Studs and Duds from the Lions Week 8 win over the Titans

Raymond earned the game ball from head coach Dan Campbell after becoming the first player in NFL history to return a punt for a touchdown and catch a touchdown pass in the same game. Raymond did all of that in the third quarter. He set a career-high with 190 punt return yards in the game, including the 90-yard touchdown.

The injuries finally caught up to the Lions on the pass rushing front against Tennessee. Squaring off against a backup right tackle and a heretofore struggling rookie left tackle, the collection of reserves and practice squad refugees playing EDGE for the Lions was ineffective. Detroit managed just five QB hits on TItans backup QB Mason Rudolph, who is not known for his mobility or pocket savvy.

Detroit’s only sack came from LB Alex Anzalone on a (perfectly timed) A-gap blitz. Safety Brian Branch had one of the Lions’ four other “official” (postgame NFL stat sheet) hits on Rudolph. Two came from Levi Onwuzurike and the other was from James Houston–who had the game’s only clear pass rush win on the outside. I did note strong pressures and potential QB hits from Alim McNeill and Pat O’Connor (pictured), but nonetheless the pass rush was not anywhere close to effective overall.

Gibbs topped 100 yards on the ground, gaining 127 yards on just 11 carries. He raced for 70 of those on an early touchdown, decisively trusting his blocking and topping 22 MPH as he sped untouched on the longest run of his NFL career.

Campbell’s appearance here stems largely from the early portion of the game, when the Titans were still very much in it. One reason they were is because Campbell was out of position a few ties at linebacker, including Tennessee’s first touchdown. While it wasn’t pretty for fellow LB Trevor Nowaske getting juked out by Mason Rudolph, Campbell was nowhere near the play because he got fooled on a fake screen. Earlier, he got caught badly out of position on a play-action pass. There were also a couple of missed tackle attempts–including the picture above.

Campbell is having a very strong second season in Detroit overall, but this was not his best game.

Robertson didn’t have a great game in coverage, but Detroit’s slot corner found other ways to help his team. No. 21 forced two fumbles in the game with punchout tackles, creating takeaways that crushed any remaining hope from the Tennessee offense.

Two stalwart players for the Lions got off to poor starts, lending some early life to Tennessee. Left tackle Taylor Decker and safety Kerby Joseph will not enjoy the film study of the first quarter.

Decker got beaten soundly for three pressures and two sacks by Titans end Arden Key in the first quarter, including a strip sack (the Lions recovered). Joseph got chewed out by defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn after being late to react on some first-quarter plays, including Mason Rudolph’s touchdown run and also a deep pass to Calvin Ridley where Joseph stood still instead of providing the deep help he was supposed to on the receiver.

They each redeemed themselves with strong, impactful play the rest of the game. Decker figured out how to handle Key’s inside move and completely shut him down thereafter, and he made a great block on Gibbs’ long TD run. Joseph got off the schneid with a gorgeous interception that snatched the wind from the Titans’ offensive sails midway through the second quarter. He finished with six tackles and two PDs after his sluggish start.

Anzalone made several impact plays for the Lions defense. He bagged Detroit’s only sack, expertly timing his A-gap blitz and wrapping up a turtling Mason Rudolph before the quarterback hit the back of his drop. Anzalone also singlehandedly prevented two third-down conversions wth excellent open-field tackles that stopped the Titans short. Neither was an easy play, but Anzalone made them and helped change the tone of the game.