What We Saw: Week 12

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Lions @ Colts

Final Score: Lions 24, Colts 6

Writer: Riley Blum

This game felt like more of a blow out than the score indicates as the Colts struggled to move the ball for most of the game outside of two of their drives in the first half that resulted in field goals. The Lions were in control throughout the game, sustaining drives and scoring three rushing touchdowns; two for Jahmyr Gibbs and one for David Montgomery. There were some injury scares for the Lions with Taylor Decker and Montgomery exiting the game, but both indicated postgame that they’d be ready to go on Thanksgiving. Josh Downs left the game with an injury as well, and he briefly came back before exiting again; his situation will be one to monitor.

Three Up

Michael Pittman Jr. – Pittman led the Colts across the board in receiving categories, making some great catches and picking up more yards after the catch than he typically does.
Jahmyr Gibbs – Gibbs out-touched Montgomery 24-to-11 after the latter left the game with a shoulder injury. Gibbs scored two touchdowns, and although Montgomery is expected to be fine, this game showed the upside for more usage that both backs possess if the other was to go down.
Jameson Williams – Though Jamo didn’t break away for a long touchdown in this game, he tied for the team lead in targets, led the Lions in receiving yards, and saw a handful of plays designed for him. His usage is encouraging and shows that he should have somewhat of a weekly floor going forward to go along with his big play potential.

Three Down

Sam LaPorta – LaPorta seemed out of sync with quarterback Jared Goff, and the miscues led to him posting three catches for 19 yards on six targets.
Josh Downs – Downs did tie for the team lead in targets, but only managed 27 receiving yards. The main reason he is trending down is exiting the game with a shoulder injury.
Jonathan Taylor – Detroit has been one of the tougher match ups for running backs this year, but this is Taylor’s second inefficient game in a row, averaging only 3.2 yards per attempt today. Taylor also was not targeted in the passing game.

Detroit Lions

Quarterback

Jared Goff: 26/36, 269 yards, 2 carries, 0 yards

Goff was efficient, completing over 70% of his passes. Despite limited rushing upside, he showed some mobility today extending a number of plays and connecting with his receivers. However, Goff failed to contribute any touchdowns, leading to a poor fantasy score.

Missed Opportunities

Goff had tight end Sam LaPorta open on play action for a chunk gain, but sailed the ball too high for him.

Running Back

David Montgomery: 8 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD, 3 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards

Montgomery ran with the grit we are accustomed to seeing from him, routinely fighting for extra yards. He managed to score on a six-yard run, fighting to stay on his feet and twisting into the end zone. He also saw good usage in the passing game, outproducing teammate Gibbs through the air. The veteran back also had a heads up play where he recovered a Goff fumble for the Lions. Montgomery left with a shoulder injury, but he was spotted back on the sideline in his pads and helmet. The post game indication is that he should be good to go on Thursday.

https://www.twitter.com/NFLTDsVideos/status/1860763691756540330

Notes

With the game in hand, the Lions did not put Montgomery back on the field after he returned to the sideline.

Jahmyr Gibbs: 21 carries, 90 yards, 2 TD, 3 targets, 3 receptions, 9 yards

Gibbs saw pretty heavy usage in this game with Montgomery getting nicked up. Gibbs turned those touches into 99 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. He flashed the speed and explosiveness he is known for, as well as showing some toughness running between the tackles. He remains an RB1 for fantasy purposes, and if Montgomery was to miss any time, Gibbs would be in the conversation for the RB1 in fantasy.

https://www.twitter.com/KyleYNFL/status/1860755355766051320

https://www.twitter.com/NFL/status/1860775218723086370

Craig Reynolds: 1 carry, 6 yards

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Amon-Ra St. Brown: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 62 yards

Amon-Ra St. Brown tied for the team lead in targets with seven, and led the Lions in catches. However, he was not able to find end zone, ending an eight game touchdown streak. He was close on a catch in the red zone, being tackled at the three yard line, ultimately leading to a Gibbs touchdown run. This was a floor game for the Sun God, and he remains a high-end WR1 for fantasy purposes due to his consistency and role in this potent Detroit Lions offense.

Jameson Williams: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 64 yards, 1 carry, 4 yards

Jameson Williams led the team in receiving yards and tied for the team lead in targets. Williams is having plays schemed for him, whether it’s a deep crossing route, a screen pass, or a run, Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is looking to get the ball into the hands of his explosive playmaker. If he continues to see lay up targets and designed touches, Williams will have a more reliable weekly floor to go along with his high ceiling.

Sam LaPorta: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 19 yards

After missing last week with an injury, LaPorta appeared a bit out of sync with Goff, failing to connect on a couple targets. It was encouraging to see the six targets, though, so hopefully LaPorta will be better in the next game further removed from his injury.

Missed Opportunities

LaPorta was open on a play action pass that Goff sailed too high for him.

Tim Patrick: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 55 yards

Tim Patrick hauled in all of his targets, connecting with Goff on a few deep plays, including a 27-yard catch on a scramble drill. Patrick is a good real life wide receiver, but he doesn’t see enough consistent usage to be a factor in fantasy.

Brock Wright: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards

Kalif Raymond: 1 target

Kalif Raymond left the game after being injured on a return.

Indianapolis Colts

Quarterback

Anthony Richardson: 11/28, 172 yards, 10 carries, 61 yards

Richardson struggled against this Lions defense, completing less than half his passes, though many of his pass catchers didn’t do him any favors. He is still raw, but his athleticism and arm talent are easy to see watching him play. Richardson did have 10 carries for 61 yards, leading the Colts in rushing. The Colts offense looked its best when Richardson was being used as a dual threat, like on the first drive where he ran the ball three times for 35 yards. That rushing upside keeps Richardson in the low-end QB1 tier for me, though if Downs misses time, that could further limit this Colts passing attack.

Missed Opportunities

Two big plays to Downs negated by penalties; also just missed Downs on a 30-yard shot to the end zone.
A pass just out of reach for Alec Pierce would have gone for a long gain.
Drew Ogletree dropped a would be touchdown.
Ashton Dulin didn’t get both feet in bounds on a deep catch down the sideline.
Kylen Granson turned late for a well thrown ball that would have been a good gain for a first down.

Running Back

Jonathan Taylor: 11 carries, 35 yards

Jonathan Taylor struggled to get anything going on the ground against a tough Lions run defense. He fumbled once as well, but it was recovered by Richardson. This is now two games in a row where Taylor has been inefficient and Richardson has seen double digit rushing attempts. Taylor also didn’t see any looks in the passing game. With Richardson’s rushing ability, Taylor’s receiving and touchdown upside may be more limited moving forward despite being the only running back to carry the ball.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Michael Pittman Jr.: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 96 yards

Pittman led the Colts in receptions and receiving yards, and tied Downs for the team-lead in targets. He showed some big play and yards-after-catch ability connecting with Richardson for a long gain of 30 yards breaking tackles along the way. If Downs is forced to miss any time after injuring his shoulder in this game, Pittman should see an uptick in targets.

Josh Downs: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 27 yards

Downs tied for a team-high seven targets, but only managed three catches for 27 yards. Downs exited and re-entered the game after a shoulder injury, but he aggravated it on a diving attempt at a ball in the end zone and ultimately left the game. Fantasy managers will want to monitor his status, and the Colts luckily have a BYE in Week 14.

Missed Opportunities

Downs had two big plays negated by penalty: a 30-yard lob was called back by a soft offensive pass interference call against Pierce, and a 21-yard catch on a fourth-and-eight play.
Downs narrowly missed on a diving attempt on what would have been a 30-yard touchdown catch.

Alec Pierce: 4 targets, 1 reception, 39 yards

Pierce played his typical deep threat role, contributing the longest play of the game on a 39-yard catch.

https://www.twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1860756965476974595

Missed Opportunities