Detroit Lions Week 11 Game Ball: The Safeties

When the Detroit Lions hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 11, several players stood out but it was “The Safeties” who performed the best and took home this week’s DJC Game Ball.

The Detroit Lions (6-4) performed their weekly “fan heart check”, by successfully executing yet another fourth quarter comeback. The Lions offense was stagnent, looking very rusty coming off last week’s bye. But Detroit’s defense picked up the slack, playing their best game of the season. While the front seven had an up and down day, it was the secondary, specifically the safties unit, that made the difference and that’s why they collectively earned this weeks DJC Game Ball.

The Four Safeties

Glover Quin got the party started when he forced a fumble, which was recoverd by rookie linebacker Antwione Williams. Quin often gets overlooked, but he has been a steady player all year for the Lions. While not lighting up the stat sheet on a weekly basis, he has held this secondary together with his leadership all season.

Rafael Bush‘s third quarter interception for a touchdown, was one of the more athletic plays this defense has had all season:

Rookie Miles Killebrew easily had the best game of his career. The Lions rotated him in as a third safety in nickel and dime sets and asked him to make plays on third down. He spy’d running backs on screen plays, blitzed, and made tackles in coverage. Killebrew ended his day with five tackles, including four on third down that ended drives.

Killebrew has been steadily improving throughout the season and is giving fans a glimpse of his potential. Still raw in coverage, he is making drastic improvements. He still has his signature power behind his pads, but as Pride of Detroit writer Kent Platte (@MathBomb) put it, he’s not tenative while also being “not reckless”.

Tavon Wilson led the team with five tackles today, but his interception with 20 seconds remaining put this game to bed. This was the third game this season where a player in the Lions secondary intercepted a pass to end the game (Bush, Slay).

Punt God

Sam Martin is the best punter in the league. Half of his punts travel over 50 yards, and as Kyle Meinke tweeted out before the game:

Martin only added to that average today, with six punts that averaged 48.5 yards, including a 61 yard bomb that pinned Jacksonville inside their five yard line. That series predictibally ended in a three and out, with Andre Roberts returning the ensueing punt for a touchdown.

Quick Hits

• The Lions are 5-1 in their last six games.
• All 10 games this season have ended within one score.

• In all 10 games the Lions have trailed in the fourth quarter.
• The Lions have scored every time they’ve been in the redzone this season.
• Matthew Stafford played in his 103 game as a Lion, a Lions quarterback record.
• The Eric Ebron jet sweep for a touchdown was an identical copy of the play run by Minnesota on Detroit in week nine, when they took the lead with 23 seconds left.
• Andre Roberts leads the league in punts returned over 10+ yards.
• Andre Roberts is first Lion to return two punts for a score in a single season since 2004 (Eddie Drummond).
• Dave “jinx” Birkett tweeted this out before the game:

• The Lions fumbled on the first play (was later ruled not to be a fumble), Then Andre Roberts fumbled a punt return later in the 1st quarter, and Golden Tate, fumbled in the third quarter. Thanks Dave.

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Regular Season Game Ball Winners:

Week 1: Theo Riddick
2: Devin Taylor
3: Marvin Jones
4: Andre Roberts
5: Darius Slay
6: Matthew Stafford
7: Matthew Stafford… Again
8: Theo Riddick
9: Matt Prater

Preseason Game Ball Winners:
Week 1: Zach Zenner
2: Tahr Whitehead
3: Haloti Ngata
4: Kerry Hyder