Detroit Lions: Craig Reynolds shines in the run-game in blowout loss

The Detroit Lions would fall 38-10 to the Denver Broncos in Sunday’s loss in the Mile High city. While the loss was due to silly mistakes on the field and lack of a healthy roster in the midst of COVID-19 issues and a flu outbreak, the Lions had to improvise however they could.

When it came to the Detroit Lions offense, the pieces of it that were healthy were not the A-team. Besides Jared Goff, Kalif Raymond, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, it felt like the Lions were working with the backups.

However, Craig Reynolds, or as the team calls him, “Netflix,” answered the team’s call to fill a void and help the team scrounge up some offense. Overall the Lions would have 316 net yards to the Broncos 358 total net yards.

Reynolds may not have popped off for 150 yards and two scores or done anything similar to the Broncos tandem of Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon, but Reynolds certainly made an impact on the team’s offense and helped them get things going.

Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds stepped up big time on Sunday.

Reynolds would finish the day with 11 carries for 83 yards, including a nice run for 25-yards where he broke free and found some open space. He also would catch two passes for 16 total yards. His 99 total yards on the day was short of 100, barely, and he had no scores, but he shined in terms of the team’s offense.

He was making good cuts after taking hand-offs and finding ways to get through the line at times. It just did not help his case much that the Lions were running so short-staffed that it seemed like silly mistakes would reflect on him, like missed blocks or missed assignments in the offensive line at times.

Either way, given the circumstances or that Reynolds is the same running back who was introducing himself to teammates in the huddle for the Lions’ first preseason game this fall, he looked good. Being the team’s fourth or fifth best option in terms of running backs, his performance on Sunday shines.

It’s hard to see a lot of positives in a game like this where the team is blown away, but Reynolds being able to put on a performance as he did and make an impact in the team’s run-game certainly makes him shine.

Between a lack of personnel and a 1-11-1 team making silly mistakes week after week, there could not have been much of an expectation for things to go much differently. But, Reynolds looked good and was something positive to note from the team’s loss.