Hello all! You may remember this segment in audio format on a monthly basis when we were a tiny little podcast as opposed to the media juggernaut we’ve now become. So, with no further ado; welcome back to the Lions Backpack!
Who carried the team this week?
Even if you didn’t watch the game, the backpacker for week three should be obvious by the box score. Marvin Jones was lights out this week in a failed comeback attempt following a disaster of a first half.
Late in the second quarter I was already expecting an embarrassment of a final score. Like London embarrassing. However, after running Theo Riddick into a brick wall repeatedly; JBC dialed up a long shot in an attempt to spark the Lions’ offense while they were down by 28. Jones not only fights off the line to gain a step, he manages to stay in bounds while Green Bay’s Randall stumbles and takes off for the end zone. This play alone was a momentum changer and it was just the beginning of a monster day for Marvin Jones.
Before we get into that, I’m going to digress a little bit. Last year, down by such a large margin; this offense would’ve folded with the exception of a few players who routinely gave it their all. I’m not sure where the “never say die” attitude that the offense has displayed this year is coming from, but it’s refreshing to say the least.
How Did Marvin Jones Carry The Team?
Now, back to the man of the hour. After injecting some much needed optimism before the half, Marvin Jones continued to carry this team down the field on almost every drive. Obviously, Stafford deserves his own share of the credit but Jones made a couple more contested catches on the sideline and picked on the Packers’ defensive backs two more times finding himself wide open for another big gain and one more final trip to the end zone. Yes, Green Bay was banged up in the secondary but Marvin was close to unstoppable this week and didn’t show signs of slowing. His celebratory scream in the end zone was almost cathartic knowing that they were now only one trip away from tying it up.
I’m pretty positive that Stafford and Jones could’ve made it even if given the chance. The majority of the second half, they would not be denied…except by their own defense. The Lions were unable to make a stop on a third and long as Rodgers scampered eleven yards virtually sealing the game and ending Marvin Jones’ career day. Shame.
Who should be shoved into a backpack and shipped to Chicago?
Laken Tomlinson. One of the major reasons Riddick was so ineffective is square on 72. After showing flashes of brilliance in spots of 2015, Laken is now singlehandedly killing drives. He’s got no push, little awareness and fell down at first contact multiple times on Sunday. To top that off, Tomlinson rarely looked for work in pass protection which will be a huge problem against teams like Minnesota and Los Angeles. By all accounts he’s a great kid but he has to figure out his game quickly as I doubt Bob Quinn values Mayhew’s last first rounder all that highly.
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