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Week 15 Game Recap: Detroit Lions 14, San Diego Chargers 51
What you need to know
| Detroit Lions |
QB Jon Kitna was very up and down. He put up big stats, but that was more a result of throwing the ball 45 times in the game. He was intercepted five times, and several of those passes were very poor throws.
RB Kevin Jones saw just five carries and just six touches overall. While it's true that the Lions didn't make a very concerted effort to run the football, the truth of the matter is that they were behind by too many points early on to really try to establish the run.
WR Calvin Johnson posted a 100 yard effort, but nearly half of those yards came on a fluke Hail Mary pass to end the first half. He had two more drops, one of which directly led to a San Diego interception off the deflection.
| San Diego Chargers |
If it wasn't already, the San Diego offense is officially back. While it was against a poor Detroit defense, the Chargers still managed to score the most points the franchise has seen since December 8, 1985. And they managed to do so with a hobbled Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates at less than 100%. And to top it all off, they did it without LaDainian Tomlinson at all after halftime (he was resting, not injured).
LaDainian Tomlinson enjoyed an afternoon full of personal accolades that, in turn, enabled his team to win big. He put up huge fantasy stats in just one half of play, and didn't see the field after halftime.
The Chargers may not miss backup RB Michael Turner next season as much as everyone expects. Little-used third string RB Darren Sproles, who missed all of 2006 with a knee injury, took over in the second half and dominated. He scored the first two touchdowns of his career, and the entire San Diego offense ran through him after halftime.
Philip Rivers looked as close to the 2006 version of Rivers as he has all season. He efficiently moved the ball downfield, and the play-calling allowed perfect spots to take shots down the field in between long gains by LaDainian Tomlinson.
What you ought to know
| QB Jon Kitna, Pass: 26 - 45 - 302 - 2 TD / 5 INT |
Kitna's 300 passing yards and two touchdowns look great until you keep looking across the stat column and see five interceptions. While one of the picks wasn't entirely his fault (a deflected pass off of a Calvin Johnson drop), the other four were most definitely Kitna's fault. Several of the passes were awful decisions and the pass should have never been made in the first place. The touchdown drives were just that, two isolated drives that helped to salvage his stats. Forty-nine of his yards came on a heave to Calvin Johnson that ended the first half. Johnson made a nice adjustment on the ball, but was tackled at the one yard line, just shy of the end zone. All in all, it wasn't a good performance from Kitna despite the big numbers. About the biggest positive that can be taken from Kitna's performance is that he wasn't sacked at all. But considering most fantasy leagues don't penalize for getting sacked, it's likely that several of his owners would trade a few of those interceptions for a handful of sacks. The Detroit offense looked so bewildered out there that by the end of the game, Kitna was seen staring blankly into space from the sideline. It pretty well typified not only this game, but the past month or so for the Lions in general.
| RB Kevin Jones, Rush: 5 - 16 - 0, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (3 targets) |
A lot of people are going to take a look at the stat sheet, see that Kevin Jones only ran the ball five times, and assume that Mike Martz called a horrible game. While it's true that the Lions started throwing it around the field a bit earlier than some may have liked, the fact of the matter is that the Lions probably wouldn't have run the ball all that much even if they had LaDainian Tomlinson in their backfield. The Chargers simply flew out of the gate and put up 17 points before anyone could blink, and the Lions were forced to throw it early and often. A common mistake amongst fantasy owners is to question why a team wouldn't run the ball in order to win. But the more likely occurrence is that a team starts to win, and that enables them to run the ball. Otherwise, every team would run the ball their first thirty plays because the stats say when you run it thirty or more times, you almost always win. But the truth is, the score dictates how often you run, not the other way around. Never was this more evident than in this game. The Lions appeared to want to run it with Jones, but the awful defense wouldn't allow that to happen.
As for Jones' performance, it's tough to call six total touches a performance. The biggest play involving Jones was on a pass to him out of the backfield late in the game. Before he had time to turn around and get upfield, CB Drayton Florence was on him with a vicious hit that seemed as if it could be a season-ender. Not only did it not end Jones' season; it didn't even knock him from the game. He bounced up a few moments later, and despite looking dazed on the sideline, he eventually would return to the game. We'll let you know if this is anything to concern yourself with during the week.
| RB T.J. Duckett, Rush: 4 - 10 - 0 |
Duckett isn't featured very prominently in the passing game, and the Lions fell behind by far too many points early on for him to become much of a factor running the football either.
| RB Aveion Cason, Rec: 3 - 29 - 0 (3 targets) |
Cason was a factor in the passing game out of the backfield, and has kind of carved himself a small but legitimate role in the passing game. While Kevin Jones had 61 catches in twelve games a year ago, he's got just 31 catches through eleven games so far this year. And a lot of those receptions seem to have been lost to Cason, who now has twelve catches on the year (nine in the last four weeks).
| WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 7 - 80 - 0 (10 targets) |
Furrey had a game high seven receptions for 80 yards, but it was one of the quietest effective performances you'll see from a receiver this year. He didn't make any spectacular highlight reel catches, he didn't barrel anyone over, and he didn't catch anything longer than 17 yards. He also didn't drop a single pass and caught almost everything thrown his way. Essentially, it was a typical Mike Furrey performance.
| WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 5 - 48 - 1 (13 targets) |
While Calvin Johnson is the most explosive player on the Lions offense, it is clear that Shaun McDonald is the guy Jon Kitna trusts in a big spot. McDonald led all players in passing targets, and caught the second of Kitna's two touchdown passes on the day. McDonald did have an uncharacteristic issue with dropped passes on two occasions, and he unluckily was the target on three of Kitna's five interceptions. Still, Kitna never stopped looking for him, as evidenced by the eight targets McDonald saw in the second half.
| WR Calvin Johnson, Rec: 5 - 102 - 0 (12 targets) |
While many expected Johnson to come into the league and simply dominate from the outset, that obviously has not been the case. And despite the 102 yards he put up in this game, this was yet another example of his wild inconsistency. He dropped each of the first two passes he saw, including one crucial one on a third down slant. But he alternated plays like those with plays like his diving catch where he all but picked the ball off the turf. He also hauled in a 49 yard bomb to end the first half on a Hail Mary pass play, but he was taken down just shy at the one yard line. It was an impressive display of strength to hold his ground and catch the ball in traffic, but he was unable to get the rest of the way in. With Roy Williams out for the remainder of the season, the next few weeks are a great opportunity for Johnson to finish strongly in preparation for 2008.
| WR Brandon Middleton, Rec: 4 - 32 - 1 (5 targets) |
Middleton did the majority of his damage on one drive on one second quarter drive. On that possession, he caught three passes for 23 yards that included a nine yard touchdown. The rest of the game he had just one catch for nine yards. He was clearly not the primary option on his touchdown, but with all of the other receivers well-covered, Middleton was open over the middle for the score.
| TE John Owens, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) |
Owens is the only tight end on the Lions who saw a pass in this game, but it came early on and went for just nine yards.
| PK Jason Hanson 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points |
Hanson connected on each of his extra point attempts. The Lions got behind by so many points early on that field goals were an afterthought.
| DET Rush Defense |
The Lions were so porous defending the run that they allowed the Chargers to feature two separate 100 yard rushers in the same game for the first time in San Diego history. LaDainian Tomlinson carved them up in the first half to the tune of 116 yards and two scores, while backup Darren Sproles ran wild in the second half for 122 yards and two scores of his own.
| DET Pass Defense |
The Lions failed to sack or intercept Philip Rivers, and to make matters worse they didn't even come close. When the Chargers took the rare shot down the field, they almost always completed the pass for exactly what they were trying to get. And with LaDainian Tomlinson running wild underneath, the passing lanes were wide open all game. The only reason Detroit didn't give up more yards and points through the air is because the Chargers took the air out of the ball after halftime and opted to run almost exclusively. And with Detroit unable to stop Darren Sproles from running all over the place, there was no need for the Chargers to take very many chances in the air. Philip Rivers was able to complete two-thirds of his passes for about seven yards per attempt, and was never once rushed or put under pressure despite playing on a gimpy knee.
| QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 14 - 21 - 142 - 1 TD / 0 INT |
Rivers did exactly what the Chargers hoped he'd do. He managed the offense, didn't take any foolish chances downfield, made the passes they needed him to make, stayed healthy, and did a great job of handing the ball to LaDainian Tomlinson and letting him do his thing. Rivers' stats were solid, and that's with throwing just five passes after halftime (completing three). His touchdown pass to TE Brandon Manumaleuna was a result of the Lions defense biting hard on the play action fake. Manumaleuna was wide open in the end zone for the easy score, which put the Chargers up 34-7 and all but ended the need to throw the ball very much. Rivers was eventually replaced by Billy Volek, who did a fine job of turning and handing the ball off to backup RB Darren Sproles. It was clear during the game that Rivers' knee is still not 100%, and FOX cameras showed a still shot before the game of his bare knees -- it was pretty obvious that the left one is still extremely swollen, and it'll be interesting to see how the Chargers use the next two weeks. Now that the division title is wrapped up, they could opt to use the next two weeks to rest certain players in anticipation of the playoffs. On the other hand, they can still get the three seed if they win each of their next two games. So how much Rivers plays over the next two games (home for Denver, and at Oakland) is still very much up in the air.
| RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 25 - 122 - 2, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) |
Sproles got the biggest opportunity of his career to make an impact, and he was simply outstanding. Granted, it was against a porous Detroit defense, but Sproles did everything the Chargers could have hoped for. He converted short yardage runs, he ran with speed and power, and he ran right through and around tacklers despite the Lions knowing he was coming on just about every play. Perhaps most importantly, Sproles showed the Chargers that he can carry the load. With Michael Turner nursing a shoulder injury, Sproles carried the ball an astounding 24 times in the second half. The diminutive backup essentially proved that he can be a capable backup to LaDainian Tomlinson in his own right. That may not mean much for the remainder of 2007, but if Turner leaves the team as a free agent as expected, Sproles is poised to move into a very crucial position fantasy-wise -- as the top backup to the top running back in football, Tomlinson.
As if Sproles' numbers weren't impressive enough, they could have been even better. Shane Olivea was whistled for being illegally downfield on a 56 yard touchdown pass to Sproles off a screen. The amazing part of it was that Olivea wasn't even a part of the play, as Sproles had already flown right past him on his way to the end zone. He showed a terrific ability to shake defenders in open space, and a surprising ability to shed tacklers who had a hand on him. He was also very receptive to being hit, and didn't shy away from contact -- instead, running up the middle head first almost every time, almost to a fault.
| RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 15 - 116 - 2, Rec: 2 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) |
Tomlinson put up an astounding fantasy game, and it becomes even better when you realize that he did it all in half a game. He never left the bench during the second half, except to congratulate Darren Sproles on his touchdown runs. That aspect of the game was very telling for Tomlinson, as he truly seemed to be enjoying himself on a day when the Chargers could essentially do no wrong. Aside from the obvious terrific statistics, Tomlinson enjoyed a few milestones along the way. On his second carry of the game, he joined Eric Dickerson as the only two backs in league history to rush for at least 1,200 yards in each of their first seven seasons. Then during the game, he tied and subsequently passed legendary Jim Brown on the league's all-time touchdown list by scoring the 126th and 127th touchdowns of his career. Additionally, he passed two recent greats, Eddie George and Tiki Barber, to move into 19th on the all-time rushing yardage list. The only thing that could be seen as a negative was when he was given two carries from inside the five yard line late in the second quarter and was unable to punch either one in. Later, he busted a 49 yard run all the way to the nine yard line but was run out of bounds at the end. Still, we doubt many of his owners are complaining with 24.3 points in one half of play.
| RB Michael Turner, Rush: 5 - 28 - 0, Rec: 1 - -6 - 0 (1 targets) |
Turner saw more work than he has in weeks, but it could've been far more. He ran with his usual toughness on each of his five carries, with the long gain going for 10 yards. But he injured his shoulder late in the first half and did not return. Instead, third-string back Darren Sproles saw the lion's share of the carries in the second half and was extremely impressive. We doubt this one game will affect the pecking order in San Diego, but if something were to happen to Tomlinson over the next two weeks or in the postseason, it's no longer a sure thing that Turner would carry the load exclusively.
| WR Chris Chambers, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 4 - 69 - 0 (4 targets) |
Chambers has developed quite a nice chemistry with Philip Rivers in a very short period of time. Despite only seeing four passes thrown his way, he hauled in all four, including two of the rather spectacular variety. On his first reception down the sideline, Chambers jumped up and reached in front of the defender to make a tough grab. Later, he launched himself high in the air over the middle to make a very nice grab. He also caught a quick slant in traffic, a play on which he was able to withstand a big hit at the end and still hang onto the football. As we've mentioned for weeks, perhaps all Chambers needed was a legitimate quarterback to throw him the football all these years. His drops have become almost nonexistent, and he's making every play asked of him on the field.
| WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 2 - 30 - 0 (4 targets) |
Jackson caught just two passes, though he was as active as any other receiver on the team. The Chargers only threw the ball seven times after halftime, so it was difficult to put up big numbers in the passing game. He did draw a pass interference in the end zone to set up one of LaDainian Tomlinson's touchdown runs, he saw another pass go his way in the end zone earlier in the game. Most importantly, the fact that he saw just as many targets as anyone else on San Diego is a good sign that he isn't the forgotten man many feared he would become a few weeks ago.
| WR Craig Davis, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (4 targets) |
Davis caught just two passes, one for eleven yards and one for nine. But he had one diving catch along the sideline reversed after a booth review, and he was taken down at the one yard line after the nine-yarder. He actually looked like he was going to get in on the play, but he was drilled at the goal line and fell backwards almost immediately.
| TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (4 targets) |
Gates, who was a game-time decision, started and looked fine as he moved around. But he was in and out of the contest on several occasions, likely due to his back still being a bit sore from the prior injury he had. He didn't catch his first pass until the second half, although he came quite a bit closer to having a productive game than it would appear. He made a nice adjustment in mid-air on a pass early in the game in the end zone. He got his hands on it, juggle it a bit, and got his hands on it again as he fell to the ground. But as he hit the turf, the ball was jarred loose for an incompletion. It would have been a very tough catch in traffic, but it was still a catch the sure-handed Gates typically makes. He later had a pass from Rivers go through his hands at the ten yard line for what would have been at least a 23 yard reception and quite possibly a 33 yard touchdown. Again, it wouldn't have been an easy catch - but it was certainly a play that one would expect a healthy Gates to make.
| TE Brandon Manumaleuna, Rec: 1 - 1 - 1 (1 targets) |
He only saw one ball head his way, but it turned out to be a valuable target. Off a play-action fake, Manumaleuna found himself wide open in the end zone for his first touchdown of the season. He saw more snaps than usual with starter Antonio Gates in and out of the game, but with the Chargers establishing a large lead early on, he didn't see any more looks the rest of the way.
| PK Nate Kaeding 3 - 3 FG, 6 - 6 XP, 15 points |
Kaeding connected twice from 22 yards out and also banged one through with ease from 45 yards away.
| SD Rush Defense |
It's tough to say that the Chargers were great in this phase of the game, despite the fact that they held Detroit to just 26 rushing yards. The reason being, they simply weren't tested. The Lions came out and ran the ball on their first two offensive plays. Then over the course of the first three drives, they threw it on five of the next six plays. By the time they got the ball back, the score was 17-0 San Diego and the rout was on. Detroit did try re-establishing the run midway through the second quarter, and they were fairly successful doing so, rushing for 19 yards on five carries on a drive that led to a touchdown. But they ran just one more time after that drive, and the Chargers were able to sit back and protect their lead for pretty much the entire second half without needing to worry about the running game.
| SD Pass Defense |
The Chargers dominated this game in just about every way possible. Yes, they allowed 302 yards through the air and two passing touchdowns. But a lot of that was the result of the 45 passes the Lions had to throw to compensate for their rushing game. They trailed by a lot of points very early on and took to the air almost exclusively. When a team throws the ball 45 times, eventually they will complete some passes and score some points. And even when factoring in the stats, 49 of the Lions passing yards came on a Hail Mary heave at the end of the first half, a play that actually went in San Diego's favor as Calvin Johnson was tackled down at the one yard line as time expired. San Diego also added to its league-leading interception total, and then some. They picked off Jon Kitna five times, including another by CB Antonio Cromartie for his league-leading (and team-record) tenth of the season. The Chargers, despite being without two key defenders in DE Luis Castillo and LB Shawne Merriman, still disrupted Kitna enough to force him into some very poor throws. Of the interceptions, LBs Stephen Cooper and Matt Wilhelm jumped routes...Cromartie (who also recovered a fumble) and Hart had the ball almost placed in their hands...and Phillips jumped at the line of scrimmage to tip a pass in the air to himself, which he then caught and ran the other way 18 yards for a touchdown. Despite somehow not recording a sack, it was a show of complete and utter dominance by the San Diego defense. The second Detroit touchdown came late in the third quarter when the game was already 44-7, and that was the end of their scoring. So it's not like the Lions were even able to pick up very much in garbage time either.
Perhaps most importantly was the fact that the Charger defense played with something of a swagger not seen from them very much this season. Granted, a lot of teams can show a swagger against the hapless Lions, but San Diego was so physical with numerous huge hits from the defensive backfield (including one by CB Drayton Florence on RB Kevin Jones that Jones is certain to feel in the morning), and after creating five more turnovers they very clearly look to be at peak form at just the right time.
