Meet the Detroit Lions 'Unsung Heroes' Powering NFL Playoff Run
The Hidden Superstars Helping Keep Dan Campbell's Band of Injured Maulers Afloat
This is part of an ongoing series profiling the unsung heroes of each team as they clinch a berth in the NFL Playoffs, including insight gleaned from conversations with sources across the league. To ensure you don’t miss out on any of the in-depth analysis, be sure to become a subscriber to Between The Hashmarks Today!
The Detroit Lions have a compelling case as the most dominant team in the league, built on the back of a ferociously competitive culture established by head coach Dan Campbell and a hoard of homegrown talent across the roster.
That is, if the Lions who are still upright can stay healthy.
Sunday, the Lions played the Buffalo Bills in what felt like a legitimate Super Bowl preview, in large part because of the colossal amount of homegrown talent amassed by general manager Brad Holmes and staff over the past three draft classes.
Even though the Lions came up short, Campbell’s team threw everything they had at what looked like an unstoppable Bills roster led by presumptive MVP quarterback Josh Allen.
Jared Goff is having the kind of season that places him on the fringes of the MVP conversation, and 14 starters on both sides of the ball have been drafted and developed by the Lions.
This is a balanced and hyper-competitive roster, winning on the backs of its aggressiveness, resulting in a 46 percent third-down conversion, and a defense that has only allowed the fewest drives of 10 plays or more—complementary football at its finest.
Will Campbell’s aggressiveness that at times has bordered on recklessness deliver the Motor City Maulers’ first Super Bowl championship in franchise history while completing a broader Motown Revival?
Here’s a look at the unsung heroes powering Detroit’s run, including the selection of an NFL coach.
NFL Coach’s Pick: Dan Skipper, LT
“Dan took the long-road to make it in the NFL and is a starting offensive lineman for one of the best teams in the NFL. He has toughness and grit, kind of embodies Dan Campbell’s program. Dan isn’t a great athlete, wasn’t a top prospect, but is just a blue-collar guy who fights like hell every day.”
Tim Patrick, WR
Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the NFL’s truly elite wide receivers and few players stretch the field more effectively, and consistently when given the chance, than Jameson Williams. However, despite being overshadowed by one of the NFL’s most dominant receiver duos, Tim Patrick is an emergent star in Goff’s arsenal.
Scooped off the scrap heap this offseason, the Denver Broncos’ loss, Patrick has been a significant gain for the Lions’ passing game.
Patrick has quietly become the Lions’ fourth-leading receiver (trailing St. Brown, Williams, and tight end Sam LaPorta), catching 27 of his 33 targets for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns, thanks in large part to a four-game stretch in which he’s caught 15 passes for 172 yards.
Perhaps most importantly, Patrick is a chains-mover. This season, six of Patrick’s catches, 74 of his yards, and one of his touchdowns have come on third or fourth down. Few players have benefitted from Campbell’s gas-pedal through-the-floor temperament than Patrick or are more important to Detroit’s success in moments where the pressure is highest.
Ezekiel Turner, LB
Ezekiel Turner isn’t a household name by any stretch of the imagination, but, as the Lions’ defense continues to deal with an epidemic of significant injuries, the seven-year veteran is developing into a reliable contributor just as Detroit needs him most.
Turner has posted 10 total tackles through his first six games this season, while garnering a 77.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus along with a solid 79.7 pass-rush mark.
While Detroit has had to piecemeal a pass rush together with string, duct tape and emerging players after Aidan Hutchinson’s injury and with 11 different front-seven defenders either on injured reserve or dealing with multiple-week injuries, Turner’s contributions have been a necessary boost to an ailing defense.
Alim McNeil, DT
McNiel suffered a potential season-ending injury in the Lions’ loss to the Bills, but had previously been instrumental to Detroit’s 12-1 start to the season.
It’s a remarkable feat that Aaron Glenn’s Lions defense has managed to survive losing all-world pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson without skipping a beat. Alim McNeil’s consistent interior pressure has been a major reason why.
McNeil has logged 3.5 sacks, second on the team to Hutchinson’s 7.5 in five games, while adding 40 total quarterback pressures and 17 run-stops as a versatile and disruptive presence along the interior of the Lions’ defensive line.
Much of what the Lions do defensively is built upon the foundation of relentlessly pressuring the quarterback, which Detroit has been able to do despite a lack of truly dominant edge defenders, in part to McNeil’s steady contributions along the defensive line.
Kevin Zeitler, RG
Everyone knows that Penai Sewell may be the premier offensive lineman across the NFL, but, Kevin Zeitler’s steady and consistent dominance gives the Lions a strong case as the most reliable right side of an offensive line in the entire NFL.
A savvy veteran, Zeitler is in the midst of one of the finest seasons of his 12-year career.
Not only does Pro Football Focus give Zeitler an elite 90 overall grade, but points out that he’s only surrendered four sacks and 13 total quarterback pressures so far this season.
Detroit boasts the top offensive line in football, which is an obvious catalyst for an offense that ranks second in total offense, sixth in passing offense, and is fourth in rushing offense. Zeitler is playing a key role while embodying the culture that Campbell and the organization have crafted as this franchise’s driving force.
Detroit is an extremely fun team to watch. I wonder how Montgomery's injury will slow the offense. Gibbs is hugely talented at RB but Montgomery brought short yardage power to the offense.
Not sure I'd credit the Lions as the BEST offensive line. The Packers O line is second fewest in sacks with 16 (Bills w 13) while Detroit is middle of the pack with 28. The Packers are T4 in total rushing yards, trailing 3 teams with highly mobile QBs who routine run. Detroit is 6th in team rushing, nearly identical to GB. There, I found a satisfying release for my obvious GB homerism.