Detroit Lions Week 16 Stock Report
The Detroit Lions are peaking at the right time.
Granted, it ultimately won't matter because they lost seven of their first eight games and have already missed the playoffs. But in a season filled with plenty of disappointments, perhaps fans can take comfort in that one small measure of solace.
All sarcasm aside, the offense was especially proficient against the New Orleans Saints. While New Orleans has a knack for making other folks look good, it was nice to see Detroit take a game to the final whistle.
There are also a few defensive players who deserve to be highlighted along with a couple of special teamers who almost let the Lions down. All that and more—actually, that covers everything—in this week's stock report.
Stock Up: TE Eric Ebron
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For one night at least, Eric Ebron was the tight end the Detroit Lions envisioned when they selected him 10th overall almost two years ago.
Ebron led the Lions with 79 receiving yards on four catches. He was held out of the end zone but set up the game-clinching score with a soaring grab that brought him down within a yard of the goal line.
That catch displayed his incredible athleticism, as did his earlier 45-yard catch-and-run down the sideline. The play was set up by Golden Tate's convenient "fall" into Ebron's defender, which gave the sequence of events a Varsity Blues feel.
The Lions weren't able to go to Calvin Johnson (one target), as the Saints often committed a safety and a cornerback to him. Ebron needed to step up and he did, teaming with Tate to help deliver the win.
Stock Down: K Matt Prater
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Matt Prater entered the Monday-night contest having converted on all 17 of his field-goal attempts. Although he has missed a few extra points, he had been one of the few consistent bright spots in a dim season.
But with the Lions looking to drive the final nail in New Orleans' coffin, Prater dropped the hammer. He pushed a 38-yard field goal to the right of the goal post and gave the Saints life.
Luckily, New Orleans wasn't able to replicate the Green Bay Packers' recent heroics. The drive stalled out after two plays and a couple of laterals.
This was an admittedly hard week to come up with players whose stock is trending down. Such is the price of near perfection for Prater, though.
Stock Up: Detroit's Defensive Tackles
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Detroit held the Saints to 69 rushing yards on 18 attempts, and that 3.8-yard average was bolstered significantly by an 11-yard Drew Brees scramble.
It's easy to understand why New Orleans abandoned the run. Every time Brees turned around to hand the ball off to Tim Hightower, Kendall Hunter or C.J. Spiller, Caraun Reid and Haloti Ngata were already well into the backfield—or at least it seemed that way.
Reid has been building off his consecutive solid performances. After a slow start to his sophomore campaign, he's become a key cog in a defense that's only allowed one team in the last five games to top 70 yards on the ground.
The pair only accounted for two tackles, both of which were considered defensive stops (plays that constitute an offensive failure), but their penetration often funneled the rusher into the awaiting arms of a linebacker or hard-charging defensive back.
Plus, Ngata threw in three quarterback hurries and a batted pass, while Reid tacked on another hurry.
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Stock Down: RB Ameer Abdullah
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Again, it's tough to name too many negatively trending players. In fact, Ameer Abdullah's performance was quite positive in a lot of ways.
He led the team in rushing with 77 yards on only nine carries for a blistering 8.6-yard average. He also added a couple of receptions for 12 yards.
Plus, his kickoff return skills have been paying huge dividends in the field position game. Abdullah has averaged almost 31 yards per return, making him the second-leading kickoff return man behind Cordarrelle Patterson in terms of average (31.1 to 30.5).
But his late fumble leaves a dark stain on his performance that sticks out like dirt under untrimmed fingernails. It doesn't matter if you're wearing a suit and sporting a fresh haircut—those nails bring down the whole ensemble.
Detroit had held the Saints to a field goal on the previous drive that cut the lead to 28-13 with 13 minutes left. Detroit had punted on its prior two possessions, while the Saints had scored on theirs. Detroit needed to pick up a few first downs to beat back New Orleans' budding momentum.
Instead, Abdullah put the ball on the ground immediately, and the Saints scored a touchdown five plays later.
The Lions were able to hold on for the win, but this was Abdullah's fifth fumble of the season, although it was his first since Week 6. Hopefully, he can get back to securing the rock because this was a solid all-around performance otherwise.
Stock Up: Detroit's Cornerbacks
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Pro Bowl snub Darius Slay deserves better after his sticky performance against the Saints. He ultimately gave up seven receptions to Brandin Cooks, but he made him earn every one of them, often going stride for stride with New Orleans' leading receiver.
And that touchdown by Cooks? Forget it. That was an incredible catch despite Slay covering him tighter than a Kim Kardashian outfit.
Quandre Diggs continued his assault on the league, dishing out some bone-rattling hits on his way to five tackles and one quarterback hurry. He also only allowed a passer rating of 42.4 on the evening and now ranks as the 20th-best cornerback in the league.
Unfortunately, Nevin Lawson didn't enjoy the same success. Drew Brees attacked him to the tune of 115 yards and two touchdowns, but Lawson did chip in with six tackles.
The defense as a whole suffered, however, when safety Glover Quin left the game with a concussion. As Tim Twentman of DetroitLions.com reported, he's "work[ing] his way through the NFL’s return-to-play concussion protocol" and didn't practice on Wednesday.
If he can't play against the San Francisco 49ers, this will have a big effect on the defense—especially these young corners.
All advanced stats and positional rankings are sourced from Pro Football Focus.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter @BrandonAlisoglu.
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