two, with 273 passing yards and one interception. But when it came to the red zone, the Lions defense held and Green Bay was just one-of-four inside the 20. Since the Packers started leaning more on the run, Love has improved. He threw 11 interceptions in the first eight games but has gone two games without a pick and with a total of four TD passes.

THREE: Against the Bears on Thanksgiving, Detroit’s run game was so effective Chicago barely had the ball on offense. With a depleted defense due to injury, a similar start would be effective. No reason that can’t happen with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs both healthy. They combined for 138 rushing yards in Green Bay on Nov. 3.

FOUR: Especially with the absence of Alex Anzalone, linebacker Jack Campbell has stepped up. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said he’s their rock. “He’s a man’s man, he loves standing in front of the huddle to give the call to those guys and they really really respect him,’’ Glenn said. “They respect him because of who he is personally, but they respect the way he plays the game, it’s a hundred mph all the time.’’ Campbell amassed 10 tackles in the first meeting with Green Bay.

FIVE: The Lions need Jared Goff to have another big game. While it’s just been a month since they faced each other, both teams have changed a bit and both are still winning. The Packers have won three straight. “They’re playing well and we’ve got our hands full. It’s a good defense, they’re well-coached, they do a lot of really good things, the backend’s good, the linebackers are good, the front four is good, they’re good on every level and we know what we’ve got to take care of,’’ said Goff who as 18 of 22 for 145 yards and a touchdown in their first meeting.

LIONS INJURY UPDATE: LT Taylor Decker (knee), DL Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring), DL Josh Paschal (knee) and DL D.J. Reader (shoulder) are out.

PACKERS INJURY UPDATE: CB Jaire Alexander (knee), WR Romeo Doubs (concussion), LB Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) and DB Corey Ballentine (knee) are out.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Packers 24

Lions Dan Campbell hasn’t closed door on Aidan Hutchinson return this season

Brad Holmes on lookout for trade but it’s not a certainty

ALLEN PARK — While Aidan Hutchinson faces significant recovery time from his broken left leg, Lions coach Dan Campbell will not count him out for the season.

“Let me say this, it’s 4-6 months. I would never count Hutch out. Ever. So long road, but I would never count him out, I would say if anybody can make it back it would be him,’’ Campbell said on Monday.

Hutchinson underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured tibia and fractured fibula at Baylor White Medical Center in Texas on Sunday night. He will return to Detroit this week and is expected to make a full recovery. Officially there is no timeline for his return to play at this time.

Still, returning this season — maybe in the playoffs — remains a possibility and Campbell thinks it is huge for Hutchinson just to know that is out there.

“Just knowing Hutch, he’s got one of those rare, if he believes in it, he can will himself to find a way to get it back,’’ Campbell said. “One of those guys, the mind can heal the body, he’ll find the next best thing and do whatever it takes to get back.

“So who knows? But yeah, I think it’s huge, you know it’s sitting right out there. ‘I can do this, I can get back. We’ll be in a position where I’ll be able to come back to help.’ I think it’s huge,’’ the coach added.

On Sunday, Hutchinson played 32 snaps against the Cowboys before he broke his leg early in the third quarter. The Lions were up 34-6 when he was carted off the field. He had notched one sack, three quarterback hits, and three tackles in the game which the Lions won 47-9.

Campbell remains confident in his team and certainly is not giving up on the Super Bowl goal. He’s not closing the door on a possible trade either. The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 5.

“Everything’s on the table but Brad (Holmes) and I are not panicked. This team is not panicked,’’ Campbell said. “It’s next man up and if we have an area where we need some help, we have to help each other out and we may have to play a little different and that’s OK. ‘’

Holmes will not jump on a trade unless it’s a perfect match for the team.

“This comes up every year and it’s not like he doesn’t look. He’s doing what he’s been doing – he’s looking. Is there somebody out there who could potentially help us? What is it going to cost? Just because it’s there doesn’t mean we’re going to do it. It’s got to be right if it is,’’ Campbell said.

 “We’re not in a hurry, I believe in the guys who are here, I believe in the D-line. It doesn’t mean we’re not looking, we’re not evaluating. Brad is, that’s his job and he’s good at it. We’ll take it as it comes. Our eyes are open and we’ll make sure we have what we need here,’’ Campbell added.

Hutchinson’s injury is the second big hit for the defensive line that lost Marcus Davenport due to a season-ending injury three weeks ago.

Undrafted rookie Isaac Ukwu stepped in on Sunday to fill in for Hutchinson. It was his first NFL game action and while Campbell said it did appear that way, he’s seen Ukwu in practice and has faith he can improve.

Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal and James Houston will be leaned on.

While Alim McNeill is an inside D-lineman, he can take some of the pressure off the ends. He had two sacks and seven pressures on Sunday.

“He’s one of those guys we’re going to lean on, he doesn’t have to be Superman but we’ve got to get that out of him every week and he’s got that ability,’’ Campbell said.

Hutchinson’s injury is a blow to the Lions, but doesn’t appear to be a death blow.

Overall in the first five games this season — Hutchinson’s third NFL season — he had been on fire with 7.5 sacks (he had 11.5 all of last year), 17 quarterback hits, 19 tackles, and one forced fumble.

He was a heavy favorite with 5/2 odds of winning the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, per BetOnline.ag. Now he’s off the board and Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt has moved from 3/1 to the favorite at 3/2.

“Everybody feels for Hutch .. because they can put themselves in his shoes, it brings it back to reality. It’s part of this game and it’s hard,’’ Campbell said. “I think they also understand that man, we are a team and everybody is here for a reason and it takes every one of us.’’

NOTES:

— QB Jared Goff turned 30 on Monday. Among all quarterbacks in NFL history before turning 30 he ranked third in completions (2,763); tied for third in 300-yard games (38); fourth in yards (31,759); fourth in attempts (4,256);  tied for fourth in starts (122); and sixth in passing TDs (193).

— The Lions have produced at least three passing TDs and two rushing TDs in back-to-back games. The only other times they’ve done so were in 1962 and 1950.

— RB David Montgomery is the 10th player in NFL history to produce at least 70 scrimmage yards and a rushing TD in each of the first five games of a season. 

UP NEXT: Lions (4-1) at Vikings (5-0), 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Five things to watch as Lions host Bucs; injury update and prediction

With the overtime win over the Rams, the Detroit Lions held strong to beat one of their playoff opponents from last year. On Sunday, they’ll have a chance at another, the Tampa Bay Bucs.

In January the Lions topped the Bucs 31-23 in the divisional round. Both teams have seen a few changes but the main cast of characters is intact for both.

“It doesn’t matter who you play. You have to find a way to win them. I think what’s unique is, I think the Rams last week and the Bucs here are certainly – they have a good chance of winning those divisions,’’ Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “They are certainly going to be competitive and be right there in the race, and so this is a chance to get an early one. You get an early one and you just don’t know what this is going to mean down the road and if you can put some money in the bank early in the season, it will pay big dividends for you down the road.’’

Campbell looks for improvement every week. It’s good with a win under their belt but that was just a start. And, remember, it took overtime.

“Now in the moment, it’s – we just have to improve. I mentioned it the other day, we just have to get a little bit better and if we can do that as individuals, coaches, players, everything, then it’ll raise the floor of our team significantly this week,’’ Campbell said.

Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Ford Field.

Five things to watch against the Bucs:

ONE: The Lions defense must improve on tackling and make more big plays when the chance is there. Carlton Davis and Brian Branch missed on possible interceptions in the opener while Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport missed sacks. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn saw the positives too. “When you throw it 50 times and you average six yards per attempt, that’s right in our wheelhouse of where we want to be at. So, we were happy about that, and again, just like I said in the run game, we held guys to 3.6 yards per carry I think on 20-something runs. So, that’s who we are as a defense,’’ Glenn said. They could have their hands full with QB Baker Mayfield who threw four TD passes last week in win over the Commanders.

TWO: The Lions offense could take advantage of a beat-up Bucs’ secondary. Safety Antoine Winfield (foot) is expected to miss. Three corners were lost in the Bucs win last week – Zyan McCollum (concussion), Josh Hayes (ankle) and Bryce Hall who is out for the season.  “This is a dangerous team. So, we’ll see who they have available here on Sunday, but more than anything, we have to handle all the variety of looks that they can present to us, first and second down, and third down,’’ Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said.

THREE: The Lions’ multi-dimensional offense had enough left in the tank to win in overtime last week. They did it with Amon-Ra St. Brown getting just three catches. Getting him more involved is a priority but it wasn’t shocking since Jameson Williams came up big with 121 receiving yards. “That’s going to happen, and I think what made us a good offense in the past is that last week it was Jameson and this week it could be him again, but it could be anyone. It could be Sam (LaPorta), it could be Kalif (Raymond), it could be – obviously St. Brown is a big part of it, but it could be anyone and that’s what’s good about our offense,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said.

FOUR: In his first NFL game, cornerback Terrion Arnold was notched two pass interference calls against the Rams. It’s not an unusual phenomena for a rookie, but something that needs work. “We have to make sure that we coach those things out of him. ‘Where’s your hand placement? Understand where do you want to turn your head in certain situations on the ball.’ So, I have no issue with that player getting better at that, because I know he will because he’s a quick learner and he’s a fast learner,’’ Glenn said.

FIVE: Look for defensive lineman D.J. Reader to play in his first game for the Lions. “He’s a man’s man. When it comes to the run game, he’s going to be a huge addition to us, but I don’t want guys to just think that’s just who he is, because he has sneaky, athletic ability to be able to help on the passing game too, because he can push the pocket,’’ Glenn said. “Anytime you bring a player like that back in the fold, it only helps us as a defense.”

LIONS INJURY UPDATE: S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle) and WR Isaiah Williams (abdomen) are out; DL Marcus Davenport (groin) is doubtful; RT Penei Sewell (ankle), S Kerby Joseph (hamstring) and WR Jameson Williams (ankle) are questionable.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Bucs 24