5 Risers, 2 Fallers After Lions Week 3 Win Over Jets

The Detroit Lions made enough plays to win on Sunday, advancing to 2-1 on the young season with a victory over the New York Jets.

In the win, the Lions had several players step up and deliver big moments. They did some shuffling around with their depth chart, and as a result multiple players made the most of their opportunities.

Here are five risers and two fallers from the Lions' Week 3 win over the Jets.

Risers

CB Ennis Rakestraw

Rakestraw made his first appearance of the 2026 season Sunday after being a scratch each of the first two games. He played 23 defensive snaps in the win, and was one of the team's highest-graded players by Pro Football Focus with a 65.9 overall defensive grade.

The Missouri product allowed one completion for six yards on four targets and had a pass breakup. He's been the topic of plenty of discussion due to his injury issues through the first two years of his career, and with the struggles in the secondary he has a chance to be really impactful moving forward.

QB Jared Goff

Through three games, Goff is looking like he belongs in the MVP conversation. Ultimately, that award has become a quarterback award that comes with good performance and success, and the Lions are 2-1 largely because of the consistency he's provided.

To this point, Goff ranks sixth in passing yards with 802 yards and tied-for-third with eight touchdown passes. He's also one of only three passers who have started all three games and hasn't thrown an interception.

His chemistry with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has been exceptional up to this point. He appears comfortable within the scheme, and as a result could continue to thrive.

WR Isaac TeSlaa

TeSlaa had been very quiet in Detroit's first two games, but burst out of his slump with some big catches in Sunday's game. In particular, two of his four catches came at crucial points and led directly to scores.

In the first half, TeSlaa hauled in a fourth-down pass from Goff in the red-zone. This led to a touchdown from Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown two plays later. In the fourth quarter, TeSlaa had a 49-yard catch-and-run to set up Jahmyr Gibbs' game-winning touchdown.

DE D.J. Wonnum

Like TeSlaa, Wonnum was off to a slow start entering Sunday's game. Then, he stepped up in a big way in Sunday's victory over the Jets. He recorded two sacks, handling business in big moments and helping to generate pressure.

In Wonnum, the Lions believe they have an ideal partner across the field from star Aidan Hutchinson. Wonnum showed flashes of that on Sunday, which is an encouraging development for Kelvin Sheppard's defense.

S Chuck Clark

The Lions have had to deal with a number of injuries at the safety position, but through three games Clark has been a mainstay for the group. He's generated two takeaways, including the game-winning strip sack of Geno Smith on Sunday.

A veteran who adds much-needed experience throughout a young secondary, Clark is Detroit's fourth-highest PFF-graded defender in the first three weeks. With Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper out for the foreseeable future, Clark has a chance to stabilize the group.

Fallers

TE Tyler Conklin

Conklin entered the season appearing to have a lock on the third tight end spot, but was usurped on Sunday and inactive for the game. Jackson Meeks was bumped up the depth chart as a result, and recorded his first career catch.

While Conklin is a proven veteran, there's a lot of intrigue surrounding Meeks after putting together a second-straight strong preseason. Detroit elected to keep him after final cuts, and could begin utilizing him more often on offense throughout the process.

If that's the case, Conklin would likely be the odd man out as he was on Sunday.

CB Rock Ya-Sin

Like Conklin, Ya-Sin has a challenger for his role. Detroit kept Rakestraw active on Sunday, and he out-repped Ya-Sin who had 13 snaps after starting the team's first two games this season.

Per PFF, Ya-Sin allowed two completions on four targets in Sunday's game. Through his first three appearances, the Temple product has allowed an opposing passer rating of 96.7 on throws in his direction.

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