The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a crucial win over the New York Jets, which now puts them at 5-6 on the season. However, a very difficult matchup awaits the Colts with the Detroit Lions coming to Lucas Oil Stadium.
Although still below the .500 mark, the Colts playoff hopes in the AFC are still very much alive, but in their way this week is a Lions team considered by many the best in football.
Basically, pick a category on either side of the ball, and there is a good chance that Detroit ranks in the top 10, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Coming into Week 12, this is the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, putting up over 33 points per game.
With the Lions being an NFC team and a fairly uncommon opponent, let’s take a closer look and preview this Detroit team.
Last week: Win, 52-6 vs. Jacksonville
The Detroit Lions cruised to an easy 52-6 victory at home over the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were again without quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Jared Goff was lights out against the Jacksonville defense, completing 24-of-29 passes for 412 yards with four touchdown and he didn’t even play most of the fourth quarter.
The Lions’ defense, meanwhile, was suffocating with Mac Jones, throwing for only 138 yards on 29 attempts with an interception. The Jaguars’ run game would average just 2.4 yards per attempt as well.
Quarterback play
Through 11 weeks, Goff finds himself in the MVP conversation. In short, he has been incredibly efficient this season. On the year, Goff is completing 73 percent of his throws but still averaging 9.2 yards per pass attempt–the highest mark in football. He’s also thrown 20 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
This is a Detroit offense that utilizes play-action at a higher rate than any other team, and while pressure on Goff won’t guarantee success, it is a must when it comes to attempting to slow the Lions’ offense. With time in the pocket, Goff will pick opponents apart.
Line of scrimmage
On the offensive side of the ball, the Lions have arguably the best offensive line in football. So while pressure is important, generating it won’t be easy. Then in the running game, Detroit has the dynamic duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, which as a unit, is averaging a hefty 5.0 yards per rush this season.
Over on the defense, there certainly is no replacing Aidan Hutchinson who is on injured reserve, but the Lions are still finding ways to get after the quarterback, ranking 10th in pressure rate this season. Overall, this is a physical and relentless defense, who against the run is allowing 4.3 yards per carry to opponents, and that ranks 11th.
Turnovers
You guessed it, the Lions are really good in this area as well. On the year, they are plus-nine in turnover differential, which is the third-best mark in football. They’ve come away with 19 takeaways, which includes a number of interceptions from their safety duo, while the offense generally does a good job of taking care of the football.
Injury report
The Lions held a walkthrough on Wednesday, so the first injury report is an estimation of what each player’s status would have been.
CB Carlton Davis (thumb): Full participant
TE Sam LaPorta (shoulder): Full participant
CB Emmanuel Moseley (pec): Full participant
WR Allen Robinson (concussion protocol evaluation): Full participant
TE Shane Zylstra (neck): Full participant
Stats to know
To see how these two teams stack up in several key metrics, click here.
Players to know
RB Jahmyr Gibbs: Averaging 6.0 yards per rush this season, Gibbs leads the NFL in that category and has been one of the best at generating explosive runs.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: Often lining up in the slot, St. Brown leads the team in targets with 77 and has caught a whopping 85 percent of those throws, along with hauling in nine touchdowns.
TE Sam LaPorta: At the tight end position, LaPorta brings another big play element to the offense, averaging almost 15 yards per catch on the season and again, is another reliable target.
DT Alim McNeill: Without Hutchinson, McNeill’s 32 pressures are the most on the team.
S Brian Branch: Listed as a safety but you will see Branch often playing out of the nickel. He’s holding quarterbacks to a completion rate of under 60 percent and fewer than 9.0 yards per catch. He also has four interceptions and eight pass breakups.
