Lions Game Ball, Unsung Hero of Week 13: Defensive linemen step up

Handing out the game ball and unsung hero from the Lions’ victory over the Bears.

The Thanksgiving monkey is off the Detroit Lions’ back. The Lions were able to persevere past the Chicago Bears 23-20 to end their seven-year Thanksgiving Day losing streak and move to 11-1 (3-0 NFC North).

Despite winning on the Thanksgiving and beating their hated division rivals, I would describe Thursday as the Lions’ least satisfying victory of the season. Still, a win is a win, and there were a few deserving candidates for my game ball and unsung hero recognition.

Game Ball: DJ Reader

At halftime, I was fully prepared to give game balls to David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs as they had combined for 20 carries for 143 rushing yards (7.05 yards/carry). In the first half, Gibbs had eight touches for 96 total yards (12 yards/touch). However, Gibbs’ last touch of the first half, a screen pass catch-and-run, resulted in a Chicago recovered fumble at their own 6-yard line. The game script unfortunately got way out of hand in the second half resulting in only four Lions drives (touchdown, punt, missed FG, punt) and only eight carriers for Montgomery and two carries for Gibbs.

Luckily for the Lions, amidst the continued barrage of Lions defenders’ injuries, DJ Reader was able to make his impact felt in the second half, turning out the best game of his career in Detroit.

Per NFL Pro, Reader registered a season-high seven total quarterback pressures, which is the most he’s had in any game since at least 2021. All seven of Reader’s pressures came in the second half, as the depleted Lions defense was reeling and needed all efforts to prologue the Bears drives. Among Reader’s seven pressures, he brought down Caleb Williams for a sack twice and another pressure helped lead to a sack. Reader’s two sacks match a career-high in a game, and equated to his new career-high of 3 sacks in a season (previous – 2019 2.5 sacks). While sacks shouldn’t be the expected common outcome for Reader, his ability to push the pocket and prevent quarterbacks from stepping up into it should be.

Reader was among three Lions defensive linemen who registered 7+ quarterback pressures against the Bears, which marked only the second time in the NFL this season that a team had three players each accomplish that feat. Additionally, per Next Gen Stats, the Lions were able to generate 17 total quarterback pressures from non-blitzed dropbacks, which was the most of the Dan Campbell era. The Lions defense, which is predominantly a base defense, also generated 20 total quarterback pressures from nickel personnel, which is tied for the fourth most in a game by any NFL team this season. A lot of the success of the Lions pass rush success can be attributed to Reader’s wrecking ball performance against Bears center Coleman Shelton and left guard Teven Jenkins. Those two were greatly overmatched by the Pro Bowl-level nose tackle.

In addition to Reader’s pass rush, he was also a force of nature on the ground. Helping to clog rushing lanes and making two defensive stops in the run game, Reader and company held D’Andre Swift to only 11 rushes and 39 rushing yards (only Bears running back with carries). Per NFL Pro, Reader’s four defensive stops against the Bears were the most he’s had in a game since Week 2 of the 2021 season.

The Bears game was the idealized performance for the Lions signing Reader in free agency. It was why all Lions fans lost their minds when Reader signed in free agency with visions of Super Bowl dreams dancing in their heads.

Unsung Hero: Al-Quadin Muhammad

Lions defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, who spent his 2017 rookie season in New Orleans with Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn, didn’t play an NFL snap in 2023. He spent the 2023 season on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. He spent this year’s training camp with the Dallas Cowboys before being part of final roster cuts and not signing with a team in September. Then, after making his Lions debut in Week 8 and playing Weeks 9-10, Muhammad was inactive Weeks 11-12. He seemingly lost his role, but with hard work in practice, Muhammad passed James Houston on the rep chart and earned 37 snaps in Week 13 against the Bears.

In his reclaimed role, Muhammad, registered seven quarterback pressures. Muhammad also registered his first sack since Week 6 of 2022 by bringing down Caleb Williams on the Bears’ last drive.

Williams’ most impressive play Thursday arguably wasn’t a sack but was a quarterback pressure. On third-and-6 with 6:33 remaining in the second quarter, Muhammad conducted a well-executed bull rush with an inside swim move on Bears right tackle Darnell Wright to flush Caleb Williams to his left and force an incomplete pass and ensuing punt. It was a big-time pass rush from the 29-year-old Muhammad that looked reminiscent of his 2021 season with the Colts when he was a force off the edge. One the next drive he would also draw a holding penalty that eventually set-up a third-and-13, which turned into a failed fourth-down conversion.

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With Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike going down early in the game, the remaining veteran defensive linemen in Muhammad, Reader, Za’Darius Smith (8 total quarterback pressures), and Alim McNeill (3) stepped up to get after Caleb Williams (25 total quarterback pressures between the four players). With Paschal and Onwuzurike likely out for the Week 14 game against the Packers, and potentially longer, those four will be relied upon heavily. Against the Bears, Muhammad showed he’s ready for the challenge.

Lions fans should be thankful that Brad Holmes brought both Reader and Muhammad to the table for this season.