by Forgive me if this week’s stock report is a bit one sided; The Detroit Lions’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars was the most defining game of the Dan Campbell era. let’s check it out
Stock up: DJ Chark, WR
Chark needed a good game and it came at just the right time against his former team. Five catches for 96 yards gave Chark his best yardage since Week 8 of the 2020 season, leaving him just a touchdown from fulfilling this week’s bold prediction. This resulted in a Play ball for Chark, and it had to be a feel-good moment after a rocky start to his tenure in Detroit. The Lions have made it clear they want to get him the ball now that he’s healthy and a clean pocket for Jared Goff made room for Chark to hit the deep goals he’s craved.
Stock up: Jared Goff, QB
Speaking of Goff, what a day. Sunday was undoubtedly one of Goff’s best days as a Lion statistically, finishing 31 of 41 for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn’t the most accurate, sometimes struggling to put the ball right on the receivers just a few yards down. However, he had the cleanest bag he’s had all year (and that’s saying a lot) and that meant Goff had the patience to look down, which he didn’t otherwise have.
I definitely don’t expect this high level of play to continue – Goff’s play was a product of circumstance and that circumstance was that Jacksonville’s pass rush didn’t exist. That has kept Goff from being his usual nervous self in a messy bag and credit for being reinforced today, but tempering expectations against better defensive teams going forward.
Stock: Scott Daly, LS
I’ve been really trying to be lenient with Scott, but at this point things are spiraling out of control figuratively, and he’s incredibly lucky it’s not literal yet. It feels like there’s a bad snap almost every week now, whether it’s at punt or field goal or PAT. Jack Fox has literally single-handedly saved Daly’s job with the Lions so far. If Fox wobbled every single bad snap that came his way, or even half of them, the Lions would already have another long snapper. Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp defended Daly’s accuracy last month, but more bad snaps since then make it pretty obvious the Lions need to do their due diligence on position this offseason.
Top up: Dan Campbell, HC
When things go wrong, Campbell is the first to fall. Credit where credit is due, Dan Campbell has his staff squeeze every ounce of talent out of this roster. They play their best football of the season in December. That’s something we rarely see as Lions fans. This team has been up 4-1 since early November and is in the Week 14 playoff hunt. That’s a far cry from the discussions of a first draft pick just a month ago.
Likewise, Campbell lets his team play clean football. A good football team has to control not only the opponent but also itself, and the lions did it this Sunday. The team ended with just one 10-yard penalty on a hold by Jonah Jackson early in the fourth quarter. That being said, the Lions played a clean and complete game of football and that is a reflection of exceptional coaching across the board.
Stock up: Michael Badgley, K
Badgley went 4-of-4 on field goals on Sunday, hitting for 45, 47, 38 and 44 yards. That’s after the Money Badger nailed a 51-yard field goal to tie last week’s game late in the fourth on national TV. That leaves Badgley at 11 of 12 for the season, with four of his last five coming from 40+ yards. That’s not bad for a guy who’s been rated doubtful past 45 yards and not good at crunch time. He’s earned his stay at kicker for the remainder of the season save for one significant move (knock on wood) and he’s clearly earned the trust of these staff and team.
Stocking up: Will Harris, CB
It was a really nice day for Will Harris against a pretty strong receiving corps from Jacksonville. On paper, Harris finished as the Lions’ second-best tackler with six tackles and one pass defense. It was somehow better on film.
Credit where credit is due, that was *textbook* technique by Will Harris for a nice PBU
— Hamza Baccouche (@HamzaPOD) December 4, 2022
In a big change of pace, Harris found himself in all the right spots in cover on Sunday and had a really good day keeping up in cover and putting the ball through even when he lost a step. Hopefully he can maintain this level of play in the future.
Stocking up: DeShon Elliott, p
Elliott has had his ups and downs this season, but he came out of goal with a bang to start Sunday’s game. On the first defensive snap, Elliott Travis set Etienne up after demolishing a big run, then snatched the ball from Etienne’s hands to help the Lions recover. The tackle alone was impressive enough; I would have stocked Elliott just because he pissed off Etienne. The sales were the icing on the cake and started a great day for the Lions.
Fast hits
topping up
James Houston, EDGE: Another sack in limited defensive action, this time with a skip step and an incredible bend. Also props to Houston for pumping up the crowd after every single kickoff (and there was a lot) on Sunday. The guy is happy to play ball and he plays very good ball.
Duce Staley, RB coach: D’Andre Swift has fallen far short of expectations this year, but Staley continues to give him significant touches and enable him to succeed. Swift finished with four catches for 49 yards and 14 carries for 62 yards, his most efficient day overall in a long time. Meanwhile, Jamaal Williams and Justin Jackson thrive in their respective roles.
Caliph Raymond, WR/PR: Raymond continues to create magic from punts that most returners would fairly catch. Today that was two returns for 20 yards, but that’s 20 yards that most other returners wouldn’t have gotten.
stock down
Justin Jackson, RB: A few bad drops hurt Jackson Sunday. If he’s going to keep gorging on D’Andre Swift’s touches, the team needs to be able to trust Jackson in the passing game.
