Studs and Duds from the Lions’ Week 6 loss to the Chiefs
the Detroit Lions The Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t keep up with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, losing 30-17 and falling to 4-2.
The Lions entered the game trailing several members of their secondary, and it showed when Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes chopped up their defense for much of the night. The Lions’ offense also had a few tough breaks and some confusing 3-and-out drives that left them too far behind to catch about midway through the fourth quarter.
This game was reminiscent of the Lions we saw in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, where it seemed like the fault was less on individuals and more on the performance of certain units as a whole. Detroit’s linebackers have been outmatched when trying to compensate for a depleted and struggling secondary safety behind them.
Here are the buttons and duds from the Black loss:
Stud: Sam LaPorta
Consistent end Sam Laporta impressed early and often on Sunday night, displaying some of his ability to break down the second level of the defense and preserve the Lions’ lead. LaPorta’s best work came in the fourth quarter with a tough landing catch in the back of the end zone to put the Lions back in the game.
LaPorta caught five of six targets for 55 yards and one touchdown.
Stud: Dan Skipper
Lions third-string tackle Dan Skipper gets some credit here for jumping into the starting spot after being on the practice squad last week. Despite a shaky showing from the Lions’ offense at times, the offensive line held up well early, and the Skipper was nearly flawless.
Skipper was the only one of his teammates who did not put pressure on Goff until the last desperate drive of the game.
Dodd: Jack Campbell
It’s hard to criticize the Lions’ linebackers too much, given what they were surrounded by, but Mahomes’ short-to-intermediate throws down the field were often open, keeping a Chiefs drive going that otherwise should have been halted.
According to Pro Football Focus, Campbell was the worst-rated Lion in pass coverage Sunday night, giving up a particularly impressive play to Travis Kelce. Campbell was in Kelce’s coverage for four targets, three of which were caught for 40 yards and three first-down conversions.
Dowd: Tyler Lacey
Tyler Lacy got the start opposite Aidan Hutchinson on Sunday night and didn’t do much with it. Lacy recorded 37 snaps, 18 of which he had opportunities to make an impact on the Chiefs’ passing attack and didn’t sniff out Mahomes.
Stud: Jameson Williams
Jameson Williams had a great bounce back game in Week 6 after a quiet last few games. Williams was second to Amon-Ra St. Brown in goals, but outscored St. Louis. Brown with a 66-yard run and a touchdown that saw him take a few hits and get into the end zone.
Williams was a key part of the game plan early, but calling plays down the stretch didn’t seem to help him stick.