Tag: Kerryon Johnson

Lions’ Kerryon Johnson breaks the 100-yard rushing mark in win over Patriots

Detroit’s last 100-yard rusher came in 2013

DETROIT — Lions rookie Kerryon Johnson was a sophomore in high school the last time the Lions featured a 100-yard rusher in a game.

That was Reggie Bush, who scampered for 117 yards at the Thanksgiving game on Nov. 28, 2013. That is a mighty long time ago.

Of course, Johnson knew the story and knew that many people were looking for him to break that obnoxious streak. In the win, he carried 16 times for 101 yards. His longest scamper was for 15 yards, so he had to work hard to reach that 100-yard mark.

“It’s a lot easier when you break a long one. But they’re a good team. They’re a good defense, they’re sound, they tackle, they don’t make many mistakes. So, we knew it was going to be a grind, but we were ready for it,’’ Johnson said. “We were ready for the grind and I’m going to say grind again. We grinded it out.”

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions.)

In the two previous games (both losses), the Lions fell behind and had to abandon the run game in hopes of catching up. It was different against the Patriots — the Lions took an early lead and never relinquished it.

“I think this was our most physical game that we’ve played so far,’’ Johnson said. “We came out, we made a decision to run it downhill and our O-line got behind it, we got behind it, and that’s what we started to do. We came out and both of us, me and LG (LeGarrette Blount), were both running the ball downhill at the beginning and we just carried it through the whole game, 60 minutes.”

The Lions ran for a total of 159 rushing yards, more than in any one game last season.

Of course last season they didn’t have Johnson, who was a second-round draft pick.

“I think (Johnson) just does everything well. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, he’s a smart player, he’s got good vision. He’s a slippery runner. He’s got probably a little bit more strength than people give him credit for, a little bit more speed,’’ Matthew Stafford said. “It doesn’t maybe jump off the page to you but when he’s out there he’s really efficient and does some really nice things.”

Johnson’s break-through game didn’t really surprise coach Matt Patricia.

“You know, I think Kerryon did, a lot of what we saw coming out. You know, a lot of what we liked from him that definitely shows up,’’ Patricia said. “But I think all those guys, all the backs, work really hard and think they all have something a little bit different that they provide for us. So, you know, just good team win. That’s the bottom line. That’s what it’s all about.”

Five things to know about the Lions’ big upset win over the Patriots

Lions dominate, grab first win this season

DETROIT – With a 26-10 win over the Patriots on Sunday night, the Lions pulled out their biggest win at Ford Field in a very long time.

Give the Lions players and coaches credit that after the 0-2 start to the season, they didn’t cave in, didn’t give up, they just kept on working getting ready to face their toughest opponent yet.

In fact, afterward coach Matt Patricia said the makings of the win started with a good week of practice.

“You go through the spring, you go through training camp, you go through preseason games. You go from the transition from preseason to regular season and just trying to get in-sync and get into a rhythm. All that helps,’’ Patricia said. “But honestly just give credit to the players. They did a great job this week in coming out and preparing and went out and executed at a high level.”

In the locker room afterward, the players gave the team ball to Patricia for his first NFL win as a head coach. Yet at the podium minutes later he kept tossing bouquets to the players.

In the second half, Lions fans were on the edge of their seats. Over the years, they had seen likely wins turn into losses. Different coaches, different players but many of the same results and excuses.

There were no excuses necessary on Sunday night.

“We did a good job of staying out of our own way,’’ said Marvin Jones Jr., who had four catches for 69 yards including a 33-yard touchdown reception.

Five things to note about the win:

1. Matthew Stafford was back. The quarterback’s play in the first six quarters of the season was head-scratchingly awful. He started improving in the second half at San Francisco a week ago and it continued through all four quarters on Sunday. Stafford was 27 of 36 for 262 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a 101.9 rating. “It was a total team win, we have a lot to get better at, I can’t turn the ball over to start the third. That was a bad play by me but our guys are resilient and we battled and made some plays,’’ Stafford said.

2. The 33-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones in the third quarter gave the Lions a 20-10 cushion. The timing couldn’t have been better. Those points allowed the Lions’ offense to maintain a mix of run and pass. Jones wasn’t even Stafford’s first option on that call. “He was running, he was open. (He was) not really my No. 1, he came around the corner and he flashed to me,’’ Stafford said. “Man, he ran away from a really good player (cornerback Stephon Gilmore), I’m just glad out there pretty close to in stride, you can figure that out later and tell me if it was good enough for you guys.’’ That was a kindly dig at the media who criticized Stafford for not connecting with his deep receivers last week at the 49ers.

3. The Lions ran the ball for 159 yards (this is not a misprint), but the biggest news is that Kerryon Johnson became the first Lions 100-yard rusher in a game since Reggie Bush did so on Nov. 28, 2013. Johnson, the rookie, had 16 carries for 101 yards averaging 6.3 yards per carry. LeGarrette Blount, a former Patriot, had 16 carries for 48 yards. “I think all of our backs played well. Theo (Riddick) in pass game did a nice job a couple times. Kerryon was really good running the ball. I thought LeGarrette was good running the ball,’’ Stafford said. “A ton of credit to our guys up front, man, that’s a defense that does not want you to run the football on them. We did it and I was happy to be a part of it.’’

4. The defense, playing without Ziggy Ansah and his wonky shoulder, forced the Patriots into three-and-outs on their first three possessions. The mighty Pats were held to 209 total yards — just 70 of them in the first half. Tom Brady’s numbers were pedestrian at best — 14 of 26, one touchdown, one interception and a 65.1 rating. LInebacker Eli Harold sacked Brady twice. Darius Slay came up with the huge interception on a second-and-8 play in the third quarter.

5. It was a win that could set the tone for the rest of the season. The Lions are now 1-2 and they have their problems but they now should have a good dose of confidence after beating the Patriots, a perennially elite bunch. “It was a total team win, we have a lot to get better at, I can’t turn the ball over to start the third. That was a bad play by me but our guys are resilient and we battled and made some plays,’’ Stafford said. “We’re a tough group, mentally tough. We have plenty of bad plays, bad throws, bad outcomes to a play, whatever it is. we’ve had them. We’re a tough group, we believe in each other, believe in what we’re doing.’’ Next up, at the Dallas Cowboys (1-2) on Sunday.

Detroit Lions’ opener vs. Jets should reveal more of Matt Patricia’s influence

Preseason was for evaluation, now is time to win

ALLEN PARK — Matt Patricia admitted he was a little extra fired this week.

The Lions are inching closer to his debut as a head coach when they open the season against the New York Jets on Monday night at Ford Field.

“I’m pretty fired up every day. So, sometimes I come in here and you guys suck the life out of me, but other than that, I’m pretty good because you guys aren’t really excited when I walk in here. So, I’m not going to let you guys do that to me today because we’re going out there and we’re getting ready to go win. I mean the best that we can.,’’ said Patricia who was laughing as the words spilled from his mouth.

It’s an odd week for the Lions since they don’t open the season until Monday. They practiced Monday and Wednesday, had Thursday off and then will practice Friday and Saturday.

“We’re just going to try to prepare — look this is a really good team, I’m just telling you. Todd Bowles, I have the utmost respect for him, his staff, and what they do week in and week out. Obviously been going against him for a while. And he’s a great coach, and he’s an even better person,’’ Patricia said. “So, when you go up against somebody like that and you’re not really sure what it’s going to look like week 1, you have to be ready to go from the start. So, that’s where we’re at.”

It was an unimpressive preseason (1-3) under Patricia who was evaluating his roster, not necessarily trying to win. So the big reveal will be at kickoff Monday night. No one really knows what to expect, but here are five things we might be able to learn about Patricia’s version of the Lions in the opener:

1. The re-imagined defense has been the subject of much discussion. New scheme, new coaches and a few new players. After watching all of training camp and the offseason, it’s difficult to know what we will see. The pass-rush in the preseason was ineffective (and that’s being nice.) Defensive line coach Bo Davis said he’s not concerned. “We get everybody playing together I think it will be a different scene,’’ Davis said. “I think that’s the thing, we have to continue building on, I think the guys are very aware of it. It’s more in being in control of what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.’’ We will see.

2. The run game has been a huge focus. Don’t expect they will lean heavily on rookie Kerryon Johnson early on unless he looks so good they can’t keep him off the field. Don’t count out LeGarrette Blount as a key factor and, of course, Theo Riddick. One similarity for the run game, will be the fact that it’s by committee. Don’t look for a No. 1 running back because you won’t find one. Also the back who gets the most carries on Monday night, might not get the same workload the next week at San Francisco. The Jets gave up 117.9 rushing yards per game in 2017, but this is a different Jets’ team also.

3. Middle linebacker Jarrad Davis needs to take a big step from his rookie season. He’s got his leadership role down but he needs to improve his pass coverage. It’s not all about Davis, but he’s an integral part of this new-look defense. “We’ve tried to do a few things and played a lot of people in preseason. So, it’s a work in progress. We’ll get better. I think we’ve had some spots where we have done well, and we’ve had some other spots where we have to be more consistent. So, we’ll just keep working at it and keep getting better,’’ defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni said.

4. Matthew Stafford, entering his 10th season, should be just fine. He and coordinator Jim Bob Cooter have developed a better relationship over two-plus seasons. “The more we’re around each other, the more we talk through different thoughts and ideas, I think the deeper we get into certain thought processes—sometimes very similarly, sometimes coming from a different angle,’’ Cooter said. “So, we’ve had certain times where he’s walked off the field and maybe I’d go into a discussion about what I was thinking on a certain play and he finishes the second half of that discussion because he was right on the same page. And there’s also times where I might see a certain route one way and he kind of sees the other way and we’re talking through that stuff. Like anything, the more you’re around—players, coaches, each other—you really get to know each other better, you really sort of go through the trials of working through those things.’’

5. On paper, the Lions have a better team with an experienced quarterback. They’ll be facing Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, the youngest QB to start an opening game in the NFL since the AFL/NFL merger. It’s tough to plan a defense for a rookie NFL quarterback. “It’s a big challenge, I think, when you get those guys. And certainly with a new offensive coordinator, maybe a couple different things scheme-wise that they’re going to do with the hiring of a couple new coaches,’’ Patricia said. He doesn’t expect to learn much from preseason game film.