Unsung hero of the week: Frequent Lions nemesis turns into ally in primetime After faltering on the national stage and suffering a heartbreaking loss in Week 2 http://www.authenticsdetroitlions.com/cheap-ricky-wagner-jersey , hopes were not high going into the Lions’ “Sunday Night Football” matchup against the New England Patriots, who haven’t lost back-to-back games since the 2015 season. In a pleasant surprise, the Lions came out on fire, dominating the game from the first snap to the last in a bout where just about everyone shined. With that being the case, there are plenty of players to choose from for this week’s unsung hero of the week award. Naturally, I chose someone other than a Lions player. Unsung hero of the week: the refereesLast night’s game featured a lot of calls that could have been called, but weren’t. The entire night Color Rush Michael Roberts Jersey , Clete Blakeman’s crew allowed the Lions and Patriots to play aggressively on the ground and in the air. That meant good things for the Lions secondary: Their aggressive man-coverage style fairs best when the refs let them get physical (looking at you, Nevin Lawson).While the running game was what kept Tom Brady & Co. on the sidelines for much of the game, the ability of the Lions defense to play aggressively was what kept them out of the end zone while they were on the field. There were numerous times the defensive line was able to pressure or even sack Brady as a result of the good coverage downfield, with NBC’s broadcast highlighting a play where all Patriots receivers were locked up in coverage for four whole seconds. On top of that, the defense was able to play to their natural tendencies. If any one play summed this up, it was when Tom Brady aired out the ball to tight end Rob Gronkowski down the right sideline. While Gronk was double covered, he had separation from Lions defenders and his size advantage means he’s never not open. The Lions defensive backs got physical in the air however Youth Kenny Golladay Jersey , and Gronkowski was thrown off his route, missed the ball, and begged for a flag on a play where just about any other refereeing crew would’ve thrown one. One more memorable moment was when Tom Brady, facing only minimal pressure, aired a ball out down the field to no man’s land. Whether he thought a referee was a receiver or what, nobody really knows, but the ball had no business going there. After lots of deliberation Youth Kerryon Johnson Jersey , the referees correctly flagged Brady for intentional grounding in one of the weirdest scenarios of that call that you’ll ever see, and the Ford Field crowd loved it. There was a lot to love from the Lions’ performance against the Pats, and unsung hero of the week could’ve legitimately gone to about half of the active roster. However, it was great to see the Lions not get momentum shredded by referees on primetime TV as has happened in the past (coughcoughDallasCowboys).Whose optimal performance did you like from Sunday night? Let us know in the comments! If there has been one thing that has been incredibly frustrating about the 2018 Detroit Lions it’s their extreme turnaround on special teams. Last year, the Lions had one of the best units in the league, both in terms of returning abilities and coverage units. That has all completely changed, and the Lions have already done something about it. On Monday night the Lions announced that they have fired special teams coach Joe Marciano. Marciano had been the team’s special teams coordinator since the 2015 season. Head coach Matt Patricia offered this statement on the move:In 2018 Color Rush Taylor Decker Jersey , the Lions rank 24th in average kick return yards allowed and dead-last in average punt return yards allowed. Additionally, the Lions struggled with penalties on their special teams units. On Sunday against the Vikings alone, the Lions had three special teams penalties, which is exactly the kind of problem that has put the Lions offense behind the eight ball.At the moment, the Lions have not announced a replacement, but they do have an assistant special teams coach, Devin Fitzsimmons Frank Ragnow Jersey , on staff.
