Tom Greene | October 21st, 2019
If we could describe this 42-30 loss to Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings in one word, the word in the title would describe it best. Woof.
The day for yours truly was actually great. Going to Ford Field as a fan, sharing sports experiences with Dawn Mitchell, who works at FOX 9 Minneapolis, as well as meeting Nastia Liukin, who greatly approved of the “Beer, Goats, and Nastia Liukin helping out your Special Teams unit” quote I’ve written in earlier recaps. Any aspiring sports reporter would definitely want to be in my shoes yesterday. Networking matters!
The day for the Detroit Lions, though, wasn’t great. Injuries on the defense hurt, and Cousins was having a field day. The Lions fall to 2-3-1 and are searching for answers. With that being said, let’s look at the three things Lions fans should take away from this game.
1. The Offense is gelling
A critical point from the loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers is that the Lions couldn’t find the end zone. They kept having to settle for field goals that could have cost them the game (but let’s be honest, it was officiating).
This time, they found the end zone. Four times, in fact. More on who found the end zone four times in point two.
Scoring 30 points should be enough to win games in this league. Yes, offenses are getting faster and higher-scoring (Thanks, Patrick Mahomes), but in any sport, winning championships are done defensively, and that was a major struggle this week. As written in earlier recaps, “Hang in there!”, offense! You’re doing your job!
Now, for the second point.
2. Marvin… He was a friend of mine! (And still is)
OK, I don’t know Marvin Jones personally, but he definitely has a great personality, on and off the field. He was the guy that found the end zone four times yesterday. Lions fans know that Marvin is always good for at least one catch for over 20 yards, he catches the deep ball. Fantasy owners thought about dropping him due to his inconsistency, but he proved those critics wrong this week.
The line for this point comes from the classic, “Night Shift” by the Commodores. The band actually sang that about Marvin Gaye, but it can be compared to Jones better than people think. “He could sing a song, his heart in every line”, as Jones is an R&B Singer in his free time. He most likely has sung of the joy and pain of life, and I’m sure people can hear him, just like Gaye, sing, “Talk to me, so you can see; What’s going on?”. Nonetheless, you’ll hear some sweet sounds going down on the Night Shift with him.
Tori Petry, another reporter of many I’ve networked with, got to tour Jones’ studio. He certainly has a backup plan in case football doesn’t work out for him.
Now, on to point three.
3. Danny Amendola is Good
The journeyman in this league proved yesterday that he’s still got it. Eight catches for 105 yards is a stat we’ve yet to see from him this season until now. In the roster preview, I felt he would be a sleeper in fantasy leagues. This was the first time I was proven to be right on that assessment. As our @jball0202 would tell me, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
If he doesn’t help your fantasy team, he helps the real team. Like Anquan Boldin did in Detroit for his lone season here, he provided a veteran presence that the team needed to carry on. Taking over for Golden Tate in the slot, Amendola has proven his worth in Detroit so far.
What’s Next?
The Lions face their second rookie QB this season in Daniel Jones. So far, after the Giants made the move from Eli Manning, the QB has impressed, putting up over 1,100 yards in a small sample size. The defense will have to work out its scheme, or else Jones could have a day similar to Cousins. Also, Tate returns to Detroit for the first time since the trade Quinn made last year to Philly.
Detroit has work to do, but getting back to 3-3-1 is not out of the question. Stay focused.
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