A pair of 4-7 teams get together in Ford Field in Week 13 when the Detroit Lions host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Detroit aims to get back in to the win column after a heartbreaking home loss to the Bills on Thanksgiving. The Jaguars hope to keep riding the lightning that led them to a shocking upset over the Ravens in Week 12.
4 Lions who must have great games vs. the Bills
If the Lions are to pick up their fourth win in five games, they’ll need some strong performances from a few key players. Here are some Lions who need to win their matchups and have good games for the team to beat back the Jaguars.
Penei Sewell
Sewell is one of the NFL’s best overall right tackles. He’ll need to prove that against the Jaguars and do so while playing hurt.
Sewell missed Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury and was limited on Thursday. In watching the Thanksgiving game against Buffalo, Sewell clearly wasn’t 100 percent physically after going down early. He’s got a unique challenge coming in primarily facing off against No. 1 overall pick, Travon Walker.
Walker is very big for a stand-up rusher at 275 pounds, and he’s been effective at using his length and power. Sewell tends to handle power pretty well, but Walker has also flashed some outside-in moves with speed. Those are the exact type of pass rushes that have given Sewell trouble in his young career.
Now factor in that regular starting right guard Evan Brown figures to miss another game. That puts even more pressure on Sewell to perform at his absolute best against the Jaguars.
Will Harris
The Jaguars and QB Trevor Lawrence do distribute the ball around to several receivers, but his favorite target is Christian Kirk.
Kirk lines up in the slot almost 80 percent of the time. Against Detroit, that means he’s squaring off against Will Harris, the Lions’ primary slot defender. Other teams have focused on targeting Harris recently and found some success. Both the Bills and Giants threw at Harris more than any other Lions defender, and he’s allowed 13 receptions on 15 targets for 164 yards, one TD and a QB rating over 135 in those two games.
The Lions don’t need Harris to shut down Kirk; they need relative competence from the veteran DB. Harris figures to see a lot of throws his way. If he can hold Kirk to a catch rate under 66 percent, or even pick off a pass, and make quick tackles after the catch, it’s a strong win for the Lions defense.
DJ Chark (plus a bonus Lion)
If ever there was a week for Chark to break out, doing so against his old team would be a great time. Chark has not had a great year as a Lions wide receiver. Even last week when he scored a touchdown, Chark had the lowest average separation per route in the league.
Chark is the style of receiver who typically gives the Jaguars defense fits: Taller guys with speed. And since it doesn’t appear Jameson Williams will play much (if any) of a role, Chark is the best option for the Lions to replicate what others like him have done to Jacksonville recently:
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 3 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD in Week 10
Davante Adams: 10 catches, 146 yards, 2 TDs in Week 9
Jerry Jeudy: 6 catches, 63 yards, 1 TD in Week 8
The Jaguars pass defense also struggles badly against receiving TEs, so throw Brock Wright in this mix as a bonus Detroit player who should have a big game.
Michael Badgley
Yeah, the kicker. Badgley has to shake off his first miss in a Lions uniform, a missed 29-yard field goal in a game his team wound up losing by three points. The “Money Badger” did rebound with a 51-yard conversion to tie the Thanksgiving game in the final minute, though that kick was unsteadily good.
Badgley’s counterpart for the Jaguars is a familiar name for Lions fans: Riley Patterson, Detroit’s kicker for the final seven games of 2021. He’s been shaky this year for the Jaguars, making 16-of-20 FGs and also missing an extra point. Patterson is just 4-of-8 from beyond 45 yards; Badgley is a perfect 8-for-8 from that range in 2022 (split between Detroit and Chicago).
There will be pressure on Badgley to prove he’s both better than the guy the Lions let go and also the guy who can be the team’s next long-term solution at kicker. Hitting a game-winner in a perfect performance in front of the home fans would be huge for Badgley — and this game looks like it could very well come down to a field goal.
