What We Saw: Week 2

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Seahawks @ Lions

Final Score: Seahawks 37, Lions 31 (OT)

Writer: Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL on Twitter)

This was one heck of a game. Injuries were a huge storyline for the Lions, as they lost David Montgomery for what looks like a multi-week injury to his knee and starting RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai with what looked like a serious leg injury. Amon-Ra St. Brown sustained a right ankle injury and battled it throughout the game, while both C.J. Gardner Johnson and Kirby Joseph were dinged up in Detroit’s secondary. On Seattle’s side, DK Metcalf made a fantastic catch at the goal line but sustained a rib injury on the play. He returned late in the 1st half but was a non-factor for the rest of the game.

Detroit controlled possession for much of this game but Seattle came on late as the injuries piled up for Detroit. A pick-six by Jared Goff put Detroit in a 10 point hole with about ten minutes to go, but Detroit fought back and forced OT. Geno Smith drove Seattle down the field with ease in OT and threw a TD to Tyler Lockett to win it. If you like scoring this was a game for you.

Four Up

Geno Smith – Had a terrible mistake at the end of the 2nd half but ultimately led a fantastic game-winning drive in OT. Fantastic bounce-back after last week’s disaster
Josh Reynolds – Should be a popular waiver add this week after a 2 TD day. He played well
Aidan Hutchinson – Didn’t record a sack but he pressured Geno Smith all day and had a crucial tipped pass late in the game. He’s a monster
Tyler Lockett – Stepped up big after DK went down, fought for the game-winning TD. Also had a nice snag on a ball in the back of the end zone for his first score

Two Down

Defense – There wasn’t much in this game as both teams moved the ball with relative ease
Being healthy – Numerous injuries to key fantasy contributors will need to be monitored this week

Seattle Seahawks

Quarterback

Geno Smith: 32/41, 328 yards, 2 TD, sack

Detroit’s defense did a good job of keeping the pressure on Geno in the first half, however they didn’t get a sack against him until the final drive of the 2nd half. Geno bounced back in a big way in this game, both in the box score and also on the field. Despite the pressure, Geno looked comfortable overall. He didn’t panic, he didn’t make too many errant throws, and he didn’t make any glaring mistakes (unlike last week). Well, except for his lone sack near the end of the 2nd half. He held the ball way too long and took a sack inside his own five on 3rd down, giving Detroit life and time to score before the end of regulation. Otherwise, Geno did exactly what you need him to do – play mistake free football and get the ball in the hands of his playmakers.

Notes

Overthrew Lockett in end zone, bailed out by bad DPI call
Aidan Hutchinson consistently doing a great job of getting pressure on Geno, unable to get the ball to open receivers downfield as a result
Drove team downfield at end of 1st half, kicker missed the FG. His 2nd of the day
Gorgeous play. Had two free defenders coming at him, evaded both, stepped up, and hit DK with a laser
Very nearly threw a pick in the red zone. Through the safety’s hands. Would have been a pick six. Geno was under pressure once again and had to get rid of it in a hurry
Nice throw to Lockett on te TD
3rd and 18 deep in his own territory, scrambled around, avoided the sack, then took the sack inside the five. Huge loss, stupid play. Jets Geno showed up at the wrong time

Running Back

Kenneth Walker III: 17 carries, 43 yards, 2 TD | 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards

Walker stood out in the red zone on Sunday but that was about it. Seattle had more success keeping drives going through the air, so that’s what they did for most of the day. Walker was a beast in the Red Zone, making multiple guys miss on one run to set up a short score. Walker seemed to flip-flop series with Zach Charbonnet in the first half, something worth monitoring as the season goes on.

Notes

Stuffed in red zone, driven backwards to the 15 yard line, then thrown back to the ground. Defense flagged for unnecessary roughness
Two straight carries up the middle, first went up and over and couldn’t extend the ball over the line. Next play ran right in for the score
23 total yards on Seattle’s first drive
RB on third drive
3 yard score after a Montgomery fumble and 20 yard pass to Colby Parkinson
So shifty

Zach Charbonnet: 4 carries, 16 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards

Looked strong on a couple of his touches. Seemed to be flip-flopping drives with Walker but wasn’t getting much run when he was on the field.

Notes

Strong run up the gut, got turned around and kept the legs moving for a nice gain
RB on 2nd drive

DeeJay Dallas: 1 carry, 3 yards

Wide Receiver/Tight End

DK Metcalf: 6 targets, 6 receptions, 75 yards

Metcalf was injured on his first catch of the game, taking a shot as he caught the ball at the goal line. He unfortunately did not get the ball across the goal line for the score (that honor instead went to Kenneth Walker III a few plays later), and he missed most of the first half following the injury. He returned and ended up being a factor late, especially on the game-winning drive. Otherwise it was the Tyler Lockett show. Monitor his ribs this week, but the fact that he came back and contributed is a positive sign.

Notes

3rd and 8 in red zone, caught ball on 1 but couldn’t get it across the goal line. Took a big hit, ended up going to the locker room shortly after
Questionable to return with a rib injury
Returned at end of 1st half
No targets in 1st half after returning

Missed Opportunities

3rd and 8 in red zone, caught ball on 1 but couldn’t get it across the goal line

Tyler Lockett: 10 targets, 8 receptions, 59 yards, 2 TD

Lockett was all over the field on Sunday. He was quiet early, but once DK went down with a rib injury he was Geno’s preferred target. His first touchdown was a fantastic catch in the back of the end zone after he got open by outrunning his defender across the field. His second TD, the game winner, was a heads up play as he reached the ball out to hit the pylon as he was going out of bounds. It was an atypical Lockett game as he didn’t have any deep bombs to speak of, but he was effective nonetheless.

Notes

Wide open in the flat, Geno did a good job of getting him the ball for a 10 yard gain
Created separation, got open downfield on 3rd down but Geno was under pressure and couldn’t get him the ball
Lots of Lockett after DK’s injury, even after he returned
Stopped short of the 1st on 3rd and 2. Stuffed by a good tackle
Outran defender across the field to back the corner of the end zone, TD. Nice throw by Geno

Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 34 yards

Wasn’t heavily involved. He ran a lot of short routes, and seemingly only had one play designed for him. It was blown up thanks to a missed block by the LT, but there was space to run.

Notes

Quick throw on 3rd down, tackled immediately at the line after LT missed a block
Wide open over the middle of the field on 3rd down, Geno rolled out and hit him. Easy peasy

Noah Fant: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 56 yards

Stepped up while Metcalf was nursing his injury and caught everything thrown his way. Looked good.

Notes

Big gain down the sideline, lined up in the slot. Won the matchup vs the linebacker. No DK on the field

Will Dissly: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 35 yards

Colby Parkinson: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 41 yards

Jake Bobo: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards

Detroit Lions

Quarterback

Jared Goff: 28/35, 323 yards, 3 TD, INT, 2 sacks

Goff had a great day, but a devastating pick six early in the 4th quarter put Detroit in a hole that they almost didn’t dig out of. Credit to Goff, however, as he bounced back to lead the team down the field on a 10 play, 75 yard scoring drive immediately after the pick.He dumped the ball off to Gibbs time after time in the 2nd half, especially while St. Brown was nursing his ankle injury and taking some snaps off. His chemistry with Josh Reynolds is apparent and Reynolds stepped up when Goff needed him most.

Goff was efficient and did enough to win this game, but the defense struggled to get stops against Geno and company.

Notes

Looked good rolling out to his right, hit LaPorta on the run with a bullet
Josh Reynolds show on first drive, 42 yards and a score
Hit Kalif Raymond for the TD on the flea flicker
Hit Amon-Ra for 44 yard gain at end of 1st half, St. Brown fumbled it
Bad INT, threw behind Gibbs. Pick six. 1st INT in 384 pass attempts, 3rd longest streak in NFL history
Bounced back after the pick six to drive Detroit down the field for the score

Running Back

David Montgomery: 16 carries, 67 yards, TD, fumble (lost) | 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards

I was really impressed with Montgomery in this game despite the brutal fumble to begin the 2nd half. As I wrote this sentence, Montgomery caught a pass on the sideline, fought for extra yards, had his knee twisted around and then went down. He hobbled off the field and looked in some serious pain. He was later carted off and if I were a betting man I’d say he’s going to miss some time. The injury looked bad. It’s a shame, because he was playing so well up until that point. He ran hard, broke some tackles, scored a TD, and just overall looked like a weapon in this offense. Hopefully he’s able to make a quick recovery.

Notes

Strong 8 yard run on first carry
When Montgomery has a hole he explodes through it
Took 1st carry of 2nd half, fumbled and recovered by Seattle
Got some redemption on next carry, good run around the edge for a nice gain
3rd and goal TD, entire left side of the OL completely wiped out Seattle’s defense. Aaron Rodgers could have moonwalked backwards into the end zone without an Achilles, that’s how open the hole was
Catch on sideline, spun around on tackle attempt, fought for extra yards and got injured. Carted to the

Missed Opportunities

Designed RB screen for an 18 yard TD, negated by OPI. Scored a few plays later

Jahmyr Gibbs: 7 carries, 17 yards | 9 targets, 7 receptions, 39 yards

The most notable takeaway from this game is that, once Montgomery went down, Gibbs still was not the every down back and the Lions pretty much abandoned the run. Granted they were down 10 around this time, so they needed to throw the ball, but it’s still a situation worth monitoring.

Gibbs’ nine targets were kind of empty, as most were dumpoffs over the middle of the field. They’re the only saving grace for those of us who started Gibbs in PPR matchups this week. It will be interesting to see how much more of the offense is trusted to Gibbs in week three if they know early on that Montgomery will miss some time.

Notes

First catch, started split out wide then went in motion similar to Tyreek Hill, caught ball over the middle
Converted 3rd and 7 with an in-break route
Absolutely juked a defender out of his shoes
Drop on slant over the middle, had some room to run but took his eyes off the ball
4th down at midfield, struggled with pass protection
Big 1st down on 3rd and 7
Got up limping after a tackle late in the 4th

Craig Reynolds: 3 carries, 7 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, -2 yards

Reynolds has some history in this offense, so if Montgomery misses some time he will be expected to take on a larger role.

Notes

Didn’t see the field until after Montgomery’s injury

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Amon-Ra St. Brown: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 102 yards, fumble (lost)

Sun God had a quiet first half until the final play of the 2nd quarter. With two seconds on the clock after a missed Seattle field goal, St. Brown streaked down the sideline and Goff hit him for a 44 yard gain. Unfortunately, he coughed up the football and it was recovered by Seattle. It was ultimately a meaningless play in the grand scheme of things but depending on your scoring settings that fumble might hurt.

St.Brown injured his ankle in the 2nd quarter after he was rolled up on, but he only missed a play and came right back in to convert 4th and short in the red zone. He was clearly still dealing with it as the game went on but he toughed it out anyway. He was quiet in the 4th quarter but by then he already had his numbers. Monitor his situation this week as those ankle injuries tend to linger.

Notes

No targets in 1st quarter
44 yard gain on final play of first half, tried to shake defender and fumbled the ball.
Injured in red zone, right ankle rolled up. Jogged off under his own power but was visibly trying to work it out on the sideline
Came right back in after missing one play, earned the 4th down conversion. If RT hadn’t missed a block he might have had a TD
Was seen getting worked on on the sideline, putting in a steel brace to help support his big toe according to Greg Olsen
Returned for final drive

Josh Reynolds: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 66 yards, 2 TD

Reynolds was involved in this offense once again, and as the pretty clear WR2 he should have a role moving forward. He caught back to back balls for 42 yards and a score on Detroit’s first drive and it looked like Detroit was going to cook all day long. That was not the case, but Reynolds got the offense rolling early and helped keep it going later on in the game when Amon-Ra and Laporta were dealing with injuries.

Notes

20 yard gain on a free play
22 yard gain, seam up the middle for the score on next play
Another TD. Both LaPorta and ARSB were off the field dealing with injuries

Sam LaPorta: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 63 yards

LaPorta once again looked like a valuable part of this offense. He’s a beast. He broke tackles on multiple plays to extend drives and earn first downs. Goff hit him on a rollout with a perfect pass and LaPorta turned it upfield and initiated contact on the play. He’s tough, physical, and looks like he’s got legitimate receiving skills. If you’re in need of a TE and he’s available you better jump on him before it’s too late.

Notes

Targeted on 4th and 4, would have had it if not for a stellar play by Witherspoon to knock it away
Great catch in traffic, kept his balance, fought for the first down
Banged up late in the game, missed a couple plays

Kalif Raymond: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 46 yards, TD | 1 carry, 11 yards

Notes