Detroit News

Rod Beard The Detroit News Published 2:49 PM EDT Sep 17, 2020 In his first season as head coach of the Green Bay Packers, Matt LaFleur was facing a tough situation in the regular-season finale. With a playoff spot clinched and a first-round bye hanging in the balance, the Packers were trailing the lowly Lions,

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 1:06 PM EDT Sep 17, 2020 Kenny Golladay missed five games with a hamstring injury as a rookie and the Detroit Lions want to avoid a repeat of that situation, handling the star wide receiver’s injury with the utmost caution to start the 2020 season.  Golladay still wasn’t on

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 10:44 AM EDT Sep 17, 2020 Jarrad Davis is used to playing a lot. In 25 of his past 27 starts, the Detroit Lions linebacker was on the field for at least 85 percent of the team’s defensive snaps and never fewer than 78.6 percent outside of a game

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 9:36 AM EDT Sep 17, 2020 Sometimes, the NFL is tone deaf.  One year after a pair of controversial officiating decisions cost the Detroit Lions an early-season road win against the Green Bay Packers — starting a downward spiral for the franchise — the league has assigned the same officiating crew

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 5:54 PM EDT Sep 16, 2020 When the national anthem played before Sunday’s season opener with the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions didn’t have a uniform response. Some players stood, others briefly returned to the locker room and several took a knee.  Among those kneeling during the anthem was

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 4:24 PM EDT Sep 16, 2020 During a typical season, NFL teams dedicate a portion of their week ahead of road games planning how to combat noise. They simulate it in practice, with sound systems blaring loud music, while devising hand signals and silent counts to counter the inability

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 4:46 PM EDT Sep 16, 2020 The Detroit Lions’ secondary, already reeling from multiple injuries, was down another cornerback during Wednesday’s practice.  Darryl Roberts, a versatile and experienced veteran, joined the team’s lengthy list of injury concerns, sitting out with a calf injury. It’s another blow for a defensive backfield

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 2:34 PM EDT Sep 16, 2020 In an announcement that will surprise no one who watched him play, former Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson was announced as one of 130 nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2021 on Wednesday.  Johnson is one of 14 players

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 12:38 PM EDT Sep 16, 2020 The Detroit Lions added some depth to its badly banged-up secondary on Wednesday, plucking cornerback Chris Jones off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad.  Jones had a previous stint with the Lions, signing with the team as an undrafted rookie out of Nebraska in

The Detroit News Published 10:09 PM EDT Sep 15, 2020 The Detroit News’ Justin Rogers and John Niyo examine what exactly went wrong in the Lions’ 27-23 loss to the Bears on Sunday at Ford Field.  In their postmortem, they drill down on the fourth quarter where the home team blew a 17-point lead to a

Rod Beard The Detroit News Published 7:10 PM EDT Sep 15, 2020 In the early part of the season, the Lions are facing a battle of attrition with injuries. It has hit especially hard in the secondary, where they already were without No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah going down last week in practice.  

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 6:10 PM EDT Sep 15, 2020 The message since the Detroit Lions’ 27-23 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday has been no one play decides a football game, but there are clearly moments and decisions that have a greater impact on the outcome than others.  The lasting image

The Detroit News Published 5:15 PM EDT Sep 15, 2020 Justin Rogers, Rod Beard, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News offer their predictions against the spread for Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season. Detroit +5.5 at Green Bay Rogers: Green Bay Beard: Green Bay Niyo: Green Bay Wojnowski: Green Bay Cincinnati +6

John Niyo The Detroit News Published 11:23 AM EDT Sep 15, 2020 For Jon Runyan, it’s all happening quickly now. The All-Big Ten lineman out of Michigan was a sixth-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in April. And after a virtual offseason, the rookie made the Packers’ 53-man roster to start the regular

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 10:14 AM EDT Sep 15, 2020 The Detroit Lions will be without Justin Coleman for at least the next three weeks. According to a league source, the starting nickel cornerback will be placed on injured reserve with the hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday’s season-opening loss.  Coleman is one

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 8:00 PM EDT Sep 14, 2020 It’s inescapable, the drumbeat of the Detroit Lions’ history. With each mind-boggling failure, each creative way they find to lose games, the drumbeat drowns out the offseason’s trumpets of optimism.  Lions fans are a scarred bunch, but they let themselves believe, seemingly every offseason,

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 7:26 PM EDT Sep 14, 2020 The Detroit Lions have been trying to piece together a competent offensive line longer than many fans can remember. And while one game is hardly a sample size worthy of any declarations, left tackle Taylor Decker was happy with a lot of what

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 6:03 PM EDT Sep 14, 2020 The Detroit Lions’ secondary is hamstrung by their hamstrings. Three of the team’s top four cornerbacks are currently dealing with injuries to the upper-leg muscle, including Desmond Trufant and Justin Coleman, who both exited Sunday’s game against the Bears.  On Monday, Lions coach

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 6:24 PM EDT Sep 14, 2020 A day after Jamie Collins was ejected from his debut with the Detroit Lions, coach Matt Patricia confirmed he had discussed the incident with the veteran linebacker and that everyone on the team needs to understand the rules when it comes to touching

Justin Rogers The Detroit News Published 1:06 PM EDT Sep 14, 2020 Here are four observations after having a night to ponder the Detroit Lions’ 27-23 loss to the Chicago Bears. First down Before the start of the season, Pro Football Focus draft analyst Mike Renner projected no rookie class would be more impactful in 2020 than