By Roy J. Akers-www.skyviewsports.net
The Detroit Lions, for the first time in their team history, earned the top seed in the NFC and the team is getting players back in time for the divisional playoffs next weekend. Running back David Montgomery, cornerback Terrion Arnold, and reserve defensive back Ennis Rackstraw are tentatively scheduled to play next weekend.
Watching all of the playoff games this weekend, the Lions have tough competition in the NFC with the Eagles or Vikings being tough foes and the Redskins, Bucs and Rams all being spoilers. The AFC is rough. The Lions were throttled by the Ravens in 2023 and the Bills carved the Lions up one month ago. Add Kansas City and a Houston Texans team that looks better than the team the Lions barely beat, and Detroit will at most, play one of those teams.
Lions News this week
Kerby Joseph among four Lions players named first-team All-Pro by Associated Press. He is joined by Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Kalif Raymond and punter Jack Fox. Joseph was the highest-rated safety in the NFL this year by Pro Football Focus (PFF). His nine interceptions did not hurt.
Jahmyr Gibbs- NFC Offensive Player of the Month Dec. Jan.
NFC Offensive Player of the Month-Jahmyr Gibbs – Detroit Lions · RB
Gibbs finished with an NFL-high 16 rushing touchdowns and six of them came over the final six games. During that stretch, he had 674 scrimmage yards, with 439 rushing and 235 receiving. He also had three receiving TDs, a scoring maven for the NFC North champions and NFC’s top seed.
Being Aggressive plays into the Lion’s Hands
“I do think there is some of that, where teams know coming in that they may need to be more aggressive because of the fact that we’re going to be,” Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday, when asked how his fourth-down mentality can shape how other teams play. “Yeah, I do think there is some of that. I really do, and it does help. …
“You have to decide if you want to play that game with us or not.”
Opponents tried to convert 29 fourth downs against the Lions in the regular season, the seventh-most attempts any defense saw. Some of that, of course, is because Detroit often jumped out to large leads and forced others to play catch-up. But there’s also some manipulation behind it.
Pro Football Focus NFL All-Pro Team
This team is different than the AP NFL All-Pro Team. Statistical analysis is used to pick the team. You cannot just pass the eyeball test that writers use. A Rubric is used throughout the season to choose the players. Please do not ask me about the rubric. It would be awesome to see how they measure this. Some Detroit players made the team.
• Lamar Jackson leads the way at quarterback: Jackson delivered the best regular season of his career in 2024, earning an impressive 94.3 PFF grade—the sixth-best mark by a quarterback over the past decade.
•T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett together on the edge: Watt set a career-high in terms of his overall PFF grade, earning PFF grades above 90.0 in both run defense and as a pass-rusher. Garrett racked up 83 total pressures and earned a 92.8 pass-rushing grade.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
The 2024 NFL regular season is officially in the books, and before the playoff action begins, it’s time to celebrate the players who defined this year.
This week at PFF, we’re honoring the season’s top performers by unveiling our annual awards and accolades. First up: the All-Pro Team, spotlighting the elite players at every position who stood above the rest in 2024.
Here is PFF’s All-Pro Team for the 2024 NFL season.
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson delivered the best regular season of his career in 2024, earning an impressive 94.3 PFF grade—the sixth-best mark by a quarterback over the past decade. He paired elite playmaking with exceptional ball security, finishing with a 6.0% big-time throw rate and a position-best 1.4% turnover-worthy play rate.
Second team: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Running Back: Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Henry topped the position with an astonishing 1,137 rushing yards after contact, marking the fourth time in his career he’s surpassed 1,000 yards after contact in a single season. His physical running style was on full display as he forced a league-high 80 missed tackles on 325 carries. Henry’s performance earned him a 93.1 PFF rushing grade, the best among all running backs.
Second team: Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Wide Receiver: Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase led all NFL players in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in the 2024 regular season. His 84.9 PFF receiving grade took a knock due to 10 drops on the year, but it’s impossible to ignore the volume he racked up as part of this Bengals offense.
Wide Receiver: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson faced a challenging finale to the 2024 season, resulting in his PFF grade dipping below 87.2 for the first time in his career. Despite that, the Vikings star continued to impress, finishing the regular season with an exceptional 2.50 yards per route run.
Second team: Nico Collins, Houston Texans; A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
Tight End: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle had another dominant year for San Francisco, excelling both as a receiver and blocker. He finished the 2024 season with a 70.8 run-blocking grade and averaged 2.62 yards per route run as a receiver.
Second team: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Flex: WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Nacua doesn’t quite have the volume of some of the other top receivers in football, having missed some time in the first half of the season. Still, his 93.0 receiving grade ranked first at the position, and he averaged 3.56 yards per route run.
Second Team: WR Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Left Tackle: Jordan Mailata, Philadelphia Eagles
Jordan Mailata may have played just 12 games, but he was the highest-graded offensive lineman in football in 2024. Mailata excelled in the run game, earning a stellar 94.9 PFF run-blocking grade. He was also a force in pass protection, surrendering just 14 total pressures on 406 pass-blocking snaps.
Second Team: Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers
Left Guard: Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
Nelson returned to his dominant best in 2024, beating Joe Thuney of the Kansas City Chiefs to this spot. He allowed 20 total pressures in pass protection and earned a 79.7 pass-blocking grade. He also put up an 81.7 grade as a run-blocker.
Second Team: Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs
Center: Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs
Humphrey had the best regular season of what has already been a dominant four-year career in the NFL. He earned PFF grades above 90.0 as a run-blocker and in pass protection, allowing just seven pressures from 707 pass-blocking snaps on the year.
Second Team: Frank Ragnow, Detroit Lions
Right Guard: Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons
Lindstrom faced challenges in pass protection early in the season but made strides as the year progressed, ultimately allowing 31 pressures from 627 pass-blocking snaps. He also excelled in the run game, earning an elite 94.6 PFF run-blocking grade.
Second Team: Quinn Meinerz, Denver Broncos
Right Tackle: Zach Tom, Green Bay Packers
Tom has shown steady improvement throughout his career, and his third season out of Wake Forest was his best yet. He set career-highs with a 90.0 run-blocking grade and an 82.1 pass-blocking grade while allowing 24 pressures from 562 pass-blocking snaps.
Second Team: Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles
Edge Defender: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
T.J. Watt’s raw stats — 53 total pressures and 12 sacks — might not stand out by his lofty standards. However, he set a career-high in terms of his overall PFF grade, earning PFF grades above 90.0 in both run defense and as a pass-rusher.
Second team: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
Edge Defender: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
Garrett had another tremendous season off the edge for the Cleveland Browns, racking up 83 total pressures and earning a 92.8 pass-rushing grade. He finished the season with his lowest single-game grade of the year, but that shouldn’t diminish what was another stellar campaign.
Second team: Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Defensive Interior: Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
At 35 years old, Heyward delivered one of the best seasons of his career in 2024. He earned a 79.6 PFF run-defense grade and an 87.2 PFF pass-rushing grade, finishing the regular season with 56 total pressures.
Defensive Interior: Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs
Jones had another incredible season in 2024, earning a 91.0 PFF pass-rushing grade across 15 games. From 545 pass-rushing snaps in the regular season, he racked up 74 total pressures, including a combined 21 sacks and quarterback hits.
Second team: Leonard Williams, Seattle Seahawks; Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants
Linebacker: Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers
Warner was on a Defensive Player of the Year trajectory in the first month of the season, earning PFF grades above 90.0 in three of his first four games. That didn’t hold for the full season, with an injury slowing him down, but he still finished the year with an 88.4 PFF coverage grade.
Linebacker: Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles
Before 2024, Zack Baun had never logged more than 350 defensive snaps in a season. In his debut campaign with the Eagles, he played 938 snaps and delivered a breakout performance. He earned a 91.7 PFF coverage grade and recorded 69 defensive stops.
Second team: Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders; Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions
Cornerback: Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos
The favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year as things stand, Surtain had a tremendous season covering some of the best receivers in football. On the field for 648 coverage snaps in 2024, he allowed a 61.1 passer rating and just 8.6 yards per reception on throws into his coverage.
Cornerback: Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs
McDuffie has improved every season in the league and set career-highs in both run-defense and PFF coverage grades in his third season out of Washington. He was targeted 84 times in coverage and allowed 51 receptions for 499 yards, recording two interceptions and five pass breakups.
Second team: Garrett Williams, Arizona Cardinals; Christian Benford, Buffalo Bills
Safety: Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions
Joseph had a standout 2024 season, leading the league with nine interceptions and earning a career-best 91.0 PFF grade. His impressive play extended beyond coverage, as he also posted an 83.2 PFF run-defense grade.
Safety: Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
At the three-quarter mark of the season, Hamilton was our choice in the flex spot on defense, having spent the first half of the year in the box and the slot for the Ravens. In Week 11, the Ravens moved him into a deeper role, completely transforming their defensive success. He finished the regular season with an 89.4 PFF run-defense grade, an 89.0 PFF pass-rushing grade and an 87.9 PFF coverage grade.
Second team: Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers; Brandon Jones, Denver Broncos
Flex: CB Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens
In his eighth season out of Alabama, Humphrey delivered the best performance of his career, earning an 81.0 PFF grade. Targeted 83 times in coverage, he allowed 51 receptions for 518 yards while recording 16 combined pass breakups and interceptions.
Second Team: CB Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles
Kicker: Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys
Second team: Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Punter: Michael Dickson, Seattle Seahawks
Second team: A.J. Cole, Las Vegas Raiders
Long Snapper: Scott Daly, Chicago Bears
Second team: Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville Jaguars
Kick Returner: KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys
Second team: Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
Special Teams: J.T. Gray, New Orleans Saints
Second team: Brenden Schooler, New England Patriots
Read More PFF NFL News & Analysis
CB Ennis Rackstraw Returns
The Lions will find out who they play in the divisional round this weekend and they’ll have a defensive player back on the field when they begin their on-field preparation for that game next week.
The NFL’s transaction notice for Thursday shows that they have designated cornerback Ennis Rakestraw for return from injured reserve. Rakestraw will be eligible to be activated at any point in the next three weeks as a result of the move.
Rakestraw was a second-round pick last year and the rookie has been out since mid-November with a hamstring injury. Rakestraw saw action on defense and special teams in eight games before his injury. He had six tackles in those appearances.
Mock Draft Pick- NBC Sports
Who will Detroit take? Not even Detroit knows but it would be nice to see the preliminary draft board kept under lock and key in Brad Holmes office. Between now and April, I will see better than 300 mock drafts be just about every media organization that takes the time to make one.
32. Detroit Lions
Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
While Williams’ overall pass rush production hasn’t reached an elite level in college, his raw power, length and hard-nosed play style should see him come off the board in Round 1. I think he has room to get even bigger from his listed 265 pounds, which would give him alignment versatility up front for Detroit.
