The Detroit Lions Comfortably Cruised Past The Miami Dolphins On Sunday.
First Quarter
The MiamiDolphins started this game with the football, and the Detroit Lions defense did their job forcing a three and out.
Detroit immediately took advantage of this, when a 24 yard run by rookie running back Kerryon Johnson, then a 26-yard reception by wide receiver TJ Jones set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from quaterback Matthew Stafford to tight end Michael Roberts.
Score: Lions 7 Dolphins 0
Second Quarter
On the very first play of the second quarter, the Lions were backed all the way up to their own 9-yard line. However, Johnson managed to take a handoff up the middle for 71 yards setting up a Matt Prater field goal.
The Miami offense finally showed signs of life on the ensuing possession, when quarterback Brock Osweiler completed 6/7 passes including a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kenny Stills.
The Lions offense wasn’t done for the half yet though. They mounted a methodical 12-play drive that culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run for running back LeGarrette Blount just before the half ended.
Score: Lions 17 Dolphins 7
Third Quarter
The Lions started the third quarter with the ball and went on another lengthy drive. However, their second consecutive 12-play possession ended with another Prater field goal.
Miami was very quick to respond though. It took them just 5 plays to get into the end zone off of a 54-yard touchdown run from running back Kenyan Drake.
A pass interference penalty on the Dolphins quickly put the Lions in scoring range again, and Stafford found Roberts in the end zone for the second time, this time from four yards out.
Score: Lions 26 Dolphins 14
Fourth Quarter
Detroit continued their lengthy possessions throughout the fourth quarter, setting up yet another Prater field goal.
Osweiler was able to drag Miami back into the game when he threw a 24-yard touchdown to wide receiver Danny Amendola with 6 minutes left, cutting the deficit to 29-21.
The Dolphin defense was unable to get a stop though, and Prater kicked a 50-yard field goal to secure the Lions victory.
Final Score: Lions 32 Dolphins 21
Key Stats
The Detroit Lions only punted once
The Lions offense as a whole was extremely efficient throughout this game. The only time they punted was on their second possession of the first quarter. Other than that, they scored a touchdown or field goal on every single possession.
As a team, Detroit rushed for 248 yards at 7.1 yards per carry
The Lions ground game was dominant on Sunday. Johnson ran for 158 yards at 8.3 yards per carry, and Blount turned 10 carries into 50 yards and a touchdown.
The Detriot Lions were only 2/8 on third down
The Lions struggled on third downs in this game, which resulted in a lot of field goals instead of touchdowns. This was especially an issue in the red zone, where the Lions had to settle three field goals. If those had been touchdowns instead, this game would have been a blowout.
Brock Osweiler completed 22 of 31 passes for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns
Osweiler is not a good quarterback, but he was very efficient against the Lions. The Detroit defense did not take the ball away from him once, and he threw a fourth-quarter touchdown to make it a one-possession game. The Lions will not win most games when the opposing quarterback has a 114.9 passer rating.
Plays Of The Game
Michael Roberts’s 15-yard touchdown
https://streamable.com/1gki2
Kerryon Johnson’s 71-yard run
https://streamable.com/jc684
Michael Roberts’s second touchdown of the game
https://streamable.com/bnsfd
Detroit Lions Player Of The Game
Kerryon Johnson is this weeks Lions player of the game. The rookie became the first Lions player to rush for +150 yards in a game since 2011. His 158 rushing yards (at 8.3 yards per carry) and 21 receiving yards were the biggest factors in the Lions victory.
If Kerryon Johnson keeps up this pace, he will be a strong contender for offensive rookie of the year. He is currently second in the NFL in yards per carry, and is on pace for 1184 rushing yard on the season.
Thanks for reading! For more Lions content, follow me on Twitter @Lucas_Walker00 and don’t forget to pay a visit to the Detroit Lions Subreddit!
