What We Saw: Week 4 – Monday Night

Brett Ford
Misc 4 Weeks Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Titans @ Dolphins
Seahawks @ Lions

Seahawks @ Lions

Final Score: Lions 42 – Seahawks 29

Writer: Brendan Boe (@BeeBoeFF on Twitter)

 

This Monday night showdown turned into a high-scoring affair with major production on both sides of the ball. A total of 6 touchdowns were earned between the teams’ running backs alone, but the quarterbacks also hit some major milestones: Geno Smith set his career-high passing yardage, while Jared Goff didn’t have a single incompletion. And for those who were wondering if Kenneth Walker was all healed up, the proof is in the pudding, as he had an amazing comeback from his 2-week recovery. I truly enjoyed watching this battle, and while the Lions commanded a lead the entire time, it was just close enough that a Seahawks comeback wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

Four Up

  • Kenneth Walker – He’s back, and he looked fantastic! Facing an excellent run defense didn’t stop him from averaging 6.7 yards and getting 3 touchdowns.
  • Jahmyr Gibbs – Led the team in carries and yards, adding two touchdowns on the ground. Both RBs looked great, but Gibbs had the bigger day.
  • Jared Goff – Zero incompletions! He even re-enacted the Philly special by catching a touchdown! Sure, Detroit ran a lot, but Goff literally made history in this game.
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown – Made the most of his targets, catching all six, one of which was a gorgeous touchdown. He also threw the touchdown that Goff caught.

Two Down

  • Sam LaPorta – He’s talented and did what he needed to help Detroit win this ball game. However, fantasy managers are likely disappointed with his not-so-elite production.
  • Tyler Lockett – The fact that he’s here is a testament that most players in this matchup were either good or decent. Lockett was okay, as he had nine targets; he just happened to be less productive than the other starters.

 

Seattle Seahawks

 

Quarterback

 

Geno Smith: 38/56, 395 Yards, TD, INT | 5 Carries, 38 Yards

The ball was spread around in this passing attack, with the main beneficiaries being DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 12 targets each. The Lions got an early lead and maintained this throughout the contest, causing Geno Smith to throw a career-high in passing yards while he was under a lot of pressure. Throughout this game, he made quick decisions and accurate throws while on the move, and on one play in particular, he spun out of nearly being sacked, kept his eyes downfield, and hit Smith-Njigba for 11 yards and a 1st down. He also nearly had a beautiful early touchdown, but Metcalf’s toe went out of bounds at the 1-yard line. Though not a bad performance all around, he nearly lost the ball multiple times but was ruled down just before the ball came out. He was also sacked for a loss of yards near the end of the half and again with less than 5 minutes in the game, which were crucial drives to keep the team’s hopes alive. The ball was nearly intercepted on two separate plays and eventually was intercepted to put an end to the game. Smith also should’ve had a 2-point conversion, but a terrible call by the refs ruled it incomplete.

 

Running Back

 

Kenneth Walker: 12 Carries, 80 Yards, 3 TD | 4 Catches, 36 Yards

I’ll admit, my expectations were low because the Lions’ defense came into this game, allowing an average of 76.7 rushing yards and only two touchdowns on the ground through the first three games. Despite a slow start to the game, Walker came in and showed that those stats didn’t matter to him, as he averaged 6.7 yards on the ground and plowed his way into the end zone three times. On his first, he bounced off defenders in the middle and booked it toward the edge, and his second had also stacked the boxes as he powered through multiple defenders to barely make it in on a tough push. Last but not least, his 3rd came on an amazing cut just outside the red zone as he escaped multiple tackles for a 21-yard run, reaching a top speed of over 20 mph! Outside of these three plays, he had big gains on breakaway runs and even managed to fight for 10 yards on a play where he was tumbled to the ground twice before the gains. He was quick and tough through this contest, and despite having to deal with the elite defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Walker stood his ground and contributed massively to the Seahawks’ offense.

 

 

Zach Charbonnet: 2 Carries, 15 Yards | 5 Catches, 39 Yards

It was fun while it lasted, but it seems that Charbonnet has been relegated to the supporting role. His first 3 weeks saw excellent production, but with Kenneth Walker all healed up and looking amazing, Charbonnet only saw 2 carries in this game. He still has a role outside of being the change-of-pace back and Geno Smith involved him in the passing game where all 5 targets were caught. Despite the healthy usage in the passing game, the 2 carries paints the picture as clear as day: he’s a backup now.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

DK Metcalf: 7 Catches, 104 Yards

From the very 1st drive, where he received 28 yards on 3 targets, Metcalf continued to establish himself as the alpha receiver in this passing attack. He also nearly had a 30-yard touchdown, but couldn’t stay in bounds to complete the play; regardless, he had a lot of success through the air, averaging 14.9 yards per catch. A couple of mistakes were made, most notably on an otherwise excellent play: he made a perfect catch, fought for extra yardage, and at the very last second the ball was knocked loose and recovered by Detroit. He was also responsible for an offensive holding penalty that canceled a 1st down run by Zach Charbonnet. Metcalf should’ve also had a 2-point conversion, he caught the ball and just barely stayed in bounds – but maybe the refs needed prescription glasses.

 

 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 8 Catches, 51 Yards

Lots of involvement with 8 catches from 12 targets, but only 6.4 yards per catch. He was utilized for quick catches to the side for short-yardage gains and made some valuable receptions for 1st downs – one of which being a lateral from Zach Charbonnet for a gain of 17 yards. That said, he had a couple of missed opportunities due to some miscommunications between him and Geno Smith, such as a back shoulder through within the last few minutes of the game. He did make a great catch on a 4th down to convert it to a 1st, but it was unfortunately called back due to a penalty. The large target volume is promising, and despite the subpar yardage relative to his catches, there’s no doubt that he will be heavily involved.

 

Tyler Lockett: 5 Catches, 61 Yards

Nearly half of his yardage came from a 29-yard gain which set up a 1st down in the red zone, but outside of this, he had a pretty quiet day for a player with 9 targets. The defense did good work breaking up multiple plays, but Lockett made a vital error by causing offensive pass interference to cancel what would’ve been a 1st down. This penalty turned the tides of a potential comeback.

 

AJ Barner: 2 Catches, 27 Yards, 1 TD

On top of the short pass for a touchdown, Barner added a big catch-and-run for 18 yards. He attempted a hurdle, but this led to being slammed to the ground.

 

Jake Bobo: 3 Catches, 30 Yards

 

Noah Fant: 2 Catches, 26 Yards

 

Laviska Shenault: 1 Catch, 18 Yards

 

Pharaoh Brown: 1 Catch, 3 Yards

 

Detroit Lions

 

Quarterback

 

Jared Goff: 18/18, 292 Yards, 2 TD | 2 Carries, -2 Yards | 1 Catch, 7 Yards, TD

History was made in this matchup as Goff threw the most passes without an incompletion in NFL history. Let me phrase that again: he had no incomplete passes at all this game, 100% were caught! As if that wasn’t impressive enough, the Seahawks passing defense has shown great success in recent games, allowing an average of only 157.67 opponent passing yards through the first 3 games of the season. Goff was under decent pressure as he took multiple sacks, starting the first drive with a 3-and-out after taking a big loss of yards. Additionally, he was sacked in the end zone just before the 2-minute warning, causing a safety that could’ve led to a Seahawks comeback. However, this was great pressure by the defense and Goff’s performance as a whole shouldn’t be understated by these faux pas; he had a remarkable game. Oh, and if this wasn’t enough already, he also caught a touchdown that was floated to him by his favorite target Amon-Ra St. Brown.

 

 

Running Back

 

Jahmyr Gibbs: 14 Carries, 78 Yards, 2 TD

The Detroit 2-headed rushing attack was once again successful as Gibbs found paydirt in the endzone twice. With a 5.6 rushing-yard average, he was the more productive of the two running backs – he had a mix of big runs and tough gains as he fought through multiple defenders to earn crucial first downs, and put points on the board. He wasn’t used in the passing game at all as he didn’t get a single target, but his receiving prowess wasn’t needed to get the win. All around, a great game for this rushing attack.

 

 

David Montgomery: 12 Carries, 40 Yards, 1 TD | 1 Catch, 40 Yards

As they love to do, the Lions got Montgomery involved early and often, utilizing him as the starting running back. His one touchdown was earned when they gave him the ball 3 times in a row at the goal line, where he had a powerful run to push through the last yard to find the end zone. His one catch was a brilliant amalgamation of broken tackles as he turned what would’ve been 3-4 yards into a massive 40-yard gain. Teammate Jahmyr Gibbs had one more touchdown, but both running backs are major threats in this offense.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Amon-Ra St. Brown: 6 Catches, 45 Yards, TD | 1/1, 7 Passing Yards, TD

The clear number one target on this offense, St. Brown hauled in 6 of Jared Goff’s 18 passes. He was mostly utilized in short-yardage situations and had multiple opportunities in the red zone, with one catch in particular being a gorgeous touchdown near the sideline. His awareness and control made this completion possible as he barely kept his toes in bounds while he completed the catch. Most impressively, Detroit reenacted their own version of the Philly special as St. Brown floated a 7-yard pass straight into the open arms of Goff for the touchdown. An excellent display of versatility, Amon-Ra has demonstrated great value in the passing attack of an otherwise run-heavy offense.

 

Jameson Williams: 2 Catches, 80 Yards, TD

His volume was small but mighty as he hauled in a humungous deep post for a 70-yard touchdown, with the catch made after about 20 yards and the rest of the 50 gained with his elite quickness as he outran every defender in his path. This offense sorely needed a deep threat in the past, and now they have one of the fastest in the league.

 

 

Sam LaPorta: 4 Catches, 53 Yards

Most of his production was made on a short screen pass caught behind the line of scrimmage, with 30 yards gained after the catch. Aside from this play, his receiving numbers weren’t too exciting – but he did haul in a couple of cross routes to get first downs and keep the offense moving down the field, setting up Jahmyr Gibbs for a goal-line touchdown. Despite a mediocre fantasy outing, his contribution was essential on multiple scoring drives.

 

Tim Patrick: 2 Catches, 52 Yards

He only had two targets, but both were caught for big gains of 23 and 29 yards respectively. Tim Patrick has overcome some major surgeries, and it’s great to see him out there making big plays.

 

Brock Wright: 2 Catches, 13 Yards

 

Kalif Raymond: 1 Catch, 9 Yards

 

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Introduction
Titans @ Dolphins
Seahawks @ Lions

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