By Roy J. Akers-www.skyviewsports.net
Much has been said that Jared Goff has more TD throws in the last four games than incompletions and the 18-16 stat is true. The Detroit Lions are (5-1) facing a Tennessee Titans team (1-5) that is going nowhere. But here is the thing. When you have nothing, you have nothing to lose.
With Jameson Williams on the shelf for two games for taking a banned substance that is being kept under wraps, the Lions are shuffling their offensive payload. The Lions will rely on Tim Patrick and Kalif Raymond to pick up the slack and both combined barely have the snap count of Williams. For the next two games, look for Sam LaPorta to also earn targets. So, here we go.
First Quarter
Detroit takes the opening kickoff and they quickly give up a Titans sack for a seven-yard loss. Two straight completions do not earn the Lions a first down and they go three and out. The Titans earn the games first down with a Calvin Ridley 13-yard grab from Mason Rudolph. Detroit promptly intercepts the underthrown pass. Â Trevor Nowaske gets the interception and goes eight yards inside Titan territory. David Montgomery runs twice for 16 yards with a face masking penalty aiding Detroit for a Lions TD. Detroit 7- Titans 0. – 2 plays, 23 yards, 0:28 After the kickoff, the Titans Pollard takes a huge seam and runs for 17-yards on the first play of the drive to get near midfield. Tennessee stalls from there and they punt giving Detroit its second possession of the quarter.
Titans Sack City on Goff
The Lions start their drive inside their own 17 and Gibbs runs for 11 yards. Goff is promptly sacked for the second time in the game. He is then sacked again and the fumble is recovered by the Lions. The Titans have three sacks against Detroit in less than a quarter. Jack Fox punts for 63 yards to flip the field and pin Tennessee deep in their own territory. Being pressured, Rudolph completes a pass for 33 yards to Josh Whyle. Later, Ridley hauls in a pass for 26-yards. Rudolph with the run pass option takes it in for the score from 11 yards out and a TOUCHDOWN. – Lions 7- Titans 7.
Jahmyr Gibbs takes it to the house
After the kickoff, Gibbs takes the opening play and runs around the left end for 70 yards to the house. Detroit 14-Titans 7. Both Gibbs and Montgomery have scored for Detroit in the opening quarter. Gibbs is the second Lions player to have back-to-back 40 yard carries in a game. Barry Sanders is the other back to do this in 1997. The Titans take over with 3:10 to play in the first quarter. After a penalty, Rudolph finds Ridley for a 47-yard catch. Rudolph and Ridley connect again for 12. A third connection from Rudolph to Ridley gives him over 100 yards receiving in the quarter. The quarter ends. Lions 14 -Titans 0.
Offensive Game Stats- More story is below
Second Quarter
The Titans start the quarter 1st & Goal- Ball on the DET 9. Ridley had six first quarter grabs for 118 yards. The second Titans play is a score. A Rudolph pass to the short middle finding Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for 5 yards, TD. Detroit and Tennessee are tied at 14.
Khalil Dorsey takes the Titans kickoff return 72 yards down the left sideline inside his five and is pushed out of bounds inside the Titans 25. A Titans penalty gives Detroit new life on third down as Jarvis Brownlee commits a pass interference penalty. Brock Wright catches a misdirection pass and walks into the end zone. Detroit 21- Tennessee 14.
The Lions Kerby Joseph intercepts Rudolph
The first Titans play is intercepted by Kerby Joseph and he returns the football 35 yards and Detroit has the football first and ten at the Titans 12. LaPorta takes a feed for 9 yards just short of the goall ine giving the Lions a goal to goal from the one. Amon-Ra St. Brown scores all alone for a TD grab. Detroit 28-14. Tennessee has given Detroit two short fields following turnovers and both resulted in home team TD’s.
Kalif Raymond has another long return
The Titans are outgaining Detroit 218-133 on the game but two turnovers and a long Detroit kickoff return have punched the visitors in the nose. The Titans go for it on fourth and one at midfield and convert. A Detroit sack by Alex Anzalone pushes the Titans back eight yards. A visitor holding call pushes them back ten more. The drive ends and a Titans punt saw multiple Kalif Raymond nifty punt return moves and he goes 64 yards to the Titans 22. The Lions use small chunk plays to the Titans three. David Montgomery takes a toss from Goff and throws it to the end zone to LaPorta for the TD grab. Detroit 35- Titans 14. 7 plays, 22 yards, 3:59
The Titans take the football just north of the two-minute warning. The Lions pass interference (PI) call against Brian Branch gives the Titans the ball near midfield. The Titans Rudolph pass deep left to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to the DET 7 for 34 yards. Detroit’s Branch commits his second PI infraction in the drive. The Titans stall from there and go for it on fourth down and elect to score a TD and do not score. Detroit takes over and goes to the half. Halftime – Lions 35- Titans 14.
Third Quarter
After the Titans go three and out, Kalif Raymond receives the punt at the Lions ten and goes 90 yards for a punt return score. Detroit 42- Tennessee 14. For the game, Raymond has three returns for 164 yards and a TD.
Neither team moves the ball on their next possessions. Detroit, with 42 points banked, looks to be in the prevent offense. Still, Tennessee commits their third turnover as Ridley takes a wide receiver sweep for three yards and fumbles at his own 26. The Lions Amik Robertson recovers. Gibbs runs for nine and complete passes to LaPorta and Raymond, who lines up in the backfield is all alone in the flat and walks into the endzone for a nine yard TD grab. Lions 49- Titans 14. 3 plays, 26 yards, 1:25 The Lions have seven TD’s by six Lions players.
Jake Bates sighting
Tennessee once again goes three and out with Detroit turning down an offensive pass interference penalty turned down by Detroit. Detroit starts cooking early in the drive with a 24-yard completion from Goff to LaPorta. Gibbs gets the bulk of the workload in the drive with 3 rushes for 14 yards. Jake Bates nails a 51 yard field goal. Detroit 52- Tennessee 14.- 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:00 Bates starts his NFL career 11-11. No other Lions kicker has been that proficient.
The Titans run three plays to run out the clock in the quarter.
Defensive Stats for the game- More story after
Fourth Quarter
The Titans begin the quarter with a slant throw from Rudolph to Ridley for 13 yards and an Tony Pollard run for 16 more. Then, the Titans commit their fourth turnover of the game. Chig Okonkwo has the ball stripped by Amik Robertson and Isaiah Thomas. Unlike earlier drives in the game, Detroit has to put together their own scoring drive. Hendon Hooker takes over for Detroit and completes a pass to Isaiah Williams. Goff finishes the game 12-15 with 85 yards passing and three TD throws but now its up to Hooker. The Lions have emptied out their offensive bench and they punt as Fox boots it 62 yards. For the game, he is averaging 62 yards on three punts.
Garbage Time
The Titans keep their starters in while Detroit goes to their bench to find players who need experience. They punt after going three and out. The Lions do the same and punt. The Titans put together a scattered drive and earn a trio of first downs a few yards at at time. In the end, the drive ends and Detroit has their first 6-1 start since 1955.
Lions 52- Titans 14
Games Three Stars
First Star
Kalif Raymond- Who else? Two touchdowns including a receiving and a rare punt return for a TD in today’s no punt return yardage in the NFL. Raymond had five returns on the day for 190 yards including 160 on three returns when it mattered. The Fox crew said it is the first time in NFL history that has happened. I do not believe that but it was that kind of day.
Second Star
Detroit’s special teams. All units – Khalil Dorsey had a 72-yard kickoff return. Kalif Raymond had multiple long gainers on punt returns including the TD. Jack Fox averages over 60 yards per punt and Jake Bates extends his franchise record 11-11 streak to begin his career.
Third Star
Tennessee’s Calvin Ridley had ten catches for 143 yards on 15 targets and a touchdown. He has been around a long time and is considered one of the best route runners in the NFL. He made the Lions secondary look silly for most of the first half.
Roy J. Akers is a multi-sport reporter for www.skyviewsports.net. Read him daily