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Week 1 Game Recap: Detroit Lions 36, Oakland Raiders 21
What you need to know
| Detroit Lions |
The Lions utilized a pass first offense to set up the run and keep the Raiders formidable defense on their heels for most of the game, on their way to this road win.
Tatum Bell had 19 touches, but did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 87 yards and a score.
Shaun McDonald was the leading WR for Detroit, posting 90 yards and a score. Four receivers figured prominently in this game with three different receivers posting touchdowns: Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, and Shaun McDonald.
| Oakland Raiders |
The new Raiders' offense, under the guidance of new coach Lane Kiffin, used a respectable balance of run and pass (23 rushes, 40 passes) and managed to post 21 points, a plethora of points compared to last season's point totals.
The offense primarily flowed through Lamont Jordan and Ronald Curry, although Zach Miller seems to be developing as a bit of a safety blanket for Josh McCown, who targeted Miller seven times.
What you ought to know
| QB Jon Kitna, Pass: 27 - 36 - 289 - 3 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 17 - 0 |
Kitna showed some decent mobility, avoiding a few sacks and rushing for 17 yards. More impressive is the way he spread the ball to eight different receivers, on his way to 289 yards and three passing touchdowns. Critics will point to the two interceptions, one in the end zone targeting Mike Furrey. Bottom line, the Lions won and Kitna was a major reason as to why.
| RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 15 - 87 - 1, Rec: 4 - 6 - 0 (5 targets) |
Biggest news, Bell didn't fumble. Even better for his fantasy owners was his late touchdown, 87 yards and four receptions, albeit for only six yards. Expect him to continue to be the workhorse until Kevin Jones returns, and then for there to possibly be a RBBC situation. On his touchdown run, he got close to the Raiders' fans in the end zone and they showered him with whatever they were drinking. Bell didn't shy away as he knew he could point to the scoreboard.
| RB T.J. Duckett, Rush: 3 - 4 - 0 |
Hardly a factor in this game, Duckett spelled Bell on a couple of plays, recording three carries for four yards.
| RB Brian Calhoun, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) |
Not a significant factor, Calhoun posted five yards receiving and none rushing. His value is only in case of injury.
| WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 6 - 90 - 1 (7 targets) |
A pleasant surprise for the fourth receiver on the depth charts, McDonald posted 90 yards receiving to lead the team and pulled in a 32 yard score to put the Lions ahead in the fourth quarter.
| WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 5 - 52 - 0 (8 targets) |
Furrey started and finished this game, but was the only receiver in the starting rotation not to score a touchdown. He turned his eight targets into five receptions for 52 yards. Expect the Lions to run lots of three wide receiver sets to keep Furrey on the field with Williams and Johnson.
| WR Roy Williams, Rec: 4 - 20 - 1 (6 targets) |
The focus of the Oakland pass defense, Williams posted just 20 yards, but did manage a 13 yard score in the first half. Prophetic in the pre-game warm-ups, he predicted the Lions' receivers would post three or four touchdowns.
| WR Calvin Johnson, Rec: 4 - 70 - 1 (6 targets) |
The much anticipated debut of the top specialty player drafted in the 2007 draft did not make the fans wait long, posting a 16 yard touchdown reception early in the second half. His 70 yards receiving was good for second highest total on the team and is a glimpse of his potential to come. While officially not a starter, he was on the field often and could be considered a starter when taking into account the Lions' number of plays in a three wide receiver set.
| TE Sean McHugh, Rec: 2 - 45 - 0 (3 targets) |
Managing to go unnoticed in most fantasy drafts, McHugh made the most of his opportunities, posting 45 yards in the opening game, almost matching his catch total from last year, and nearly doubling his yardage total.
| TE Dan Campbell, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (1 targets) |
Campbell was a non-factor, posting one catch for one yard. With all the WR talent on this team it is unlikely the TE position will offer much production this season.
| PK Jason Hanson 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points |
Hanson was perfect on the day, going three for three on field goals, including a forty six yarder, and three extra points.
| DET Rush Defense |
The rush defense, led by MLB Paris Lenon's nine tackles, held the Raiders to just 92 net rushing yards. They did give up a 12 yard touchdown run to Lamont Jordan, but the overall perception of Oakland not being a strong rushing team lends itself to saying the jury is still out on the Lions' rush defense.
| DET Pass Defense |
The Lions pass defense was led by Dwayne White, who tallied a sack and an interception to go with six tackles. Travis Fisher also pulled in an interception, to go with Kalimba Edwards two sacks. As a unit, the Lions gave up 313 yards to Luke McCown.
| QB Josh McCown, Pass: 30 - 40 - 313 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 3 - 0 |
In a losing effort, McCown put up respectable fantasy numbers, going over 300 yards and throwing two touchdowns. His three fumbles (two lost) and two interceptions, including one late in the fourth quarter while trying to manufacture the game winning drive, might still make the Raider Nation yell for Daunte Culpepper to start.
| RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 15 - 70 - 1, Rec: 9 - 89 - 0 (9 targets) |
The central cog of Kiffin's new Raiders offense, Jordan tallied 24 touches, posting 70 rushing yards with a 15 yard touchdown run and 89 yards receiving. Jordan seemed to be absent of the nagging injuries of last season.
| RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 5 - 19 - 0 |
Playing primarily as a change of pace back to spell Jordan, Fargas posted just 19 yards on five carries.
| RB Justin Griffith, Rec: 3 - 21 - 1 (3 targets) |
Griffith made the most of his few opportunities, scoring on a seven yard pass from McCown. Primarily a blocker in this game, Griffith had no carries.
| WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 10 - 133 - 1 (11 targets) |
Curry had a huge game, establishing himself as McCown's top option, posting ten receptions for 133 yards, including a four yard touchdown reception. Curry did not seem slowed by previous injuries in this game.
| WR Jerry Porter, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) |
Porter still seems to be in a bit of a funk, only posting two catches for 26 yards. McCown seems to be looking to Curry first and TE Zach Miller second. With Mike Williams' college connections to Kiffin, Porter's playing time might diminish unless he starts showing more on the field.
| WR Mike Williams, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (3 targets) |
After being traded from the Lions, Williams surprised some by making the final roster. Williams only tallied one catch for 11 yards, but his playing time may increase with the unspectacular showing by Porter.
| TE Zach Miller, Rec: 3 - 23 - 0 (7 targets) |
A starter as a rookie this year, McCown looked Miller's way often in this game. Miller managed three receptions for 23 yards. He also had a fumble but managed to recover it.
| TE John Madsen, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) |
Playing only sparingly, Madsen managed ten yards on two receptions.
| PK Sebastian Janikowski 0 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points |
A tough outing for Janikowski. His first attempt, a 50 yarder, was blocked due to poor blocking by the line. His second and third attempts were wide right from 46 and wide left from 57. He did make all three extra points attempts.
| OAK Rush Defense |
While the Raiders' rush defense did give up 108 yards on the ground, most of that yardage was accumulated when the Lions were up big before halftime and at the end of the game. Kirk Morrison led the team with nine tackles.
| OAK Pass Defense |
The pass defense was picked apart for three touchdowns and 289 yards, although they did manage two interceptions, one by Kirk Morrison and another by Stanford Routt. In all, Kiffin will need a much better effort by his defense to keep scores lower while his offense learns his new system.
