Pride of Detroit
That got a little tighter than it needed to be. After entering the fourth quarter up 28-3, the Detroit Lions were able to muscle out a 37-24 win, marking their first victory in Cincinnati since 1992.
Detroit was without two key players at key positions (LT Taylor Decker, CB1 D.J. Reed), yet both sides of the ball still had periods of dominance. The Lions capitalized on a number of Jake Browning mistakes, while also securing an emotional homecoming win for David Montgomery in front of his sister—and in D.J. Reader’s return to the team he went to a Super Bowl with.
It wasn’t a flawless 30+ point, double-digit victory, but there are still far more risers than fallers as Detroit reaches four wins in five weeks for only the eighth time in the Super Bowl era.
Stock up: Sam LaPorta, TE
LaPorta was the Lions’ biggest playmaker on the day, totaling five receptions for 92 yards and his first touchdown of the season—his third-highest individual game yardage total ever. His soft natural hands and fluid movement were on full display throughout the contest.
Bengals linebackers and safeties had no answer for him as offensive coordinator John Morton dialed up a game plan to get LaPorta the ball. His 39-yard catch-and-run on the rollout to start Detroit’s fourth touchdown drive in the third quarter was key to keeping the offense humming, and it marked the fourth-longest play of his career. LaPorta also recorded his third straight game as a noticeably plus player in run blocking, an element of his game that’s rounding into form beautifully.
Stock up: Aidan Hutchinson, DE
Hutchinson was a nightmare for Bengals tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims. He finished with four tackles, a sack, five QB hits, and another forced fumble—plus another sack (and a safety) nullified by a defensive penalty for the second straight week.
Four straight games with a sack. Three straight games with a forced fumble, all in the fourth quarter. His five QB hits tie a career high (fourth time). Hutchinson is stacking performances and, much like last year, is cementing himself in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.
Stock down: Jameson Williams, WR
While he wasn’t heavily targeted like last week—when he still struggled—Williams again had minimal impact as a receiver or runner. He recorded only one reception for nine yards (for a first down) and one end-around for a single rushing yard. His 0.43 yards per route run over the last two weeks ranks 122nd out of 157 players with at least five targets (Amon-Ra St. Brown is top 10 in that span). Week 5 marked his second-lowest receiving yard total since the start of last season.
Granted, Jared Goff had only 27 dropbacks and limited incompletions, so it wasn’t a heavy passing attack. There’s no reason to panic, defenses still account for his deep threat, but Detroit will look for Williams to string together a more consistent receiving game soon.
Stock up: Alex Anzalone, LB
Sunday’s game...
