ALLEN PARK
Jake Rudock Jersey , Mich. (AP) — Kerryon Johnson has been a bright spot for Detroit in a season with plenty of struggles.Now the Lions are finally coming
off a win — but Johnson exited that victory with a left knee injury.Detroit’s
rookie running back went down in the second half of Sunday’s win over the
Carolina Panthers, and although the Lions had to be pleased to snap a three-game
losing streak, they face a daunting task over the next couple of weeks.Detroit
has a short turnaround before its Thanksgiving game against Chicago — not a
great situation for a player recovering from an injury — and then the Lions face
the Los Angeles Rams.Johnson has boosted Detroit’s previously moribund running
game. He has rushed for 641 yards on the season — more than anyone on the Lions
managed last season — but it’s not clear when he’ll be able to play again.“Not
sure what his situation is, but we’ve dealt with it in other areas on our team
before. Just next guy up, let’s go,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said.“We have
a bunch of guys in that room that are talented. If they need to play more,
they’ll play more. If they don’t, then we’ll roll with what we have.”Detroit was
already without wide receiver Marvin Jones (knee) against Carolina. Then Johnson
left the game, but the Lions were able to win anyway thanks to some big catches
by receiver Kenny Golladay.Detroit (4-6) still faces an uphill climb to make the
playoffs. Its next two games are at home but against first-place teams. If
Johnson isn’t available, the path becomes even tougher.“We’ll take it day by
day. We’ll see how it goes,” coach Matt Patricia said Monday. “We just have to
stay even keel with all of it and make sure we prepare like we’re just pushing
forward.”Johnson leads the Lions with 118 carries. LeGarrette Blount has 78 and
Stafford has 21. No other Detroit player has more than nine. Blount is averaging
only 2.3 yards per attempt.“Certainly, Kerryon has a skillset that’s great, just
like a lot of our other guys do,” Patricia said. “I think we have good players,
we have dynamic guys, guys that can make plays in different ways and it’s not
cookie-cutter. Football is not that way. When you have a different player that’s
in and in the same position
Danny Amendola Jersey , it doesn’t mean that they can do the same thing. You have to be able to adjust.”The Lions could always bring in someone from outside the
organization to help at running back, but there’s not much time before the next
game.Running back Zach Zenner, who signed with the Lions earlier this month,
could have a bigger role now. Zenner has played sporadically for Detroit since
the 2015 season — he had 88 carries in 2016.“No matter what it means for me,
it’s always disappointing to see a teammate get injured,” Zenner said.
“Kerryon’s a good teammate, good person, good friend. So it’s certainly tough to
see him have an injury. I don’t know what the situation is. Hopefully he’ll be
back, ready to go, but if not, I’ll be ready to do whatever I’m asked.” The
Detroit Lions are coming off the bye and heading into their litmus test portion
of the season. No one really knows what to think of the Lions right now, with
two big wins on their resume, but those three ugly losses loom large. The next
seven games for the Lions are against teams that are .500 or better, meaning
we’re about to find out who this team is in a hurry. First up on the block is
the Miami Dolphins, an equally confusing team. Let’s get to know them a little
better. Miami DolphinsLast season6-10 record (3rd in AFC East)28th in points
scored, 29th in points allowedOverall DVOA: 27th (27th on offense
Trey Flowers Jersey , 28th on defense)2018 offseasonKey free agent additions: WR Danny Amendola, RB Frank Gore, WR Albert Wilson, G Josh Sitton (IR), C Daniel
Kilgore (trade)Key losses: WR Jarvis Landry, DT Ndamukong Suh, C Mike Pouncey, K
Cody Parkey 2018 NFL draft picks:Round 1, 11 overall - DB Minkah
FitzpatrickRound 2, Pick 42 - TE Mike GesickiRound 3, Pick 73 - LB Jerome
BakerRound 4, Pick 123 - TE Durham SmytheRound 4, Pick 131 - RB Kalen
BallageRound 6, Pick 209 - CB Cornell ArmstrongRound 7, Pick 227 - LB Quentin
PolingRound 7, Pick 229 - K Jason SandersDespite a puzzling 6-10
record
Damon Harrison Jersey , the 2017 Miami Dolphins were not good. They had the fourth worst point differential and their DVOA numbers were all towards the bottom of
the league. So this year, the team went out and tried to fix one of their bigger
issues: the offensive line. They moved on from long-time center Mike Pouncey and
traded for Daniel Kilgore. They also added veteran guard Josh Sitton to the
starting five. Unfortunately, both Pouncey and Kilgore have suffered major
injuries, and both on on IR.However, the Dolphins’ biggest addition thus far has
been Albert Wilson, who just had a breakout game against the Bears. Wilson joins
2015 first-round pick DeVante Parker, 2016 sixth-round pick Jakeem Grant and
2015 trade acquisition Kenny Stills to form one of the most underrated receiving
units in the league.To improve defensively—and make up for the loss of Suh—the
Dolphins have focused on their back end. For the third straight year, the
Dolphins spent a third-round pick or higher on a cornerback, this time Alabama’s
Minkah Fitzpatrick.2018 season thus far (4-2)Week 1: Win over Titans, 27-20Week
2: Win at Jets, 20-12Week 3: Win over Raiders, 28-20Week 4: Loss at Patriots,
7-38Week 5: Loss at Bengals, 17-27Week 6: Win over Bears, 31-28 (OT)Stats:22nd
in points scored, 17th in points allowed6th in DVOA (15th on offense
Ricky Jean Francois Jersey , 9th on defense, 3rd on special teams)There’s nothing flashy about this Dolphins team, and it seems puzzling they are 4-2 thus
far. Al four of their wins were by a single possession, but their two losses
were both by double-digits. Their wins are over some mediocre-to-bad talents,
but their losses are to some very good teams in the AFC. In terms of point
differential, the Dolphins are bad. In act, they’re worse than the Lions at -15
(20th). But those DVOA numbers—sixth best in the league—tell a different story,
and it’s not really clear why.The team isn’t moving the ball all that well
overall on offense. They’re 30th in yards per drive and 28th in points per
drive, according to Football Outsiders.They’re a little better on defense, but
not by much. They’re 25th in yards per drive allowed, and seventh in points per
drive allowed. Wait... back up there. Seventh in points allowed... let me crunch
some numbers.Okay, here’s the deal. The Dolphins have been winning games by
playing the field position game. They rank sixth in starting field position on
offense, averaging drives starting on the 30.7-yard line. Defensively, they also
rank sixth, with an average starting position at the 26-yard line. How are they
winning the field position battle? Special teams and turnovers. Let’s start with
special teams. They’re 14th in net punting average, which is just
okay
Levine Toilolo Jersey , but they’ve pinned opposing teams inside the 20 14 times, good for fifth most. In terms of returning, they’re lethal. Meet Jakeem Grant.
Grant already has a punt and kick return touchdown, leading to the Dolphins
ranking third in punt returns (15.7) and second in kickoff returns (32.8).Then
there’s that improved secondary. The Dolphins lead the league in interceptions
(11), and that will do wonders for your field position. Unfortunately for the
Detroit Lions, there’s not one player the Lions need to worry about. Six
different players have recorded an interception, including first-round pick
Minkah Fitzpatrick.So, in my opinion, this is a below average team that is
overperforming right now. They’re not horrible—and their offensive weapons pose
a legitimate threat for big plays—but some regression is in order. If the Lions
can avoid allowing big plays on special teams (no easy task given how Detroit’s
special teams units have looked so far), and Matthew Stafford avoids turnovers,
this is a more than winnable game for Detroit. Vegas line for Sunday: Dolphins
by 4 Lions by 2.5
