5 Lions Players to Watch against Atlanta Falcons
The Lions are flying sky high coming off their big win against the Cardinals, as they head to Atlanta to take on a different kind of bird.
At 2-11-1 and with no playoff chances, there would not seem to be much to play for, but don't tell that to the players who are battling to establish themselves on this Detroit roster.
This is some of these guys' big chance to show they belong in Motown or at least somewhere else in the league.
While two of this week's players to watch have a spot pretty much secured with the Lions for next season, three of these guys will be playing as if their careers depend on it.
QB Tim Boyle
With starting QB Jared Goff still in COVID limbo, Boyle looks to show Lions' upper management he can be the team's backup in 2022. Boyle had a shot back in November against Cleveland, but he turned in a rather lackluster performance against the Browns, going 15-for-23 for 77 yards and two interceptions.
Regular season reps are a premium for backup QBs, as most of them typically only see game reps in the preseason (barring injury).
Boyle must come out and show he has what it takes against Atlanta's 24th-ranked pass defense. If he fails against the Falcons, two bad regular season games on his resume are going to be tough to recover from as he heads into free agency.
It is now or never for Boyle.
WR Josh Reynolds
Reynolds is another one who is not out of the woods yet. He has caught 16-of-26 targets and a couple of touchdowns, but those are hardly the numbers of a surefire bet to return in 2022.
Reynolds needs to put up numbers that make his coaches want to fight to bring him back next season, and Atlanta's subpar secondary provides him with an opportunity to do so.
The average NFL career is 3.3 years long, and Reynolds is in his fifth season. He is also on his second team in 2021, after the Titans gave up on him earlier this season.
Reynolds is barely holding on, which means he better catch everything thrown in his direction.
RB Craig Reynolds
The other Reynolds on this roster has done nothing but help himself since getting his big chance a couple weeks ago against Denver. He is the classic example of what it means to seize the moment he has been working so hard to obtain, since being signed as an undrafted rookie by Washington in 2019.
Kirthmon F. Dozier, USA TODAY NETWORK
He had bounced around with Atlanta and Jacksonville since, before bursting on to the scene in Detroit. Reynolds has averaged 5.3 yards per carry on 37 carries, and now will look to keep that going against the Falcons' 22nd-ranked run defense.
Reynolds has given Lions fans something to cheer for this holiday season, as his story could practically be made into a movie.
LB Derrick Barnes
After being Detroit's second of two fourth-round draft picks in 2021, Barnes has done some good things, but he has struggled to get playing time, too (has played in 35.6 percent of the team's defensive snaps).
Barnes is exactly the type of player who needs to make the most of every opportunity, in order to give the coaching staff confidence that he is deserving of more playing time next season.
He is listed on Detroit's depth chart behind starting inside linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, but Reeves-Maybin will be a free agent soon, which means this is Barnes' time to shine.
This season, Reeves-Maybin has recorded 59 tackles and Barnes has 54, which shows that Barnes might just be ready to slide into one of the starting spots. However, the remaining games will decide that.
CB Amani Oruwariye
This is the one player on this list who has nothing to worry about headed into next season. Oruwariye has improved dramatically in 2021, and he has established himself as one of Detroit's two starting corners for the 2022 season.
Oruwariye is tied for third in the NFL with six interceptions, and he has also amassed 11 passes defensed.
This week, Oruwariye will likely draw coverage against Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage, who leads all of Atlanta's wide receivers in yardage right now. It should be a pretty good matchup to keep an eye on, since Battle has also been Atlanta QB Matt Ryan's most targeted wide receiver (71 targets).
