The Detroit Lions\u2019 34\u201310 win over the Cleveland Browns wasn\u2019t always pretty, but the outcome never truly felt in doubt. Against a defense as talented as Cleveland\u2019s, style points are rare. Not every win needs to be dazzling to punch your ticket to January\u2014these are the same Browns who dragged the Green Bay Packers into the deep end and drowned them a week ago. Great teams win when they\u2019re supposed to, even after an emotionally draining primetime road game and a short week.<\/p>\n
All three phases\u2014offense, defense, and special teams\u2014complemented each other to secure a decisive win in what could have become a four-quarter barroom brawl. Most impressively, after surrendering an opening-drive touchdown, the defense spent the next 12 possessions playing like a saloon-style skirmish\u2014forcing five three-and-outs and generating three takeaways.<\/p>\n
The Lions have now started 3-1 or better for only the 12th time in the last 50 seasons, and there\u2019s no shortage of stock-ups to report\u2014along with a few stock-downs.<\/p>\n
Stock up: Jack Campbell, LB<\/strong><\/p>\n Detroit\u2019s defense held Cleveland to a 26.2% offensive success rate\u2014fourth-best by any defense in a game this season and the Lions\u2019 best single-game mark since 2013, when Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was Detroit\u2019s head coach. No player was more central to that showing than green-dot linebacker Jack Campbell.<\/p>\n Mr. Nip\/Tuck himself was everywhere, hacking away at the Browns\u2019 offense. Campbell led the team with 11 tackles (one for loss). These weren\u2019t hollow stats, either. At least half a dozen were defensive stops that help to thwart drives. He consistently met Jerome Ford and Quinshon Judkins in the hole, but it wasn\u2019t just his usual run-stuffing. Campbell moved fluidly in coverage to limit David Njoku and the running backs passing gains and flashed as a blitzer\u2014both positive strides. It was arguably an even more complete game than last week, despite the lack of a splash play, and he looked like a hybrid of DeAndre Levy and Stephen Tulloch patrolling the middle.<\/p>\n Stock down: Jameson Williams, WR<\/strong><\/p>\n After converting a first down on Detroit\u2019s opening drive, Williams endured a rough stretch, failing to connect with Jared Goff on six straight targets\u2014including an interception and several drops. The Lions could have put the game out of reach earlier had Williams capitalized on a few of those chances.<\/p>\n He also wasn\u2019t as impactful as a run blocker as he\u2019s been in other weeks. As one of the NFL\u2019s 15 highest-paid receivers and a key offensive pillar for the franchise, Williams needs to leave outings like this behind\u2014though there\u2019s every reason to believe he\u2019ll rebound and produce a few big games heading into the bye week.<\/p>\n Stock up: Aidan Hutchinson, DE<\/strong><\/p>\n Boy oh boy, Hutch is heating up. The stat line says it all: four tackles, two sacks, four QB hits, nine total pressures (a 25.0% pressure rate) and a forced fumble. It\u2019s his highest single-game pressure total since Week 4 of last season against Seattle, when he was at his peak, and he\u2019s starting to show that same freakish form again. He even had another strip sack wiped out by penalty to boot.<\/p>\n Hutchinson took full advantage of Cleveland\u2019s backup tackles, living in the backfield and especially punishing former Lions swing tackle and part-time starter Cornelius Lucas. The uptick in takeaway production is notable too\u2014he\u2019s forced fumbles in back-to-back games after managing just four in his first three seasons\u2014exactly the kind of impact playmaking that can tilt games for this defense.<\/p>\n Stock down: David Montgomery, RB<\/strong><\/p>\n Not all of Sunday\u2019s struggles fall on Eagle Scout Montgomery. Running lanes were scarce against Cleveland\u2019s front. Coming off a career-high 151 rushing yards in Week 3, he was bottled up for just nine carries, 12 yards (1.3 per attempt), a long of four, and one of the lowest rushing success rates of Week 4 at 11.1%.<\/p>\n Montgomery\u2019s rugged running style was met head-on by a Browns defensive line that refused to budge, creating a well-fought battle in the trenches. While Jahmyr Gibbs found more success with his explosiveness, Montgomery couldn\u2019t shed tacklers or generate extra daylight, leaving this performance as one he\u2019ll want to bounce back from.<\/p>\n Stock up: Kalif Raymond, WR\/PR<\/strong><\/p>\n Dan Campbell praised Raymond for his fearlessness, and Jared Goff called him a \u201cheartbeat guy,\u201d a \u201cmentor,\u201d and a \u201crole model.\u201d Whatever phrasing you use, Raymond embodies the culture and team-building success of this regime.<\/p>\n Offensively, he recorded two catches for 13 yards, helped clear a safety on at least one Gibbs run, and delivered a solid block on an Amon-Ra St. Brown screen. But it was his third-phase playmaking that earns him a stock-up: Raymond\u2019s 65-yard punt return touchdown in the early fourth quarter broke the game open at 27\u201310 and swung momentum firmly back to Detroit. The defense had been holding strong, but the offense had stalled with three punts and an interception on the first four second-half drives before Raymond\u2019s return. It was the second-longest punt return of his nine-year career and the third punt return touchdown of his Lions tenure, tied for fourth-most in franchise history.<\/p>\n Stock down: Opening drive defense<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the Lions\u2019 biggest defensive weaknesses remains starting games flat-footed. For some reason this season, scripted opening drives seem to put them in a pretzel\u2014and not the fun kind you dunk in spicy mustard. Kelvin Sheppard and his group have been slow to adjust and ill-prepared out of the gate.<\/p>\n Detroit is the only team this season to allow a touchdown on every opening drive\u2014four drives, four touchdowns. The numbers don\u2019t get much prettier beyond that:<\/p>\n The Lions will need to solve this early-drive problem, or slow starts could come back to bite them in tighter matchups<\/p>\n Goff is playing lights-out, maximizing the output of Detroit\u2019s offensive unit. It\u2019s time he gets credit as an elite-level cerebral quarterback.<\/p>\n The Lions have now gone three consecutive games without allowing a sack, and Goff deserves major credit\u2014alongside his pass protectors. His seamless pocket awareness and underrated nimbleness, paired with keeping his eyes downfield, turned potential drive-killing pressures into chain-moving plays.<\/p>\n On paper, his Week 4 stats will not jump off the page, and he dealt one head-scratcher interception, but Goff is steering one of the league\u2019s most potent offenses. Dan Campbell singled him out for audibling on the last St. Brown touchdown\u2014on third-and-goal from the 8\u2014resetting the blocking and calling the \u201csniper\u201d play to perfection.<\/p>\n Stock neutral: D.J. Reed, CB<\/strong><\/p>\n Reed\u2019s stock was sky-high after his dominant performance against the Ravens, and he nearly matched that effort versus the Browns. Aside from one explosive play on the opening drive, Reed effectively cocooned opposing receivers. He was targeted seven times, allowing only three completions (only one after opening drive), and recorded a key third-down pass break-up and an interception that set up a Lions touchdown to extend the lead to 17-7.<\/p>\n On the field, Reed looked worth every penny of his free-agent contract. Unfortunately, he left the field early with a hamstring injury, potentially sidelining Detroit\u2019s top cornerback. The silver lining: if he recovers fully in-season, he could be a major boost heading into the race for the playoffs.<\/p>\n Jahmyr Gibbs:<\/strong> Cleveland Browns\u2019 longest rushes allowed this season were 24 yards and 22 yards to Gibbs. The Browns hadn\u2019t allowed an explosive run all season prior to facing the Lions (previous longest rush: Lamar Jackson \u2013 11 yards). Gibbs was quite effective gliding through their defense (6.8 YPA).<\/p>\n Amon-Ra St. Brown:<\/strong> A third straight two-touchdown game, both being red zone touchdowns, plus two additional first-down catches.<\/p>\n Penei Sewell:<\/strong> The mauling right tackle was the only one on the line consistently generating rushing lanes for Gibbs. He was also a great lead blocker on St. Brown\u2019s screen touchdown, giving him just enough of a block to create a runway.<\/p>\n Taylor Decker:<\/strong> It wasn\u2019t glamorous or textbook, but tasked with facing off against otherworldly talent like Myles Garrett, he was able to maintain his assignments and allowed only a handful of pressures. Garrett wasn\u2019t able to cripple the offense, and that\u2019s a win.<\/p>\n Graham Glasgow:<\/strong> Played a critical role in helping Goff with protection assignments, handled a barrage of stunts by picking up and passing off to assist the guards, and reached the second level for cut-offs on Gibbs\u2019 runs.<\/p>\n Derrick Barnes:<\/strong> Barnes is stacking games. The Lions played a ton of base defense, and he was an absolute load in the run game from both the line of scrimmage and the box. He made key stops on Judkins, Dylan Thompson, and on a Joe Flacco scramble attempt.<\/p>\n Alex Anzalone:<\/strong> Roamed well in coverage, particularly in man coverage, including a deep ball to Harold Fannin and a short pass to Judkins. Also delivered several thumps on Judkins on the ground and helped sack Flacco at the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n Trevor Nowaske:<\/strong> The vision the front office and coaching staff had for Nowaske when he first got on their radar in training camp two years ago is starting to come to fruition. Limited but productive snaps giving his all on the edge.<\/p>\n D.J. Reader:<\/strong> Reader consistently overpowered Ethan Pocic on the ground and collapsed the pocket on some dropbacks. His contributions often go undetected but they were key for the linebackers to succeed and limit the Browns to 2.9 yards per carry.<\/p>\n Tyler Lacy:<\/strong> Nothing special but sign me up for another game of Lacy trying to beat the pulp out of the lineman across from him and bull rush his way to the signal caller.<\/p>\n Kerby Joseph: <\/strong>He always manages to be in the right place at the right time. The only safety in the last 30 years with more interceptions in their first 53 games than Joseph\u2019s 19 is Ed Reed with 21.<\/p>\n Tate Ratledge:<\/strong> Had one spectacular pull to lead block for a Gibbs run, but otherwise it was a rough follow-up to his career game against the Ravens. Fell off blocks, spent too much time on the ground, gave ground in pass protection, and incurred two penalties. Growing pains will happen and the Lions will be better off for it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Lions\u2019 34\u201310 win over the Cleveland Browns wasn\u2019t always pretty, but the outcome never truly felt…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":263819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[16242,9325,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-263818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-detroit-lions-analysis","9":"tag-detroit-lions-opinion","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115287667976252121","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n