8 Winners, 3 Losers From Lions Win Over Jets

On Sunday, the Detroit Lions returned to action after a long week. They faced another AFC East foe with a familiar name leading the franchise, Aaron Glenn’s New York Jets.

The Lions needed a get back game after their 41-31 loss to Buffalo, where the game was much farther apart than the scoreboard showed.

Detroit allowed another opposing team to come back in the game, but were able to stand tall to end the fourth quarter, winning 31-24.

In their attempt to earn a win, who rose to the occasion and who languished for another week? Here are the winners and losers from Sunday’s slate.

Winners

EDGE DJ Wonnum

Wonnum got pressure early, ending a Jets drive in the first quarter as they crept closer to field goal range. The free agent acquisition got a sack on Geno Smith on 3rd-and-4, forcing a Jets punt.

During the two minute drill in the first half, Wonnum forced a pressure on Geno Smith, where he was held and the penalty knocked the Jets out of field goal range.

The former Minnesota Viking was not done, splitting his second third down sack with DJ Wonnum on the Jets opening drive in the second half. It forced a Jets field goal attempt in the red zone.

RB Jahmyr Gibbs

Another week of the Lions offense being a box score full of Gibbs yardage. Jahmyr Gibbs had a strong week and accounted for 70 yards by halftime as the leading rusher and receiver for Motown.

On the opening drive of the second half, Gibbs got multiple first downs, and then got his 53rd career touchdown in style, turning a play that should have been -4 yards and running it in for 17 yards out. After 29 rushing yards in the first half, Gibbs added 31 yards on that drive alone.

Gibbs added his second touchdown of the day and hit 100 yards rushing on the same play, the opening play in the fourth quarter. His day was not done, getting the hat trick with his third touchdown, a receiving score, after the Jets came back to tie the game.

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

The superstar receiver entered the day in a tie for the most receiving touchdowns in the NFL through two weeks. In the first half, St. Brown added another touchdown during the final two minutes, hauling in a fade route to put the Lions up 10-7.

DT Alim McNeill

McNeill was showing burst against the Jets, recording pressures early and sniffing out a screen in the first half. The defensive tackle got home for his second full sack of the season as the Jets got into the redzone on their opening drive of the second half. The very next play, McNeill split a sack with DJ Wonnum to force a field goal.

DB Christian Izien

Izien made his impact felt on Sunday. The former Buccaneer was all over the field in the run game, recording three separate run stuffs, including a redzone tackle for loss immediately after the Jets got into the redzone.

On third down with the Jets trailing by eight points, Izien sniffed out a dump off to Braelon Allen and tackled the running back for a loss of 4 yards on 3rd-and-2. He led the team with 11 tackles on Sunday, three of which were for loss.

WR Isaac TeSlaa

TeSlaa was mentioned as a player that would have few opportunities earlier in the week, but the second-year pro made the most of his chances on Sunday. He saw two early targets in the game, moving the sticks and getting the Lions closer to scoring on his first two catches.

After the Jets came back from a 14-point deficit, Jared Goff went and found the Lions’ former third-round pick wide open on a crossing route, resulting in the longest play of TeSlaa’s young career and setting up the go-ahead touchdown.

S Chuck Clark

Clark was efficient in the defensive backfield all day, notching seven tackles. None were bigger than his last tackle, a strip sack of Geno Smith in the final minute. Jack Campbell recovered the ball to ice the game for the Lions.

QB Jared Goff

Goff was solid in the pocket all day for Detroit, with the signal caller dicing up the Jets defense for 269 yards. It was an efficient day, with the Cal product getting eight pass catchers involved and completing 78 percent of his passes.

Goff also showed his mobility with a few runs and dodging some pressure. Goff came up huge after the Jets tied the game, with a big throw on a crosser to a wide open Isaac TeSlaa and then finding Jahmyr Gibbs twice, with the latter resulting in the Lions’ go ahead touchdown that wound up being the difference.

Losers

CB Rock Ya-Sin

Ya-Sin had a rough outing against Buffalo, and the early season let down extended into week three. The Temple product had a tough matchup with Garrett Wilson at points, and the defensive back got caught holding the Jet for a defensive pass interference in the first half.

CB Roger McCreary

McCreary had an extended role on Sunday, but the increased snaps saw more targets his way. The former first rounder struggled, being just out of position multiple times during the New York Jets lone scoring drive in the first half, including being the closest man in coverage on Kenyon Sadiq’s first touchdown.

In the second half, McCreary was lost in coverage and allowed an Isaiah Williams first down on 3rd-and-7. With the Lions up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, it was a chance to end any hope of a New York comeback. Instead, the very next play saw a Jets 43-yard gain to get into to Motown redzone.

McCreary was picked on in a matchup against Garrett Wilson on third down, with the Jets converting when only down seven points.

CB DJ Reed

Reed was the third defensive back to be among the ‘losers’ category. Reed found himself burnt deep to set up the Jets’ field goal in the second half, with Garrett Wilson getting the better of him.

Wilson again got the better of Reed in the fourth quarter, blowing by the defensive back and forcing a panic hold, which turned 3rd-and-17 into a New York Jets first down inside the Lions’ five-yard line. Three plays later, the Jets halved the Lions lead.

Reed was burnt by no one else other than Wilson on a double move on fourth down, giving up a touchdown catch. Worse yet, Reed was called for defensive pass interference.

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