The Detroit Lions annihilated the Tennessee Titans on their way to a 52-14 victory. Here are 5 takeaways from that beatdown.
At one point in time, the scoreboard said 14-14 and this game was looking like a potential shootout. Yet, by the time the final whistle blew, only one team had blown up the scoreboard.
The Detroit Lions walked away from their Week 8 tilt versus the Tennessee Titans with a staggering 52-14 victory. Despite the score, it was a different style of beatdown compared to their win over the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago. Whereas the offense was slicing and dicing the Cowboys defense in that game, this time around, it was special teams and the defense making life miserable for the Titans.
The Lions are proving that they can win in many ways. Let’s examine some takeaways.
Special teams, special players
The battle of special teams was not covered in this week’s On Paper, but we might have to campaign for Jeremy to include them in future games. The Lions blew out the Titans on the scoreboard, but that does not happen without a stellar performance from Detroit’s special teams unit.
Sione Vaki forced a fumble that sadly was not recovered after the Lions’ first punt. Jack Fox had a 67-yard punt to flip the field. Khalil Dorsey gained 72 yards on a perfectly blocked kickoff return. Not to be outdone, Kalif Raymond had a 64-yard punt return that would have been a house call if his blockers could run as fast as him. All of these happened in the first half alone! Raymond finally got his moment in the second half, taking a 90-yard punt return all the way for six. Jake Bates would late hit a 51-yard kick to continue his near-perfect season and get in on the special teams party.
The Titans were at the bottom of the DVOA barrel, ranked 32nd in the league on special teams. The Lions, inversely, were eighth. After this game, the Titans might be ranked 33rd behind the Toronto Argonauts. It was a near-perfect day for Dave Fipp’s crew and it helped bail out an offense that, despite the score, was not running at peak performance. With so many short fields, the Lions were set up for success.
Takeaway clinic
The Titans’ two glaring weaknesses were special teams and turnovers, and both played a role in sinking them today. Trevor Nowaske and Kerby Joseph combined for a pair of interceptions, while Amik Robertson had two Peanut punch-outs that Detroit recovered. The defense also recorded a turnover on downs at the end of the first half, seven points that could have been a positive moment for the Titans and kept them in this game headed into the locker room.
With the offense staying turnover-free, the Lions will rocket up the turnover differential leaderboard, having entered this game at plus-six. Those turnovers, coupled with great special teams play, made life easy for the Lions’ offense, rarely having to march down the field to score.
The defense is still looking for an interception from their cornerbacks, but with Joseph and Brian Branch leading the way with nine picks between the two of them, you would be hard-pressed to complain. Joseph and Branch are quickly becoming the best safety tandem in the NFL, if they aren’t already. Winning the turnover battle is extremely important, and the Lions are keeping it safe on offense and taking it back on defense.
Concerns mounting about Decker
Taylor Decker has been a staple of the Lions offensive line for almost a decade, and having signed a three-year, $60 million extension, he is slated to remain a Lion for years to come. Despite Decker being a rock so long for the Lions, his play of late has been a concern.
His PFF grade of 44.6 against the Minnesota Vikings last week was the worst of his lengthy career, and his score this week might be similarly low. Titans pass rusher Arden Key had a field day at the expense of Decker, notching himself two sacks and multiple pressures. Decker’s agility has taken a step back in recent games and he has struggled against quick and elusive edge defenders like Key, Jonathan Greenard, and Jared Verse.
The positive is that Decker’s run blocking remains solid, and the Lions’ run game has not suffered whatsoever lately. That being said, given Jared Goff’s lack of mobility, he needs to rebound to keep the passing attack humming.
Grounded passing attack
It is weird to say that the passing attack was subpar in a game where the team combined for four touchdown passes and just four incompletions, but despite the lopsided score, the Lions were below their normal standards. Goff was taking tough hits throughout the game as he was sacked four times, even injuring his ankle at one point. He finished the game with just 85 passing yards and a net of 55 after factoring in the sacks. His longest pass on the day was a 24-yard rumble from Sam LaPorta, most of which came after the catch.
It is a weird situation because while the passing attack was mostly an afterthought, they did exactly what was required. The Lions did not have to attack downfield due to great field position, and thanks to more brilliant scheming by Ben Johnson, the Lions had receivers open all game. It is difficult to call four-touchdown performance bad, but can you walk away from this game and say a 85 yards is good? The truth lies somewhere in the middle, but I do not know where.
All things considered, there are some concerns to be had going forward. Pressure was problem for the offensive line, and while it did not affect this game (barring a lingering ankle injury for Goff—he says he is okay), it is something in need of correcting before next week’s tough test against the Green Bay Packers. Due to the game script, we still do not know how Jameson Williams’ absence will affect the passing attack.
A truly special running back room
Fantasy football has warped how we see running back rooms in the NFL. Bell cows become coveted to fantasy players, as they do not have to split touches and get a bigger chance at the bulk of the fantasy points. Running back committees are a curse, dooming players to limited carries and opportunities.
The Lions do not care, nor do Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Gibbs and Montgomery are a rare running back duo that not only produce on a weekly basis, but actively make the other more effective.
Gibbs’ speed is special, highlighted on his career-best, 70-yard scamper where he blew by the entire Titans defense. Even if you consider that run an outlier, he still averaged 5.7 yards per attempt on his other 10 carries. What he is able to do behind this offensive line is something the Lions have not seen since the days of Barry Sanders.
Montgomery now has back-to-back games with rushing yards around the 30-yard mark, but that does not discount his role on this team. His ability to churn out yardage is crucial for this team, even in games like these where the Lions are coasting. Montgomery even added a passing touchdown, an homage to his high school quarterbacking.
In the past with the Lions, there have been instances where one running back was clearly more deserving of touches—2020 comes to mind with the aged Adrian Peterson versus the rookie D’Andre Swift. The Lions have no such situation. You can make a case for either player to touch the ball on nearly any down, and either player is just as likely to make the play.
