Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images Which rookie class do you think is playing better, Dallas’ or Detroit’s? Previously we broke down both team’s offense and defense for the upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. Now we dive back into the position battleground, this time looking at how some of each team’s rookie class stack up against each other(Grades for each player are the overall offensive of defensive grade handed out by PFF.com) Dallas Cowboys Tyler Guyton First RoundGuyton left the game early last week and was seen with his knee wrapped up. He’s participating in practice after Mike McCarthy called him day-to-day. All indications are that he will play. Although Guyton is having his struggles this year he’s having to learn on the job and do it as quickly as possible. Grade: 49.7 Marshawn Kneeland Second RoundKneeland is done for the next few weeks with a knee injury that requires surgery. He’s heading to injured reserve but the expectation is he will return in a four to six weeks and be able to play. That’s at least some good news on the disaster that currently resides at the defensive end position for Dallas.Grade: 54.7 Cooper Beebe Third RoundBeebe allowed two pressures last week but hasn’t allowed a sack since the Baltimore game. He’s playing solidly at the moment and his run blocking last week took a significant leap. He is looking more like the mauler that was seen on tape in college. He will get a significant test this week against a very able and effective Detroit defensive line that can crash the inside and defend the run efficiently.Grade: 58.4 Marist Liufau Third RoundLiufau is showing he has some way to go as a general defender at the linebacker position. But his coverage skills have been on display and last week he was exceptionally good. He made one pass breakup last week and his lateral speed looked on top form. How much he’ll get used is dependent on how much Mike Zimmer trusts Liufau in defending this offense that has two very effective running backs.Grade: 53.0 Caelen Carson Fifth RoundCarson has missed the last two weeks with injury. With DaRon Bland possibly coming back into the lineup, that would put Carson down the pecking order. He would play as the fourth cornerback which leaves him room to develop. He is questionable this week.Grade: 57.9 Ryan Flournoy Sixth Round Flournoy came off the practice squad last week and played a handful of snaps on offense. Mike McCarthy had Flournoy in mostly on running plays but he did get chance to run a couple of routes. He got no targets last week and this week he will likely get elevated again to help fill the wide receiver position. The Lions defense is struggling to defend the pass at the moment so if Flournoy gets his chances this week he can demonstrate that athleticism fans have seen in training camp.Grade: 55.0 Brevyn Spann-Ford UDFAFord has his most significant game in his NFL career last week. He played 15 snaps with nine of those snaps played as a run blocker. But he was targeted three times last week and made two receptions, one of which he made a major play to help secure a first down. Grade: 54.8 Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Detroit Lions Terrion Arnold First RoundArnold is a high IQ corner who possesses the awareness and instincts necessary to be effective at defending the run. He can make swift decisions and quickly move downhill to support the run and that’s been seen this year. At times, he plays aggressively, particularly in coverage. He often jumps into his breaks, which results in a slower ability to change direction. That has led to him so far this season to allow a 64% completion rate and a touchdown. He also gets grabby and has now got eight penalties against him this year.Grade: 47.6 Ennis Rakestraw Jr Second RoundRakestraw was a bit of a secret weapon in this year’s draft. He’s an agile corner with impressive footwork for quick transitions and fluid hip movement for turning and sprinting. Exhibits excellent lateral agility to match receivers at the line of scrimmage, along with the speed to keep up with the majority of them. His issue is size, he’s a slim-built athlete. Due to his size he lacks the necessary functional strength. When he’s had to contend with larger receivers at the catch point and when dealing with blockers in open space he loses that battle nearly every time. He hasn’t played much this year and featured in a couple of snaps in Week 1 and Week 4.Grade: 63.2 Giovanni Manu Fourth RoundInactiveGrade: N/A Sione Vaki Fourth RoundVaki has played eight snaps this year and in those eight snaps he’s been targeted once to make one reception for 17 yards. His bread and butter on the roster at the moment comes on special teams and this will likely be his key contribution this week against Dallas.Grade: 74.4 Mekhi Wingo Sixth RoundThe LSU defensive tackle has played 74 snaps this year for Detroit. Wingo shows remarkable quickness off the line and excellent lateral movement, allowing for effective penetration into gaps and disruption of plays. He demonstrates a high motor and an unwavering drive to chase the ball, playing with great intensity in every part of the game. The issue for Wingo is he struggles with maintaining consistency and finishing plays, especially when it comes to applying pressure and securing sacks. This can be mitigated by stronger guards and double teams, highlighting the necessity for enhanced strength and leverage. Mostly this is due to his size functional strength issues.Grade: 65.1 Christian Mahogany Sixth RoundInactiveGrade: N/A Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is here. Ezekiel Elliott on backup role with Cowboys: ‘I’m not making it about me’ – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys,com The former rushing champ wants to be the best leader he can be. It’s not exactly as Ezekiel Elliott envisioned when he reunited with his beloved Dallas Cowboys in 2024, but he’s not rocking the boat over the reduced role he’s seen through the first five games of the season — his rep count being turned down following the Week 1 victory against the Cleveland Browns. The win over the Pittsburgh Steelers featured Rico Dowdle having a career game, and it helped push the Cowboys to a 3-2 record on the season and their first two-game win streak of the 2024 season. In mixing in Hunter Luepke more as well, the three-man unit finally got the Cowboys’ rushing attack going, and against the No. 2-ranked run defense in the league, no less, and that’s what Elliott is keyed in on most. “I think the biggest thing is we got the attempts [for the group],” said Elliott. “I think it is tough early in the game when you run the football, because the defenses, they’re not tired, They’re fresh and all geared up. But once you get that second half and you start getting those attempts, you start to see that D-line wear down. “We started to see that front wear down and those guys getting pushed off the ball. So, I mean, I think the biggest thing is to continue to try to get those attempts.” The committee combined for a total of 28 handoffs, 31 in all when factoring in Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin, and head coach Mike McCarthy noted after the game that the sweet spot there is roughly 30 carries. Mission accomplished, for the first time this season. As for Elliott’s role in how the committee is being relegated to a backup capacity, owner and general manager Jerry Jones was unequivocal in describing the Cowboys’ plan, in that it’s a long NFL season and, at some point, that means they’ll need Elliott to have fresh legs. Cowboys rule out Eric Kendricks for Lions game – Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas can’t seem to escape the injury bug in 2024. Not only will the Dallas Cowboys be without top pass rusher Micah Parsons for a second straight game because of a high left ankle sprain, they’ll also be without leading tackler Eric Kendricks against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Kendricks was ruled out Friday with shoulder and calf injuries after he did not practice during the week. The Cowboys have their bye on Oct. 20 and return to action Oct. 27 against the San Francisco 49ers, and the hope is Kendricks will be ready to return. Kendricks, who has been credited with 52 tackles, has played 91.1% of the snaps this season. He also has 2 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 3 quarterback pressures, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception and 2 pass deflections. “He’s our quarterback,” coach Mike McCarthy said of Kendricks’ importance to the defense earlier in the week. “He knows [the defense] inside and out. As far as a leadership perspective, getting the front set, the communication is outstanding and frankly he’s got so much experience in that defense. Super instinctive. Very aware. Very, very disciplined player.” Kendricks’ potential replacement, Nick Vigil, is questionable with a foot injury that kept him out of practice this week. The Cowboys have another workout Saturday, so if Vigil can make it through that without an issue, he could play vs. the Lions. Why have Cowboys struggled to get CeeDee Lamb involved in second half of games? – Jon Machota, The Athletic CeeDee Lamb only has one second half reception this season, and that needs to change immediately. With under four minutes to play last Sunday night in Pittsburgh, Dak Prescott threw to his left for a nine-yard completion to CeeDee Lamb. It was the fourth play of a 15-play, game-winning drive for the Dallas Cowboys. It was also the only reception the Cowboys’ star wide receiver has made in the fourth quarter this season. Through the first five weeks, Lamb is on pace for 1,285 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. An excellent year for most, but not for the NFL’s second-highest paid non-quarterback who finished with 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. His statistics have been great in the first half. It’s the third and fourth quarters when teams have successfully taken him away. “What happens is we pop off early on and obviously nobody wants to see that for the second half of the game, so they do a great job of making halftime adjustments, bringing two (defenders),” Lamb said Thursday. “Nine times out of 10 I’m getting cloud (coverage). Kudos to them. They’re doing a great job stopping the bleeding. But we’re still winning, so it’s cool.” Lamb said he is seeing significantly more of that extra coverage than he did last season while earning first-team All-Pro honors. “But it’s cool, though,” he added. “I got to find different ways to be effective in the game. I understand that. And I will.” Jake Ferguson quickly becoming Cowboys No. 2 option in passing game – Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire Ferguson keeps showing how valuable he is to the Cowboys offense. The Cowboys’ passing offense is built around the brilliance of CeeDee Lamb. The fifth-year veteran from Oklahoma has fast become one of the best receivers in the NFL and represents the heart and soul of Dallas downfield attack. After Lamb is where things get interesting. The No. 2 option in Dallas was supposed to be veteran receiver Brandin Cooks. But a slow start to the season coupled with an untimely injury has landed the veteran on IR and out of the conversation. Jalen Tolbert, the “next man up” in this scenario, enjoyed a coming out party as the Cowboys new WR2. His seven

Tim Heitman-Imagn Images These are some of the things we are going to be paying close attention to on Sunday afternoon. The Dallas Cowboys have won six straight games against the Detroit Lions and on Sunday they will try to make it seven. The Lions are coming off a bye so they’ll be well rested when they stroll into AT&T Stadium. Rest couldn’t come soon enough for the Cowboys as this is a banged up team and their bye week is just around the corner. Before that can happen they’ll have to get through one more game. Here are five things to look for when the Cowboys host the Lions on Sunday. 1. A tough test ahead for the run defense It’s nice to see the Cowboys’ run defense improve over the last couple of weeks, but the challenge they face this week will be tough. The Lions feature a dynamic tandem of runners in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery provides a consistent punch and Gibbs will hurt you with his explosiveness. Since joining the Lions last year, Montgomery has had the fourth-best rushing success rate while Gibbs has had the sixth-best explosive run rate (courtesy of NextGenStats). These two collectively put up almost 140 yards per game on the ground. Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images The Cowboys’ defense will have to do a good job clogging the middle and be physical when tackling. If defenders fail to fill voids or miss tackles, this could be a long day for the defense. 2. Gotta get to Goff The Lions’ rushing attack is good. They are ranked sixth-best in the league in rushing yards per game. But their passing attack is equally potent. They rank seventh-best in passing yards per game. The Detroit offense will be the most balanced offense the Cowboys have faced this season. There will be challenges on every play. The passing attack features good receiving weapons in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta, but their danger level will come down to the guy throwing them the ball. Jared Goff is coming off a game where he didn’t throw a single incomplete pass (18/18 against the Seahawks in Week 4). He had it easy. When Goff isn’t pressured he has a passer rating of 113.2 since 2023 which is second in the NFL. However, when he’s pressured that drops to 64.0 (ranked 23rd). The Cowboys can’t afford to let him get comfortable in the pocket. This could be troubling for a team that keeps losing its best-pressure guys. With a depleted defensive line (including one of the league’s top pressure guys in Micah Parsons), the Cowboys must find a way to get to Goff. Look for Mike Zimmer to get creative with some added rushers coming from the back seven. 3. Slow down St. Brown Amon-Ra St. Brown has been a problem since entering the league. He’s super slippery in his routes and he always finds a way to get the ball. He’s coming off two straight Pro Bowl seasons, including a 119-catch, 1,515-yard season a year ago. Despite his talent, teams have had success against him this year. He’s had two games under 50 yards receiving which matches his total from all of last year. And the Cowboys just so happen to have one of this year’s top slot corners in Jourdan Lewis. #Cowboys Jourdan Lewis has surrendered 11 receptions for 61 yards on 18 targets faced, resulting in -17.9 target EPA, the fewest of any slot cornerback per NFL Pro. Lewis has been lights out for the secondary.#DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/oLjLZ06SC1 — Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) October 10, 2024 Lewis is playing like a man possessed. He’s physical, relentless, and so pesky that he makes receivers lose their cool. But more than just the everyday passion he brings, Lewis is getting it done and has emerged as a tough matchup for opposing slot receivers. 4. Dealing to the outside Dak Prescott has been throwing into tight windows all season as his 24.1% tight-window throw rate is the second-highest in the NFL. The team took a nice stride in reducing that number with a season-low 11.9% tight-window percentage against the Steelers last week. That’s promising. The Lions’ defense likes to congest the middle of the field as they have the second-lowest open target rate between the numbers this year. This is a sharp contrast to last year when they allowed the most yards in the NFL in this area of the field. Prescott loves to work the middle of the field with a lot of quick shots to CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson. But the easy stuff might not be so easy in this one. Instead, look for Prescott to attack the outside and spread the defense out. He’s been sharp with his sideline throws and will need to continue to do so if the Cowboys offense is expected to move the ball. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images 5. Steele standing No Cowboys offensive lineman gets as much hate as right tackle Terence Steele. Any bad play he makes becomes engrained in people’s memory and in their defense, he had a lot of them last year. But whether it’s noticeable or not, Steele has improved. Time from injury has allowed him to perform better and he currently ranks 13th in pressures for all right tackles this year. That’s better than average and it’s better than one might expect when he’s squared off against T.J. Watt, Brian Burns, Kyle Van Noy, and Za’Darius Smith. Steele has another tough challenge in Aidan Hutchinson. The Lion’s edge rusher leads the league in sacks with 6.5 this year. For Dak to deal, he needs some Steele. The Cowboys’ offensive line must hold up and that means keeping Hutchinson from wrecking things up. What will you be watching on Sunday?

Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Do you think this is the week that Washington finally looks less than amazing? We find ourselves in a reality where the Washington Commanders are one of the hottest teams in football. It’s a bizarre place, but a return to normalcy may be on the horizon. The Week 6 schedule offers a great chance for Washington to take a backwards step, but will the Dallas Cowboys take advantage? As most teams have so far this year, the Commanders pummeled the Cleveland Browns last week to improve to 4-1. The Eagles were on a bye week, preserving a 2-2 record, while the Cowboys pulled off an upset against the Steelers. Even the Giants got in on the positive vibes last week with a shocking road victory over Seattle. Current NFC East Standings Washington Commanders 4-1 (1-0 in division, 2-1 vs NFC) Dallas Cowboys 3-2 (1-0, 1-1) Philadelphia Eagles 2-2 (0-0, 2-2) New York Giants 2-3 (0-2, 1-3) The Commanders face their biggest test yet in 2024 with a road game against the Baltimore Ravens. While Washington can come out of the Beltway Bowl with respect even in defeat, depending on how competitive they look, that won’t help them stay on top in the NFC East. A potential loss for the Commanders should have the Cowboys and Eagles salivating in their own matchups. Philly comes out of its bye week with a gift; a home game against the Browns. It’s their turn to get a win off Cleveland just like the rest of the NFC East has this year. The Eagles went into their bye with some major questions about Jalen Hurts’ performance and team chemistry issues, but the Browns offer a perfect punching bag on which to work things out. Paired with next week’s matchup against the Giants, Philadelphia could quickly be 4-2 and challenging for the division lead again. Dallas is hoping to be 4-2 going into its own bye week but will need another surprise win to do it, facing the Detroit Lions this Sunday. The Lions may only be the second-best team in the NFC North but they and 5-0 Minnesota just might be the two best teams in the whole NFC right now. The Cowboys have to be feeling better about themselves after the gutsy win in Pittsburgh and will need every bit of that confidence and momentum to withstand Detroit. If things go Dallas’ way this Sunday, they’ll be all tied up with Washington in overall, division, and conference records. Even if the Eagles beat the Browns they’d still be a half-game back due to their bye week. But if the Cowboys can handle their own business, there’s a great chance for a heavily congested NFC East as we near the midway point of the season.

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images It is so great to see the emergence of Jalen Tolbert. Once the 2022 offseason came about, the Dallas Cowboys needed to find another weapon at wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb and the now retired Michael Gallup. They ended up taking Jalen Tolbert out of South Alabama in the third round, who was fresh off of winning Offensive Player of the Year in the Sun Belt conference. He came into the league having played several spots at the position in college, making him an intriguing prospect with some upside. As a late Day 2 pick, Tolbert wasn’t expected to come in and dominate by any means. However, the WR3 role was firmly up for grabs, and he was seen as the perfect guy to fill that spot. Unfortunately for Tolbert, he struggled to establish himself as he would only log two receptions in eight games. Going into the 2023 season, the aforementioned Gallup clearly wasn’t the same guy after his ACL tear, meaning Tolbert had the opportunity to compete for the WR2 spot. However, the team signed veteran Brandin Cooks, which essentially put Tolbert as the fourth guy in the pecking order. Despite this, Tolbert would play 477 snaps, and towards the end of the season, it was apparent that he and quarterback Dak Prescott were building trust between them. Tolbert ended up having four games with a perfect catch percentage and finished with 22 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys moved on from Gallup in the offseason, giving Tolbert another shot to firmly lock down a big role in the passing game. He came in as the clear favorite for WR3, and over the last couple of games, Tolbert has looked like an extremely solid piece behind Lamb. After catching all three of his targets against the New York Giants, the former third-rounder had his coming out party against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week. Tolbert set single-game career-highs in receptions (7) and yards (87) and topped it off with the game-winning touchdown with 20 seconds left. For the season, Tolbert has 20 receptions for 247 yards and two touchdowns with 12 first down receptions. With Cooks out for a few more weeks with a knee issue, Tolbert can lock down being the second option for the Cowboys through the air. Cooks is an unrestricted free agent in 2025, which means Dallas has to get the WR2 spot solidified for the future. After the Cowboys win over the Steelers, Tolbert spoke on how he’s been patiently waiting to do just that. I work hard for this. Obviously, God has given me the talent and ability to be able to continue to work and continue to get better, and so I give him all the glory for it. I’ve been working for years for this and waiting on my opportunity, waiting on the time where I would be able to get more offensive snaps or get more targets, whatever it may be. Whenever that moment comes, you’ve got to be able to be ready for it. I think that’s something that we emphasized all week. Tolbert will only get more confident, and Prescott’s trust in him will increase the more he keeps producing. The arrow continues to point up for Tolbert, and the Cowboys need it desperately without a consistent running game at the moment.

Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Your latest Cowboys injury news. TGIF. We are here: The final injury report before the Dallas Cowboys face the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium. Over the past few days, you can sense the growing confidence amongst Cowboys Nation that they can handle business and take down the Lions. Detroit does boast a good pass rush and explosive playmakers offensively. Yet, the way the Cowboys played team defense and gave Dak Prescott adequate time in the pocket last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers gives belief that Dallas can do it again at home. We’ll see. Here’s the latest about the Cowboys’ injuries heading into the weekend. #Cowboys injury report vs. Lions (Friday): Eric Kendricks has been ruled OUT, along with Micah Parsons (expected). DaRon Bland is questionable, but trending toward his possible return vs. Lions. Nick Vigil is questionable. Full report: pic.twitter.com/3bdkSkKpvV — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) October 11, 2024 The Cowboys secondary is looking a little iffy. After two days of full practices, DaRon Bland did not practice today and has been labeled questionable. Dallas has expressed much optimism about his ability to play this week, and signs were trending in that direction. Yet, a DNP today makes it look murky for his chances to play. Caelen Carson however, did practice fully although questionable. Trevon Diggs sat out because of illness and an ankle injury yesterday but worked back into today’s team activities and has no injury designation for Sunday’s game. Zack Martin did not practice the last two days but managed to get a full days work on Friday. He also carries no injury designation. Eric Kendricks has not practiced all week and was ultimately ruled out versus Detroit, as he has sat out this week with calf and shoulder injuries. As expected, Micah Parsons was ruled out. He will be out for at least another game. For Detroit, Frank Ragnow was taken off the injury report and will play. Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch also practiced in full on Friday and are good to go on Sunday.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images The Lions offense is going to be very difficult to stop. This Sunday will see the Lions coming to town for their third straight matchup with the Cowboys in as many years, but it will mark the first contest between Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and new Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. T Johnson has been in Detroit since 2019, one of the rare holdovers from Matt Patricia’s staff. He coached three seasons for the Lions while Zimmer was still in charge of the Vikings, but Johnson didn’t rise to the coordinator position until 2022, the year after Zimmer was fired. Since then, Johnson has had tremendous success, to the point that he was one of the top head coaching candidates in last year’s hiring cycle. Many believed Johnson to be the top choice for the Commanders vacancy last year, with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their backup. In fact, Quinn was announced as the new head man in Washington just four days after Johnson informed the franchise he was returning to Detroit. So, in a roundabout way, Johnson is the reason why Zimmer is back in Dallas. That detail will surely be the last thing on Zimmer’s mind this Sunday, though, as Johnson has created an offense so multifaceted that preparing for it is a Herculean task unto its own. At just 38 years old, Johnson has established himself as one of the more creative offensive minds in the league, and he’s done it through a wide variation of experiences. A former backup quarterback for T.J. Yates at North Carolina, Johnson began his coaching career at Boston College as a gradate assistant. He broke into the NFL as an offensive assistant on Joe Philbin’s inaugural Dolphins staff, which is where he first met Dan Campbell. Johnson went on to assist quarterbacks under Philbin and, when Campbell was promoted from tight ends coach to interim head coach in 2015, Johnson replaced him as the tight ends coach. Johnson would be retained in Miami by Adam Gase, as he moved to work with receivers. When Gase was fired following the 2018 season, Johnson ventured to Detroit as part of new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s staff overhaul. Then, when Campbell took over in 2021, he kept Johnson around based on their history together. And when Campbell took over offensive playcalling duties during his rookie season, he relied on Johnson as a de facto pass-game coordinator, which in turn led to his promotion to the full time offensive coordinator with playcalling responsibilities. Johnson’s background is rooted in the West Coast, but he’s been exposed to a long list of different variations. Philbin came from Mike McCarthy’s Packers program; Campbell is a longtime disciple of Sean Payton; Gase and Bevell both trace their roots back to Mike Holmgren and, by extension, Andy Reid. In Detroit, Johnson has combined all of these different variations of the West Coast, in addition to stealing some concepts from the Shanahan coaching tree that’s taken the league by storm. The result is an offense that can attack, from a scheme standpoint, in a lot of different ways. That marries well with their offensive talent, which enables Johnson to actually attack defenses in a lot of different ways. The identity of this offense begins with their offensive line, which boasts four Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections from the last two years. In the time that Johnson has been calling the offense, Detroit has been in the top 10 in rushing attempts and, last year, they finished fifth in yards per carry. They have a lightning and thunder combination at running back, with second year pro Jahmyr Gibbs and downhill thumper David Montgomery. Behind a talented offensive line and a diverse run scheme that has one of the most even splits between power and zone runs, the Lions control the line of scrimmage more often than not. There is a tendency, though, as they like to get outside and use their athletic tackles in space to block downfield. Detroit is currently seventh in their use of outside runs, and all six teams ahead of them are branches off the Shanahan tree. Johnson has no actual ties to that scheme, but he’s incorporated the principles nicely into this offense. That also means play-action is king for the passing attack. In fact, no offense is using play-action at a higher rate this year than the Lions. Jared Goff has enjoyed a career revitalization under Campbell and Johnson, and he’s off to another good year. Currently, he’s fifth in completion rate and 11th in EPA/dropback. However, Goff isn’t stretching the field that much, with only five starters averaging fewer air yards per attempt. Much of that is by design, though. This offense is designed to do the dirty work in the run game and give Goff easy layup attempts, usually where play-action sucks defenders up to the line of scrimmage. The Lions have two intermediate demons, too, in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta. St. Brown is 13th in the league in receptions, with just over a third of those being caught between 10 and 19 yards past the line of scrimmage. He has yet to drop a pass, and St. Brown also has yet to even see a target more than 20 yards downfield. Meanwhile, LaPorta took the league by storm last year as a rookie. Injuries have hampered him so far this year, but LaPorta remains a dangerous receiving threat in the middle of the field. And then there’s Jameson Williams, one of the fastest players in the NFL who has almost exclusively been used as a deep threat for Detroit. He’s averaging 14.2 yards of depth per target, ninth among receivers with at least 20 targets, and his 22.2 receiving yards per catch is second in the league. He presents a similar challenge in coverage to Rashid Shaheed, who torched the Cowboys back in Week 2. All of these weapons perfectly fit into