With the Detroit Lions at the bye week, now is a good time to reflect upon the first seven weeks of the season. A 5-2 start is right about where expectations were for this team, despite a tough-looking schedule to start the season. It hasn’t looked exactly as we expected, though. The Lions offense has had some ups and downs, the defense has, too, but suddenly looks like it could be a much more dominant unit than some expected. Detroit’s opponents have looked drastically different, too. What looked like extremely tough games in Baltimore and Cincinnati have quite a different feeling to them after the Ravens have started 1-5 and the Bengals 3-4.
What hasn’t changed all that much is the amount of superstar talent in Detroit. The Lions’ best players remain their biggest contributors. So as we near the halfway point of the season, let’s run down some team MVP candidates and vote on the winner.
Who is the Lions’ MVP at the bye week?
My answer: Here are my six candidates:
1. Jared Goff. Whenever talking MVP, the quarterback is the easiest and most obvious place to go. But don’t be fooled, though, Goff is a legitimate candidate for this award. Here’s how he ranks league-wide in several key statistics:
- Sixth in yards per attempt (8.0)
- Third in passer rating (116.4)
- Ninth in QBR (66.6)
Goff has taken on more pre-snap responsibility with Frank Ragnow gone, and the offense has generally hummed along with him getting the team into the right looks and protections at an impressive clip.
2. Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs ranks fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (526), ninth in yards per attempt (5.1), and tied for third in rushing touchdowns (sic). Combine in receiving yards, and Gibbs ranks fourth among running backs, trailing only Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, and Jonathan Taylor. Monday night’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is proof of just how important he is to the offense, because when he’s explosive and elusive, even the best defenses can’t stop him.
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown. There is no one on the team more reliable than St. Brown. In every big moment on offense, he is the first person Goff is looking to. So it’s no surprise he currently ranks sixth in receptions (50), fifth in yards (538), and first in receiving touchdowns (seven). At this point, it’s hard to come up with anything new to say for St. Brown, who has solidified himself as a top-five receiver in the league.
4. Penei Sewell. Sewell’s 95.2 PFF grade for the season is not just first among NFL offensive tackles, but over eight points higher than second place. His 97.4 run blocking grade is unbelievable and over 10 points higher than anyone else. He’s the best tackle in football, and that’s why the Lions design a ton of plays specifically intended to get him out in space.
5. Jack Campbell. Campbell is fully in the midst of a Year 3 breakout season. Among linebackers, he’s sixth in tackles. On top of that, he has six tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and a pass defended. He’s starting to become extremely well-rounded, capable of playing downhill in the run game, attacking the quarterback as a blitzer, and some of his man-coverage skills are starting to come through, as well.
6. Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson’s sack+forced fumble streak came to an end at four games—a ridiculous accomplishment on its own. But he was just as disruptive as ever against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, tallying 12 pressures (per PFF) despite the Bucs chipping him all game. For the season, PFF has credited Hutchinson with 48 pressures, 10 more than any other player in the NFL. His 92.6 PFF pass rushing grade is only second to Micah Parsons, and his 25.2% win rate is fifth. And, he’s still a menace against the run.
So who’s my winner? It’s probably still Goff, but I think Hutchinson has a really strong case, too. I’m going to take the easy way out and award Goff as the offensive MVP and Hutch as the defensive MVP. Unfortunately for you, you have to vote on one:
