Lions vs. Seahawks Week 4 stock report: 5 risers, 1 faller

Week 4 Lions stock report! Check out your risers after a big win over the Seahawks on Monday Night Football

Well, there is the offensive explosion everyone was waiting for. In Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season, the Detroit Lions offense went off, scoring 42 points against the Seattle Seahawks on “Monday Night Football.” And after the first few weeks of the 2024 season in which the offense felt like they were still getting their feet under them, the crowd at Ford Field almost felt relieved to see the offense performing closer to their full potential.

Let’s get into some of the risers and fallers from the Lions Week 4 win over the Seahawks.

Stock up: Ben Johnson, OC

Stats: 42 points and plenty of fun

I think most would agree that the first three weeks of the season were not the finest performances from Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t downright bad in any of the three games, but our expectations for him and the rest of the offense are so high. Johnson and his offense would have their moments, but it felt as if we were still missing a game in which they strung together four full quarters of play.

Against Seattle, we got the full menu of options on display. Johnson got everyone involved, including a fun trick play that ended with quarterback Jared Goff on the receiving end of an Amon-Ra St. Brown pass in the red zone. I don’t think any of us are expecting 42 points on a weekly basis, but this week felt more in line with the consistent machine we saw so much of in 2023.

Stock up: David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs

Stats: Montgomery: 12 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD, 1 catch for 40 yards; Gibbs: 14 carries for 78 yards, 2 TDs

This is the best running back duo in football and if you disagree, argue with a wall. Not only do Gibbs and Montgomery complement each other so well, but their skill sets also overlap quite nicely. Yes, Gibbs’ speed and shiftiness are both elite, but he is also adept at running in between the tackles, showing the patience and vision of a more veteran back.

And then with Montgomery, simply put—he is one of the best running backs in football right now. He may be the most difficult back in the league to get on the ground, and if you need more proof, look no further than his incredible catch and run against Seattle in which he planted Seattle defensive back Devon Witherspoon into the Ford Field turf.

Watching both Montgomery and Gibbs work behind the best offensive line in football is a treat that we should never take for granted.

Stock up: Jared Goff, QB

Stats: 18/18, 292 yards, 2 TDs, 1 TD reception

Passer ratings be damned, this felt like a near-perfect performance from Goff. From the opening series on Monday night, Goff looked like the cool and confident passer we have grown accustomed to seeing over the course of the last few years.

He made plays from within the pocket like the one he made early in the game where he evaded a rusher with a spin move of sorts before rifling a ball to receiver Jameson Williams for a first down. He threw an absolute dart to receiver Tim Patrick that turned into a big chunk play when the Lions really needed it.

Overall, it was easily the best performance of the season so far for Goff. And while the Lions have shown us that they don’t need Goff to be perfect every week in order to win, it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Stock up: Kerby Joseph

Stats: 9 total tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 interception

Another week, another incredible interception from Lions safety Kerby Joseph. And while it is the big plays that are garnering more league-wide notoriety for the third-year safety, it is how he looks on a down-to-down basis, for me, that I am most excited about.

When you turn on Joseph’s film, you see a player with all of the physical gifts a safety could want in the NFL, who is now really confident in the role he is supposed to play in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s scheme.

Now surrounded by more talent in the secondary and supported by a ferocious pass rush, Joseph is playing soundly within the scheme, and he is being rewarded for doing so.

Stock down: James Houston

Stats: No tackles, 2 penalties, 14 snaps

Monday night was the perfect opportunity for James Houston to change the narrative about him. He’s been trending in the wrong direction for the past two years, but with the injuries to Marcus Davenport and Derrick Barnes, this was his chance to get in the game and make a positive impact. Detroit even had Seattle in obvious passing downs most of the night, so Houston could pin his ears back and rush.

Unfortunately, his only impact was a negative one. Playing just 14 snaps, Houston twice jumped offsides, failed to tally a single tackle, and had just one QB pressure.