Studs and Duds: Lions' Pass-Rush Baffles Browns, Jamo Struggles

On Sunday, the Detroit Lions returned to Ford Field for their matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Both teams entered with momentum, beating division rivals of each other the week prior. Detroit emerged, 38-30, over the Baltimore Ravens, and Cleveland had a come-from-behind 13-10 win over the Green Bay Packers.

With the Browns boasting the best defense in the NFL through three weeks, this was another test for offensive coordinator John Morton. After the first drive stalled for Detroit, Morton’s crew answered the bell.

The game was never truly in doubt, with Detroit pulling to a multi-possession lead in the first half and never looking back. The Lions, aided by the defense forcing three turnovers and a special teams touchdown, pulled away from the Browns late, winning, 34-10.

Here are the studs and duds from Week 4.

STUD: RB Jahmyr Gibbs

Gibbs had momentum again this week. Following an outing against Baltimore where the Alabama back had 99 total yards, Gibbs was involved heavily in the pass and run game again.

In his second carry of the game, Gibbs nearly took the ball to the house, drawing a tripping penalty from Grant Delpit in desperation.

Gibbs then went and scored on his next carry, showcasing excellent vision and cutting outside, following an Amon-Ra St. Brown block to the end zone. After a David Montgomery drive, Gibbs was back in. His first carry after his touchdown was a 24-yard burst to put Detroit near Browns territory.

Gibbs added another carry over 20 yards near the end of the third quarter, setting the Lions up near the Cleveland 30-yard line. Yet again, Gibbs finished just shy of 100 total yards on the game, with his 91 rushing yards and six receiving yards totaling 97 yards.

DUD: CB Terrion Arnold

In what is becoming a disturbing trend, Arnold is in the dud column for the third week in the opening four games. On the Browns’ opening drive alone, Arnold was responsible for two penalties, one of which was an allowed catch near the goal line.

On the second Cleveland drive, he looked better against the run, assisting on a tackle for loss. Worse yet, Arnold left injured with 4:21 left in the third quarter, following a tackle of Quinshon Judkins. He did not return.

The adjustment period for defensive backs in the NFL varies, but Arnold’s returns have not been great thus far. It is not time to give up on Detroit’s first-rounder from 2024, but he is far from a star.

It is worth noting that former Lions shutdown corner Darius Slay had a similarly slow adjustment period to the league.

STUD: S Kerby Joseph

Kerby Joseph added his second interception and No. 19 of his career on Sunday, picking off Joe Flacco. In an obvious route miscommunication, Flacco threw a perfect ball to Kerby Joseph.

On the next interception, D.J. Reed’s first as a Lion, Joseph played lead blocker on the return, with Reed getting forced out of bounds inside the Cleveland 10-yard line. Joseph went down injured and did not return in the first half.

In his first two plays back, Joseph got involved with two tackles. He finished the game with three tackles, a pass deflection and the aforementioned interception.

STUD: EDGE Aidan Hutchinson

It’s official: Aidan Hutchinson is back.

Detroit’s former second overall selection single-handedly ruined a Browns drive in the second quarter. Hutchinson forced a first-down sack, where the crowd noise caused a Cleveland delay of game. Then, he realized his free release was too easy, dropping into a passing lane and forcing a Flacco throwaway. And on third down, Hutchinson forced a double team and a hurried deep shot that was broken up.

Hutchinson forced a holding call during Cleveland’s two-minute drill, before going down after a Jerome Ford chip-block floored the defender. The crowd went silent, but Hutchinson was able to jog off under his own power. He returned to the field in the second half, hitting Flacco on his first dropback.

Hutchinson had a strip sack, but it was called back for a Brian Branch holding. The very next third down, Hutchinson forced another pressure, and Cleveland had to punt its second chance away.

The EDGE defender added a few more quarterback hits, and then got his credited strip-sack in the fourth quarter, batting the ball out of Flacco’s hands. The fumble was recovered by Trevor Nowaske.

DUD: S Brian Branch

Branch’s game was a mixed bag, being whistled for two holding calls in the first three quarters. His second call negated a Hutchinson strip-sack that Jack Campbell had recovered.

Two plays later, Branch dropped an interception in traffic. That said, this one did not cost the Lions as much as his dropped pick last week, with the Browns being forced to punt after a third-down throw was rushed.

STUD: K Jake Bates

Jake Bates showed off his powerful leg on Sunday, matching his career-long with a 58-yard field goal to finish Detroit’s 20-point first half. Bates added a 48-yard field goal after Joseph’s interception to give the former Razorback eight points in the first half, when factoring in his extra points.

The 58-yarder is the third longest in franchise history.

Overall, Bates has remained a consistent force with the Lions, and did all elements of his job perfectly against Cleveland Sunday, including no kickoffs out of bounds and no missed kicks.

STUD: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

For the third week in a row, St. Brown was in the touchdown column.

Following an interception by Reed, Detroit started with a first-and-goal. A few plays later, John Morton called up a play that had St. Brown all alone in the flat, and he trotted in for the touchdown.

He was not just getting it done in the passing game, either, as St. Brown blocked Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward on a run play to aid a Jahmyr Gibbs score.

The USC product accounted for 54 of Jared Goff’s 118 yards at halftime, including a small catch that shaved the final few yards off of Jake Bates’s 58-yard field goal to end the half.

Overall, St. Brown became the third Lion with at least five receiving touchdowns in the first four games of the season, joining Calvin Johnson (eight in 2011) and Leonard Thompson (five in 1984).

St. Brown broke the tie with Thompson during the fourth quarter, when the star receiver took a screen eight yards to make it 34-10. It marks St. Brown's second multi-touchdown game of the season.

This is the seventh time in his career with a multi-touchdown performance, and fifth with multiple receiving touchdowns. This is also the second time in St. Brown’s career that he has had multiple multi-receiving touchdown games in the same season (2022).

STUD: WR/Returner Kalif Raymond

The Lions were stuck in neutral during the third quarter, with two consecutive three-and-outs and a turnover on downs.

Raymond provided the spark to seal the game in the fourth quarter, returning a punt for a touchdown for the third time in his career (all three TDs with Detroit).

Prior to the return for touchdown, Raymond had already provided some intrigue, with a 30-yard kick return and a pair of catches for 12 yards. The kick return came after a miscommunication with Jacob Saylors, where both men reached for the return.

Raymond’s three punt return touchdowns for Detroit ranks fourth all-time in franchise history.

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