The Detroit Lions needed an answer after a tough loss to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime in Week 2. They definitely got that in their 20-6 Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons. 

The Lions played a complete game for the most part and they were able to be in the drivers seat the whole way through. We've got four winners and two losers for the Lions this week. Let's jump into it. 

Winner: Brian Branch

Phenomenal might not be a good enough word to describe the game that Lions’ rookie Brian Branch had against the Falcons. He had three tackles for loss and two pass breakups. He also led the team in tackles on Sunday with 11. Yes, somehow this guy didn’t get drafted in the first round. I will never understand it. 

What we're witnessing here is not something that's just happening with other rookie defenders around the league. Branch has been special this year and he keeps being special. He's entered the conversation for Defensive Rookie of the Year for sure. 

Loser: Jerry Jacobs

I’m a big fan of Jerry Jacobs. I’ve had him as the Lions cornerback two since OTA’s He’s played ok for the most part, but he needs to clean up these penalties. Jacobs was flagged multiple times for pass interference on Sunday. That stuff can just kill a defensive drive and allow the opposing offense to have more chances to score. That’s really it. If Jacobs can clean that up, things will go a lot smoother for him. 

Winner: Sam LaPorta

What more can you say about this kid? The YAC has been as advertised. He had a great game on Sunday and it’s pretty clear that Jared Goff trusts this kid. He targeted him 11 times on Sunday. He caught eight of those targets and took one of them 45 yards to the house for his first touchdown. Look for this relationship to keep growing. 

Loser: Criag Reynolds

Look, I’m not 100% sure if he’s a full blown loser. He might just be a half loser. Here’s what I’m thinking. We didn’t see Reynolds till the fourth quarter when the game was won. Zonovan Knight wound up getting the carries early for the Lions. This was mostly a Jamhyr Gibbs game though. So Knight only had three carries. 

On the other side of things, Reynolds pretty much ran out the clock for the Lions at the end. So maybe they trust him in situations like that. Ultimately, if I had to predict today, I would say that there's a solid chance that both Reynolds and Knight stay on the roster when Montgomery comes back. 

Winner: Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson has been at the top of the league in pressures this season, but he had yet get a sack until Sunday when he got two. The second one was the big one. He caused Desmond Ridder to fumble the ball and then Hutchinson recovered it. That ended the game for the Lions. Another thing of note is that Hutchinson had a nice pass breakup early in the game too. He then successfully explained to the officials that he had tapped the ball and that kept the Lions from taking on a pass interference penalty.

Winner: Aaron Glenn

He has to be the biggest winner of the day. There were Lions fans that were calling for his job after the Lions 37-31 loss to the Seahawks. The response was going to be everything here. Boy, did he respond. The Lions had seven sacks in this game. They held the Falcons to just 183 yards and made them go 4-14 on third down. It was probably the best game Glenn has had as a coach with the Lions. You couldn’t have asked for a better response. 

Lions vs Falcons: What Just Happened? Immediate reactions

The Lions went out there played one hell of a game in their 20-6 win over the Falcons. You could not have asked for a better defensive showing. The offense stumbled a bit, but they got it done when needed.  As always, I have thoughts on this game, these are those thoughts: You wanted defense, […]

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