Lions Finding Players to Build Around on Offense and Defense
The Detroit Lions are no longer a one-win NFL team.
They notched their second win of the 2021 season Sunday against Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.
And they did so with the help of some potential building blocks for the future.
Most notably, Charles Harris, Craig Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown each played a role in the Lions' upset win at Ford Field.
Harris, an impending free agent, was inked to a one-year contract by Detroit over the offseason, and has been the Lions' most consistently productive pass-rusher all season long.
Of the three aforementioned names, Harris had arguably the biggest impact on the Week 15 contest. He finished with a game-high 12 total tackles, including three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
In his postgame media session, Lions head coach Dan Campbell delivered some complimentary remarks regarding Harris' ability to be "a nuisance" to opposing offenses.
"Charles has been a relentless player for us all season long. He's a nuisance to quarterbacks, but he plays the run, as well," Campbell said. "He's a well-rounded defensive end, outside linebacker, if you will. So, he really showed up."
The 26-year-old EDGE defender now has 7.5 sacks on the season, four and a half more than his previous career high of three sacks (set in 2020 while he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons).
The 2017 first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins could just be entering the prime of his career, and it's why Lions general manager Brad Holmes needs to make re-signing Harris a top priority of his this offseason.
Then, there's Reynolds, an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Kutztown University, who eclipsed 100 rushing yards Sunday (26 rushes for 112 yards). It was just his second game with the Lions and seventh career NFL game.
And, a week prior, against the Denver Broncos, Reynolds rushed for 83 yards on 11 carries.
With his back-to-back solid performances, the 25-year-old became just the third running back in Lions history to rush for 75 or more yards in each of his first two games with the organization. The other two backs: Mel Farr, who accomplished the feat in 1967, and Billy Sims, who did so in 1980.
Reynolds, who was called up from Detroit's practice squad only a week ago, certainly has filled the void that was created when the team's lead backs, D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, were forced to sit out Weeks 14 and 15. Swift has missed the past two weeks with a shoulder ailment, while Williams has been dealing with an illness.
"It's a blessing having the opportunity, and the coaching staff and my teammates having the faith in me to get the ball that many times," Reynolds said after the game. "Like I said, I wouldn't be here without God and my teammates, the O-line, man, and it was just fun. It was a fun game."
At this point, it's anyone's guess as to whether Reynolds keeps up this level of productivity. But, at the very least, his play the last two weeks has put him in the discussion for the No. 3 spot on the team's running backs depth chart in 2022.
"Craig's done a good job. Craig, since day one, he's come in and just done his job," Campbell said regarding Reynolds' play. "It's all about intensity, it's all about focus. And, he's just done a great job on scout team, and just waited for his opportunity. And now, he's gotten two, back-to-back (weeks) and has shown up."
Reynolds was complemented well all afternoon long by Jared Goff and the Lions' passing game.
Goff finished a near perfect 21-for-26 passing, with 216 yards and three touchdowns.
One of those three TD throws went to St. Brown, who has increasingly grown into Goff's most reliable receiving option.
Goff connected with the USC product on a 37-yard strike to start the second quarter, making it a 10-0 game.
Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports
St. Brown finished the day with eight receptions for a career-high 90 yards, his third straight game with at least eight catches and 73 or more yards. He was also the recipient of 10-plus targets for the third straight contest (had 11 on Sunday).
He'll likely receive a healthy dose of targets the rest of the way this season, too, as a result of tight end T.J. Hockenson's season-ending left thumb injury.
Subsequently, the 2021 fourth-round pick (No. 112 overall) has a chance to strengthen his bond with Goff even further over the course of Detroit's final three games, which could do wonders for Brown's status in the team's receivers room heading into next season.
Additionally, each time the Lions scored a touchdown Sunday, there was one common thing that occurred: Kicker Riley Patterson made his point-after-try.
I know it doesn't sound like much, but in today's game, kickers making their extra-point attempts isn't a given.
Yet, so far this season, the first-year pro is a perfect eight-for-eight on his PAT tries and even more impressively, a perfect seven-for-seven on his field-goal attempts.
The Memphis product went three-for-three on his field-goal tries against the Cardinals, which included two attempts from 40-plus yards in the fourth quarter (a 47-yarder, followed by a 45-yarder).
It's still too small of a sample size to properly evaluate Patterson. However, the early returns have been very promising and indicate that he could have what it takes to be the long-term answer at kicker in the Motor City.
The Lions have been a very hard watch for the majority of the 2021 campaign.
From all the players that have had to miss time this season, whether the result of injury or illness, to the poor play on the field, the Detroit fanbase hasn't had a ton to root for on a weekly basis.
Yet, the Lions showcased Sunday that the organization may have better days ahead of it -- and sooner rather than later -- because of some potential building blocks that have emerged on to the scene throughout the course of this season.
Yes, I'm actually saying there is reason to be optimistic about the future of the franchise.
Merry Christmas, Lions fans.
