Lions Game Ball, Unsung Hero of Week 11: Offense dominates, defender steps up

Handing out the game ball and unsung hero from the Lions blowing the barn doors off of the Jaguars.

Are we having fun yet? The Detroit Lions fans, players, and coaches deserved this never-in-doubt 52-6 extinction of this Jacksonville Jaguars’ season . The Lions are a team that sees potential warning signs for trap games ahead, and then pedal-to-the-metal floors it past them by vaporizing bad teams.

The Lions went on a 52-3 run in only 46 minutes and 47 seconds of game time after trailing 3-0 early. It was the Lions’ second 50+ point game of the season and only their fifth in franchise history. The Lions also set their franchise record with a 46-point margin of victory in a game. Based on the toy bin full of celebrations from the game, the players sure seemed to take advantage of the moment and enjoy themselves to boot.

In a game where all 48 dressed players played—including all 45 non-specialists getting snaps on either offense or defense—there were an overwhelming number of worthy candidates for my game ball and unsung hero distinction.

Game Ball: The Lions offense

Ben Johnson had some interesting thoughts on his offense during last Thursday’s press conference. He mentioned how the unit’s first half against Houston was the poorest they had played in the last two and a half years. He also declared “the challenge for us as an offense right now is to pull our weight because we feel like those are two other units (defense and special teams) are on their side of the ball.”

The offense emphatically struck back in response to Johnson’s challenge.

52 points ties their season-high for the most in the NFL this season. 645 total offensive yards is the most in the NFL this season, is ninth most all-time, and sets a franchise record. 475 total offensive yards margin is the most in the NFL since 1979 and sixth most all-time. Their +0.57 EPA/Play broke their previous record for most by any team in a game this season. 8.49 yards/offensive play is the fourth highest of any team this season. 39:06 time of possession is the fifth highest for any team this season.

Legitimately within the first two offensive drives I started debating between the game ball going to perhaps the entire offensive, or to Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Ben Johnson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, or Jameson Williams. It became apparent by halftime that it would be the entire offense.

Johnson keeps making me think to myself, “Was that the best game Ben Johnson called as Lions play caller?” Week 11 takes the crown for that distinction yet again.

Johnson’s unit couldn’t be stopped. He’s mastered play-design, and the entire staff’s coaching of it, with the ultimate combination of utilizing formation and motion window-dressing. It maximizes geometrical spacing in the passing game, and augments angles for blockers to have the most success.

Seven drives. Seven touchdowns. Six touchdown drives of at least 70 yards. Five touchdown drives of at least 80 yards. Two touchdown drives of at least 90 yards. Seven touchdown drives on the first seven drives of the game for the first time in the NFL since the 2007 regular-season undefeated New England Patriots. More touchdowns than incompletions (again).

76 plays. 38 first downs (sixth-most in NFL history). Three fourth-down conversions. A perfect five-for-five in the red zone. Zero punts. Another hook-and-ladder. Masterclass for the offensive coordinator.

You felt Goff was going to have a good day when, on the first play, he maneuvered the pocket, stepped away from pressure, and while on the move to his right, scorched a pass to Shane Zylstra for a 22-yard gain. Goff truthfully looked a lot like 2007 Tom Brady with his comfortability navigating within the pocket and his efficient and accurate strikes to his playmakers. Goff’s only incompletions were on drops or dirted balls following broken plays. Fittingly, Goff became the first player in NFL history with multiple games of 400+ passing yards, 4+ passing touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating (158.3). To cap it off, Goff ran four times for 21 yards including two first downs.

Gibbs and Montgomery, Sonic and Knuckles, combined for 30 touches, 218 total yards (7.26 yards/touch), three touchdowns, and 10 first downs. They combined for four explosive plays and the rushing success rates from both Montgomery (80.0%) and Gibbs (54.5%) each ranked first and sixth, respectively, among running backs in Week 11. Each made highlight-reel plays with their elusion, speed, and refusal to go down. They are one of the best running back duos in recent football memory.

Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams were certified after-school program crossing guards with the number of crosser routes they hit on. St. Brown also capitalized on several out-breaking routes that initially were set up as crossers. Rinse and repeat. Both St. Brown (161 yards) and Williams (124 yards) achieved single game career-highs in receiving yards. They totaled 15 catches, 285 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and 14 first downs on the day. St. Brown had a perfect passer rating when targeted and Williams was not far behind at 149.3. This was the dream outcome when Brad Holmes decided to pair these two together (and they did this without Sam LaPorta in the passing game).

In his Monday post-game press conference, Dan Campbell was quick to compliment the offensive line.

“They played at a really high-level, and man, they finished,” Campbell said.

While Goff was kept relatively clean thanks, in part, to some pocket movement and a lot of play-action passing, it was in the trenches on the ground where pass protection shined. Not only was the offensive line bulldozing players at the point of attack, they were also cratering in gaping holes on the backside to allow for cut back lanes and additional yards. The rushing offenses 58.1% success rate was the highest of any team in Week 11 and the 9.3% stuff rate was the fourth lowest. Across the board—Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, Kevin Zeitler, and Penei Sewell—each player made several key blocks to keep the chains moving. Decker looked like his reliable self again coming off of injury. Ragnow and Zeitler, in particular, are getting hot and developing great chemistry. Meanwhile, Sewell continues to make earth-shattering blocks each game that register on the Richter scale.

Unsung Hero: Malcolm Rodriguez

After injuring his ankle early in Week 8 against the Titans, Rodriguez missed the last two games for the Lions, and what a relief it was to see him out there starting as the SAM linebacker on the first play. Not only did Rodriguez start the game, but he played 43 snaps (second most of the season), or 90% of the defensive plays.

Rodriguez also made his presence felt early with a fantastic tackle at the line of scrimmage to force the Jaguars into a third-and-8 and an eventual field goal attempt. Rodriguez totaled three tackles, two of them defensive stops, and didn’t allow any completions receptions in coverage (one target) on 16 coverage snaps.

Rodriguez stepped up in his elevated role, in the absence of Derrick Barnes and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and was used in a versatile number of ways. He spent 22 snaps in the box, 16 on the end of the line scrimmage as the SAM linebacker, and even four snaps further out in the slot/corner (per PFF).

Rodriguez was part of a run defense unit that limited the Jaguars to their lowest rushing yardage total (41) of the season including only 2.3 yards/carry from running back Travis Etienne. Everyone on the run defense was working in unison and playing alignment-sound football. Rodriguez was also comfortably flying around in coverage and helped limit Mac Jones to only one attempt over the middle beyond 5 yards. It was a no-no throw zone for Jones throughout the day.

Per PFF, Rodriguez registered an 80.9 defensive grade in Week 11 which was his best game grade since Week 12 of 2022 (minimum five snaps). Rodriguez’s Week 11 grade also was the sixth best among all linebackers.

Rodriguez played well while working together with Jack Campbell, and in the wake of Alex Anzalone’s broken forearm, he will have a massive opportunity ahead of him. After the way Rodriguez has been playing lately, even before the ankle injury, I fully expect him to make the most of his snaps while taking on the role of the team’s WILL linebacker next to Campbell down the stretch this season.