With a score of 52-14 on Sunday, the Detroit Lions destroyed the Tennessee Titans. The Lions’ defense forced four turnovers, making it easy for the offense to score a boatload of points. Even though the defense struggled to apply pressure yet again, the Lions still made defensive plays. This game had many winners, but there were also some losers.
Winners
Special Teams
Overall, the Detroit Lions special teams unit performed well. The star of the day was Kalif Raymond, who first returned a punt for 64 yards before going on to return another one for a 90-yard touchdown. Jake Bates, Jack Fox, and Khalil Dorsey were among the other players who excelled on special teams. With a kickoff return of 72 yards, Dorsey gave Detroit an excellent field position that led to a touchdown.
Fox demonstrated that he is the NFL’s top punter by averaging 61 yards on five punts during the game. Bates remained perfect for the year with a career-long field goal of 51 yards. The special teams unit had an excellent overall performance and was a major factor in the Detroit Lions scoring 52 points.
Sam LaPorta
Although LaPorta has had a difficult season, he excelled on National Tight Ends Day. LaPorta recorded a touchdown and 48 yards on six catches. He had over half of Detroit’s receiving yards, while Jared Goff only had 85 passing yards. Hopefully, this is only the beginning of LaPorta’s fantastic second season, as many have wondered what was wrong with him and why he hasn’t looked like himself since the beginning of the year.
Kerby Joseph
With another interception, Kerby Joseph now has five in seven games. In addition to an interception, he was everywhere on the field, getting two pass breakups and six tackles. Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are possibly the league’s top safety duo, and the Detroit Lions have had a safety get an interception in every game this season. Many NFL teams are attempting to avoid throwing toward Joseph since he has emerged as one of the league’s top safeties this season. If he keeps up this production, he could be a pro bowler and could voted to the all-pro team at the end of the year.
Losers
Pass Rush
The Detroit Lions defensive line struggled yet again, failing to sack Mason Rudolph at all and getting just 17 pressures on him. This is now the second week in a row the defensive line has been absent, and it looks like a trade may be the only move to solve it. With the trade deadline a week away, GM Brad Holmes will have his work cut out for him to look for a player that will fit the Detroit Lions team and can make an impact.
Taylor Decker
Decker gave up another sack on Sunday, continuing his poor play this season. He has been beaten countless times this season and has given up five sacks. Despite signing a huge contract in the summer and having a stellar career with Detroit, he hasn’t lived up to expectations this season. If the Detroit Lions want to continue winning, he will need to recover to have a fantastic second half of the season, and showcase what he can do.
Conclusion
The Detroit Lions sit atop the NFC with a 6-1 record. They head on the road for a marquee NFC North matchup on Sunday afternoon. The winner will overtake the other in the division. Detroit has looked like one of the league’s best teams this season and is looking to continue building toward what they hope is a deep playoff run.