D%E2%80%99ANDRE SWIFT

But there are needs at offensive guard, running back and tight end, while another depth receiver wouldn’t hurt. Last but not least on the needs list is the tight end position. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end caught 56 passes for 560 yards and eight touchdowns this past season. But that shouldn’t scare people away from the 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end. Latu is the type of late-round prospect that could fit how this team wants to attack the tight end room.

Previously: Offensive lineRUNNING BACKSStarters: RB Jamaal Williams, FB Jason CabindaBackups: D’Andre Swift, Justin Jackson, Craig Reynolds, Jermar JeffersonKey stats: Jamaal Williams led the NFL, breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season club record with 17 rushing touchdowns. The 27-year-old set career-best marks in attempts (262), yards (1,066), touchdowns (17), long rush (58 yards) and yards per game (62.7). Pro Football Focus ranked Swift 20th and Williams 33rd among running backs with enough attempts to qualify. Swift opened the year with 144 rushing yards and one touchdown, then didn’t see double-digit carries again until Week 13. Swift topped 100 total yards only one other time, with 78 rushing and 39 rushing yards in the team’s Week 17 win.

ALLEN PARK -- Packers rookie Quay Walker has now apologized in all the ways you can for his bizarre shove of a Detroit Lions physician who was trying to care for D’Andre Swift on Sunday night at Lambeau Field. “Rookie mistake,” Walker said. I made the same mistake twice. On Sunday, he did it again when Lynch was trying to care for Swift after an injury. “Just to be honest, the split-second right after I did it, I asked myself that,” Walker said.

The Detroit Lions (9-8) ended their season by beating the Green Bay Packers (8-9) 20-16 in Week 18 action from Lambeau Field. Grade: A-Running backs: Jamaal Williams finished his career-best season with back-to-back impressive showings after a tough stretch. Those two scores gave him 17 on the season, besting Barry Sanders’ franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a single season. Grade: B-Offensive line: It’s important to remember that Packers interior defender Kenny Clark is very good at what he does. That said, the Lions held things down in the trenches, running 25 times for 104 yards and two short-yardage touchdowns.

Green Bay Packers' linebacker Quay Walker was ejected from Sunday night's game after he pushed a member of the Detroit Lions' training staff.

Josh Paschal chipped in two sacks, becoming the Lions’ third rookie with a multi-sack game this season. Amon-Ra St. Brown became the youngest Lions receiver ever with a 100-catch season, just one week after he became the youngest Lions receiver ever with a 1,000-yard season. With that, these remarkable Detroit Lions pounded the Chicago Bears 41-10 for their seventh win in nine games, and will take their improbable playoff chase into a monumental finale against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. That team is screaming toward the finale too, and is guaranteed a playoff spot with a win against Detroit. The Lions have the youngest defense in the whole league, yet just held Justin Fields to 30 passing yards.

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions and their once-elite rushing attack returned to form after weeks of talking about taking a closer look at the problem. The Lions ran 39 times for 265 yards and two touchdowns in their 41-10 blowout win over the Chicago Bears in Week 17. And it wasn’t just one person breaking out, with the one-two punch of D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams reigning supreme. He’s now one off of Barry Sanders’ single-season franchise record of 16 rushing touchdowns. “Watching Swifty that’s like -- that’s like being out in the desert with nothing to drink and there’s that water that just found.

ALLEN PARK -- Duce Staley says it almost every time he meets with his running backs. “We’ve got to continue to be special as running backs,” the Detroit Lions assistant head coach says. Campbell spent all last week telling everyone who would listen just how badly Detroit needed its running game down the stretch. “No impact,” the running backs coach said. That’s running backs, O-line, that’s everybody.

St. Brown has been on a tear since, seeing double-digit targets in four of the last five games. START QB Justin Fields, RB David MontgomeryJustin Fields is ESPN’s near-consensus QB1 for Week 17 fantasy rankings. ESPN has Montgomery ranked 16th for this crucial fantasy week. St. Brown torched this group for one of his best games of the campaign. 2022 TEAM STATSDVOA overall ranking: Lions 9th | Bears 29thDVOA offensive ranking: Lions 6th | Bears 23rdDVOA defensive ranking: Lions 28th | Bears 32ndNet yards gained per passing attempt: Lions 7.0 (5th) | Bears 5.4 (28th)Rushing yards per attempt: Lions 4.4 (18th) | Bears 5.2 (3rd)Points per game: Lions 26.1 (5th) | Bears 20.2 (22nd)Points allowed per game: Lions 26.7 (32nd) | Bears 26.2 (31st)Net yards allowed per passing attempt: Lions 7.3 (32nd) | Bears 7.2 (31st)Rushing yards allowed per attempt: Lions 5.1 (30th) | Bears 4.9 (27th)Takeaways: Lions 18 | Bears 21SERIES HISTORYThe Bears lead the all-time series 104-76-5, with the previous eight meetings decided by 10 points or less.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions (7-7) are on the road for the holidays, with a chance to strengthen their playoff hopes against the Carolina Panthers (5-9) in Week 16. DJ Chark caught one ball on two targets for 18 yards last week, while Josh Reynolds and Jameson Williams were blanked. MATCHUPS TO WATCHLions C Frank Ragnow vs. Panthers DT Derrick BrownWe’re not getting cute this week. He’s allowed five sacks and 22 pressures across 825 snaps. So, (it) makes my life a lot easier.”2022 TEAM STATSDVOA overall ranking: Lions 9th | Panthers 28thDVOA offensive ranking: Lions 6th | Panthers 29thDVOA defensive ranking: Lions 23rd | Panthers 20thNet yards gained per passing attempt: Lions 6.9 (5th) | Panthers 5.8 (23rd)Rushing yards per attempt: Lions 4.4 (15th) | Panthers 4.4 (16th)Points per game: Lions 26.4 (4th) | Panthers 19.7 (30th)Points allowed per game: Lions 26 (31st) | Panthers 22.4 (16th)Net yards allowed per passing attempt: Lions 7.1 (31st) | Panthers 6.0 (12th)Rushing yards allowed per attempt: Lions 4.9 (26th) | Panthers 4.4 (18th)Takeaways: Lions 18 | Panthers 14SERIES HISTORYThe Panthers lead the all-time series 7-3, blanking the Lions 20-0 in the last meeting between these two back in 2020.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions (5-7) and Minnesota Vikings (10-2) meet in a big-time Week 14 showdown at Ford Field, with playoff and division implications riding. Minnesota can clinch the NFC North with a win, while the Lions are trying to keep their postseason dreams afloat. among all wideouts in Week 14, with the Sun God receiving one first-place vote from fantasy analyst Tristan Cockcroft. Conversely, Williams leads the NFL with 14 rushing touchdowns, so he’s the top touchdown-dependent fantasy play and you could do much worse. It’s worth noting it’s been ultra-close through the four most recent matchups:2022 Week 3: Vikings 28, Lions 242021 Week 13: Lions 29, Vikings 272021 Week 5: Vikings 19, Lions 172021 Week 17: Vikings 37, Lions 35

Defense and offensive weaponry proved to be too much for the Jacksonville Jaguars as the Detroit Lions had a convincing 40-14 victory, improving to 5-7 on the season, and are now just two games back in the loss column for the seventh and playoff spot.

The Lions running back had been limited by ankle and shoulder injuries, seeing double-digit touches in only two of his nine games this season. He pushed the ball downfield and got into a dangerous rhythm with receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and DJ Chark. -- Jared Goff, DJ Chark and Amon-Ra St. Brown were lethal in Week 13. And St. Brown continues to be the engine that powers this offense. Next Gen Stats reports St. Brown leads the league with his 18.2% third-down conversion rate.

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 40-14 in Week 13 action from Ford Field. And those 340 yards were the second-most of his tenure around these parts (378 yards in Week 4). Grade: ARunning backs: And don’t look now, but D’Andre Swift had 18 touches in the win, his most since Week 1. Ben Johnson and the offense appeared to find the balance between Swift and Jamaal Williams, each getting their fair share of the work. The Jaguars had two sacks and three tackles for loss, while the Lions ran 31 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

This post will run through MLive’s grades from Detroit’s loss on Thanksgiving:Quarterbacks: Jared Goff had another solid game. But it’s hard to address his performance without fixating on the third-and-1 missed opportunity to Chark in the final minute. And Jack Fox had another solid day punting. Ben Johnson called another solid game, highlighted by the team’s creative rushing attack -- see the designed run for St. Brown on fourth-and-1. But for the Lions to hang with the Bills and Allen for all 60 minutes while not feeling fluky?

It’s starting to feel like D’Andre Swift’s dwindling usage is the new norm for the Detroit Lions. Swift was the third fiddle out of Detroit’s backfield in its 31-18 win against the New York Giants in Week 11. And Jackson didn’t do anything to hurt his case for more work, taking six carries for a team-leading 66 yards. Swift ran five times for 20 yards and the final score for the Lions. Decker will rank among the best offensive linemen, not just offensive tackles, when Week 11′s grades are finished from around the NFL.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have reeled off two straight wins heading into next week’s game against the New York Giants. A good quarterback is essential to achieving consistency, because they can cover for so much else going awry. Austin Bryant was a healthy scratch each of the last two weeks and hasn’t hit a quarterback all season. I just do.”Right or wrong, I don’t think Glenn was ever in any real hot-seat situation, and certainly not now. And I don’t think the Lions will, either.

It’s an interesting review of the team’s work in their second-straight win. He allowed only one pressure across 62 snaps in Chicago. While guard Evan Brown and right tackle Penei Sewell are at the bottom of the offensive line rankings for the week. Kerby Joseph, one game removed from being named NFC defensive player of the week, is the team’s lowest-graded defender. The linebacker-turned-fullback logged 13 snaps in his first game back.

Grade: B-Wide receivers: The Lions made it a point to feed Amon-Ra St. Brown early and often in Chicago. St. Brown secured 10 of 11 looks for 119 yards, adding one rush for 2 yards to move the chains. St. Brown showed his superior route-running ability on third-and-9 in the first half when he ran a delayed looping slant. St. Brown is now in the top 10 all-time, with 139 catches through his first 25 games. But feeding St. Brown and getting creative with the rushing game took the pressure off that short-handed passing attack.

CHICAGO -- The Detroit Lions busted one losing streak last week. The Lions prevailed in a wild back-and-forth game that saw them trail by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, with 91 yards of grass between them and the end zone, Detroit went to work. But the Lions took advantage of their opponent’s mistakes, and turned the tables on them quick in the fourth quarter. Yes, he also had a 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, but anyone could have run through that hole.

CHICAGO -- The Detroit Lions (2-6) are back on the road inside the division, with a Week 10 showdown against the Chicago Bears (3-6) on the horizon. We’ll try and answer three burning questions ahead of kickoff below:Can the Lions keep Bears QB Justin Fields in the pocket? The Bears are running their offense through Justin Fields and provided him new weapons to get the job down. Derrick Barnes kicked the door down last week, opening the conversation that he should see more work moving forward. The second-year linebacker said it was his best game in the NFL, and his head coach agreed.

That’s where the Lions really miss Swift, a home-run hitter who was leading the league in yards per carry until going down with his injuries. Without him, their explosive plays are way down. The Lions define “explosive plays” as runs that go for 12 yards and passes that go for 16 yards. Swift, meanwhile, had seven explosive plays on just 35 touches before the injuries set in. When we do get those explosive plays, it typically generates more points for us.

SIT Lions RB D’Andre SwiftIt’s hard to trust the Lions and D’Andre Swift in fantasy football. START Lions RB Jamaal WilliamsOn that note, ignore those rankings for the Lions running backs, and roll with Jamaal Williams. MATCHUPS TO WATCHDetroit’s defense vs. Fields and Chicago’s rushing attackJustin Fields forced eight missed tackles last week, averaging 7.87 yards after contact per attempt (!). The Lions missed five tackles last week, with defensive lineman Alim McNeill (two), linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (two) and cornerback Will Harris accounting for those. They’re really, really good, and the thing is they break tackles, they can find the seam, so we really have to be disciplined.

There were a few questions about D’Andre Swift’s future in the mailbag, so we’ll start there this week. He did some nice things Sunday, but his injury designations are all over the place from week to week. Swift exploded for 175 yards of offense on opening day, 144 of which was acquired on the ground, a career high. On the other 19 footballs thrown his way this season, he’s caught just six passes for 76 yards and no touchdowns. More than anything, Cabinda’s presence will be felt in the running game, where he is a plus blocker.

DETROIT -- Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift was even more limited in his second game back playing through ankle and shoulder injuries. Swift was limited to only 10 offensive snaps, running twice for 10 yards. Jamaal Williams led the running backs in work (38 snaps) and production again. Reserve back Justin Jackson worked 13 offensive snaps, running four times for 27 yards. Wright played 50 of the 62 offensive snaps, failing to catch his lone target.

DETROIT -- D’Andre Swift will play against Green Bay. Swift is the Lions’ most electric player when healthy, but he hasn’t been healthy since the opening week of the season. He was on a pitch count in that game, and after being limited all week in practice, he might be on another. Josh Reynolds has been ruled out against the Packers because of a back injury that popped up during the practice week. Brockers has been a healthy scratch each of the last three weeks, a sign the 31-year-old is in his final weeks in Detroit.

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions (1-6) will have to go through Aaron Rodgers and the slumping Green Bay Packers (3-5) to snap their five-game losing streak in Week 9 action from Ford Field. He was promoted to tight ends coach, guiding Hockenson through the vital second and third seasons of his young career. Ask Kyle: Did the Detroit Lions do the right thing by trading T.J. Hockenson? Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers: Fantasy guide and key matchups for Week 9This post serves as our one-stop fantasy guide and matchups to watch while running through team stats on the season and Lions-Packers series history. Detroit Lions reevaluating D’Andre Swift’s workload after return from injuriesDan Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket’s Stoney & Jansen that “he’s not back” and they should’ve spread more of Swift’s work around..

ALLEN PARK -- Two weeks ago, D’Andre Swift said he expected to play against Dallas. Head coach Dan Campbell said Swift came out of that game feeling better than ever. If you’re having trouble following that, well, welcome to the D’Andre Swift Experience. At any rate, the Lions say they do expect him to play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. “We’re going to keep Reynolds off his feet today, and just see how he feels as the day goes and tomorrow, wake up, see where he’s at,” Campbell said.

ALLEN PARK -- Dan Campbell said the Detroit Lions regretted some of the work they gave injured D’Andre Swift last week despite the third-year running back feeling better. And then Swift was missing from the first practice of the week, along with offensive linemen Penei Sewell and Matt Nelson, and cornerbacks A.J. Sewell played every snap in last week’s loss to the Dolphins and hasn’t appeared on the injury report in recent weeks. Lucas has been spotted in a walking boot around the practice facility, and Parker left last week’s game with a hip injury. Swift enjoyed his best season last year, running for 617 yards and adding another 452 yards through the air.

ALLEN PARK -- D’Andre Swift was back in action for the first time in more than a month this past weekend. But the Detroit Lions running back wasn’t 100% while dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries. Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket’s Stoney & Jansen that “he’s not back” and they should’ve spread more of Swift’s work around. Swift had 617 rushing yards and five touchdowns paired with 62 receptions, 452 yards and two scores last season. And then he got off to a hot start this season, running for 144 yards and a touchdown in the opener after spraining his ankle in the first half.

DETROIT -- Dan Campbell admitted running back D’Andre Swift wasn’t at 100% in his first game back since Week 3. He added only 6 rushing yards on five attempts, with five catches for 27 yards and one touchdown. “Yeah, we were just trying to see where Swift was at,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. Related: Lions grades: Secondary no match for Dolphins WRs Tyreek Hill, Jaylen WaddleSwift had been out since the team’s Week 3 loss in Minnesota while dealing with ankle and shoulder injuries. PFF ranks him eighth -- and Swift 10th -- among the 25 running backs with finalized marks for the week.

But penalties and missed chances down the stretch proved too much, with the offense failing to score across only three possessions in the second half. This group had few chances in the second half. The Lions had the ball only three times in the second half, and that ugly stretch doomed one of those possessions. Dolphins wideouts Tyreek Hill (12 catches for 188 yards) and Jaylen Waddle (eight catches, 106 yards and two touchdowns) were as dangerous as advertised. The first-year offensive coordinator didn’t see many chances in the second half, struggling to find a rhythm outside the final series.

Tua Tagovailoa needed to battle back in this contest between the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, but with the help of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, he did so.

DETROIT -- No lead is safe from this Detroit Lions defense. Not a 14-point lead on Sunday against Miami either, leading to a 31-27 loss that stretched the worst losing streak in the NFL to five games. Impossible to win like that, and the Lions still haven’t won since all the way back in Week 2. But ask this defense to hang onto a lead of any shape or size, and that won’t take long either. With gunner Bobby Price going on injured reserve this past week, Detroit brought back Moore off Houston’s practice squad.

What’s really encouraging: They’ve done it with Swift playing only a small role in the offense, touching the football just five times in a measured return from ankle and shoulder injuries. He’s practiced the last two weeks, and did so fully this past week, but the Lions are being exceedingly cautious with their oft-injured back. Williams has been effective in his place this season, and pounded in touchdowns from 1 and 7 yards to help the Lions build a 21-7 lead. But the Lions still have a double-digit lead thanks to an offense that has not been forced to punt. The Lions turned that into another field goal as time expired, and now have a two-possession lead heading into the second half.

DETROIT -- For the first time in more than a month, the Detroit Lions will have D’Andre Swift at their disposal. And that’s very good news for a team that still hasn’t won since their dynamic running back went down with ankle and shoulder injuries in a Week 3 game against Minnesota. St. Brown will return against the Dolphins too, after missing most of last week’s game because of concussion-like symptoms (although he passed all concussion tests) and being severely limited or out entirely before that because of a high ankle sprain. Perhaps it’s no wonder the offense has sputtered, nor that Detroit has lost an NFL-worst four games in a row. Defensive lineman Michael Brockers has been benched for a second straight week as the Lions turn to the more effective John Cominksy and Josh Paschal on the interior of the defensive front.

The problem is Swift is so rarely at full strength, and this season has been no different. He hasn’t played the last three games because of ankle and shoulder injuries, and the Lions have struggled without him and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Now Swift has been listed as full-go for the Dolphins game, while St. Brown is officially questionable in his return from exhibiting concussion-like symptoms last week in Dallas. He was removed from that game by the officials, but never tested positive for a brain injury and practiced all week. The defense isn’t so lucky, where starting safety DeShon Elliott has been ruled out because of a finger injury.

ALLEN PARK -- D’Andre Swift has missed three games in a row, which certainly isn’t good for the reeling Detroit LIons. This week, for the first time since the opening week of the season, he’s been a full practice participant. With the Lions (1-5) trying to snap a league-worst four-game losing streak, they’re ready to finally welcome back their top running back. Just stuff we do every day with other running backs.”St. Brown is on track to play against Miami too. “I mean, those two guys can account for a lot of offense, alot of production in our offense.

ALLEN PARK -- D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown continue to trend toward returning to the field on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, a welcomed sight for a Detroit Lions offense that hasn’t scored a touchdown in back-to-back games. Swift hasn’t played in more than a month while dealing with ankle and shoulder injuries he sustained in a Week 3 loss against Minnesota. He practiced all last week and said he was “pushing toward” playing in Dallas, but ultimately was scratched for that game too. Tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee), receiver Josh Reynolds (knee) and guard Jonah Jackson (neck) all practiced as well, after getting the day off on Wednesday to nurse injuries. In Harris’ case, he’s trending toward missing a third straight game.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The league’s worst defense played its best game of the season. That’s their fourth straight loss, leaving them just 1-5 heading into next week’s game against the resurgent Miami Dolphins. Let’s get to some more instant observations from the game:-- Goff continues to show he’s not the guy to see out this rebuild. But how many times have the Lions won a game because of him? Luckily for the Lions his dead money is just $4 million, so they could save $10 million by moving on.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Another week, yet another benching for the Detroit Lions defense. Michael Brockers is a healthy inactive for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the third veteran to lose his starting job in the last two games. Cornerback Amani Oruwariye was also inactive for the loss in New England, while safety DeShon Elliott came off the bench in that game. But some things you just got to kind of let heal if you don’t want to make it worse.”In the end, Swift and the Lions are playing it safe. That’s a big loss for a Lions offense whose projected top outside receivers -- DJ Chark and Jameson Williams -- are both on injured lists.

PregameLook out for CB Jerry Jacobs (season debut) and second-round DL Josh Paschal (NFL debut) today. This post will update with drive summaries, analysis, injury updates, photos, pregame updates and more. Hit refresh to keep up and follow MLive’s Detroit Lions reporters on Twitter -- @BenjaminSRaven and @kmeinke. Also, head over to MLive’s Facebook account after the game for an in-depth breakdown. 2022 TEAM STATSDVOA offensive ranking: Lions 9th | Cowboys 17thDVOA defensive ranking: Lions 32nd | Cowboys 6thNet yards gained per passing attempt: Lions 6.7 (8th) | Cowboys 5.6 (25th)Rushing yards per attempt: Lions 5.4 (2nd) | Cowboys 4.3 (19th)Points per game: Lions 28 (3rd) | Cowboys 18.3 (23rd)Points allowed per game: Lions 34 (32nd) | Cowboys 16.3 (3rd)Net yards allowed per passing attempt: Lions 7.4 (31st) | Cowboys 4.7 (3rd)Rushing yards allowed per attempt: Lions 5.5 (30th) | Cowboys 4.4 (17th)Takeaways: Lions 4 | Cowboys 7

The Detroit Lions (1-4) are back from their bye week for a Week 7 trip to face the Dallas Cowboys (4-2) and returning quarterback Dak Prescott. Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys: Fantasy guide and key matchups for Week 7This post serves as a fantasy guide while running through matchups to watch, team stats and the series history between the Lions and Cowboys. Detroit Lions draw Dallas Cowboys’ disruptive pass rush fresh off bye weekMicah Parsons has continued to look like one of the most feared defenders in football. Lions’ Dan Campbell says owner Sheila Ford Hamp remains ‘all in’ despite frustration“I would say that she understands. Lions DT Levi Onwuzurike undergoes ‘last resort’ back surgery, season is overThe former second-round pick is trending dangerously toward bust territory.

ALLEN PARK -- D’Andre Swift appears poised to make his return to the field on Sunday in Dallas. That kind of juice will be needed against Dallas’ formidable defense, especially with top free-agent acquisition DJ Chark ruled out because of an ankle injury. The Lions also announced quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell won’t make the trip to Dallas because of “personal” reasons. Senior offensive assistant John Morton will handle Brunell’s game-day duties with Jared Goff and the rest of the quarterbacks. He’s spent the last two decades as an offensive assistant, including serving as offensive coordinator for USC (2009-10) and the New York Jets (2017).

ALLEN PARK -- Josh Reynolds returned to practice on Friday, giving him a shot to play when the Detroit Lions return from their bye on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Reynolds is the Lions’ leading receiver with 335 yards this season, despite playing through an ankle injury for the better part of a month. Then sustained in a knee injury in the shutout loss against New England two weeks ago, and was unavailable to practice when Detroit returned from the bye this week. But he squeezed in a limited day of practice as Detroit wrapped up preparations for the Cowboys on Friday, a huge lift for a team that remains without top free-agent receiver DJ Chark (ankle). And every day we’ll continue to check, the doctors and everything will continue to check and I talk with him.

ALLEN PARK -- While Jameson Williams remains a long away from suiting up, help is still on the way for the Detroit Lions offense. Star running back D’Andre Swift returned to practice on Wednesday and says he’s trending toward playing on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. The team finally decided to shut him down to get him right, and Swift missed the last two games. Now with Swift’s return imminent, the offense should get a badly-needed lift as they try to put the shutout loss in New England behind them. We’ve got some big games coming up ahead, so I feel like we can do whatever we want to do, try to take it day by day, game by game, improve and finish better.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions (1-3) hit the road to face the New England Patriots (1-3) in a crucial game before the bye week. Sit Patriots DefenseThe Patriots are a weird team for fantasy football. They’re going to try to control the football, wear us out on defense,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. Decker and Sewell must be ready for anything against that New England defense. So, we have to be able to adapt and hit it on the run, make good adjustments.”2022 TEAM STATSDVOA offensive ranking: Lions 7th | Patriots 18thDVOA defensive ranking: Lions 32nd | Patriots 19thNet yards gained per passing attempt: Lions 6.9 (7th) | Patriots 6.7 (9th)Rushing yards per attempt: Lions 5.9 (1st) | Patriots 4.5 (13th)Points per game: Lions 35 (1st) | Patriots 18.5 (23rd)Points allowed per game: Lions 35.3 (32nd) | Patriots 25 (22nd)Net yards allowed per passing attempt: Lions 7.2 (28th) | Patriots 6 (12th)Rushing yards allowed per attempt: Lions 5.6 (32nd) | Patriots 5.1 (29th)Takeaways: Lions 3 | Patriots 6SERIES HISTORYThe Patriots lead the all-time series 7-5.

ALLEN PARK -- Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown are unlikely to play in New England after missing yet another practice on Thursday, their fifth in a row. Both players sustained ankle injuries in the loss against Minnesota two weeks ago, while Swift also has been tending to a sprained shoulder. With the bye lurking next week, it seems Detroit is poised to get both stars some extra rest. That’s a blow to the offense of course, although that offense has handled injuries really well all season, including racking up 45 points without St. Brown and Swift last weekend against Seattle. That shrunk the list of absentees to five: Swift, St. Brown, linebacker Chris Board (knee), defensive lineman John Cominksy (wrist) and offensive lineman Matt Nelson (calf).

The injury-depleted Detroit Lions fell to the Seattle Seahawks 48-45 in the highest-scoring game of the young season.

Bench receivers Kalif Raymond and Quintez Cephus are both candidates to start against Seattle, while Detroit is also dressing two practice squad wideouts, Tom Kennedy and Maurice Alexander. Offensive tackle Dan Skipper and kicker Dominik Eberle are both dressing as well after signing with the 53-man roster on Saturday. He’s dressing in place of Shane Zylstra, who was released over the weekend to make way for the injury replacements. As for the Seahawks, they’re not dressing former Lions cornerback Justin Coleman. The rest of their inactives: Safety Joey Blount, guard Phil Haynes, defensive tackle Myles Adams, receiver Dareke Young, and cornerback Artie Burns.

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions (1-2) face the Seattle Seahawks (1-2) with a chance to get back to .500 heading into their final game before the bye week. Williams was very strong in relief of Swift last week, running for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Rashaad Penny, who ran for 170 yards on the Lions last year, has only 141 yards on 32 carries. And I think he’s got great command of that huddle, and he’s picking up pressures, he’s seeing it, he’s re-IDing his completion percentage has been on point. It’s been a rough start to the season, with Oruwariye missing the Week 2 game due to a back injury.

DETROIT -- With Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift already ruled against Seattle, DJ Chark was needed more than ever. The Lions have scratched their star free agent because of an ankle injury he suffered last week in Minnesota. He missed practice on Thursday, but that was precautionary than anything because Chark had surgery on that ankle last year. He’s been ruled out, leaving Detroit with just Josh Reynolds still standing in its starting receiver corps. To make room on the roster for the signings, Detroit released tight end Shane Zylstra and guard Drew Forbes.

It's been a chaotic first two weeks in the NFL, and somehow, the Detroit Lions are tied for first place and leading the league in offensive scoring. Is this team actually good, or just fun to watch?

The Detroit Lions got historical contributions from Aidan Hutchinson and Amon-Ra St. Brown to overcome a second-half surge by the Washington Commanders for a 36-27 victory to improve to 1-1 on the season.

The Detroit Lions got their first win of the season on Sunday vs. the Washington Commanders at Ford Field, controlling most of the game from start to finish.

A late-game surge wasn’t enough as the soaring Philadelphia Eagles came into Ford Field to defeat the Detroit Lions 35-38 in front of a sell-out crowd.

Although this year seems like the Lions may be in a different stratosphere as an organization, after blowing week one of the NFL preseason to the Atlanta Falcons, they seem like they’re the same old Lions.

The second episode of Hard Knocks featuring the Detroit Lions had a little bit of everything: the “Rodrigo” underdog story, Amon-Ra St. Brown’s incredible draft day revenge list, and even some SOL sprinkled in.

The city of Detroit is buzzing about the upcoming Detroit Lions footage on Hard Knocks, as more than 18,000 fans filled Ford Field for Family Fest last Saturday.

The Lions had a chance to win another close, late game in Atlanta on Sunday but an interception thrown by backup quarterback Tim Boyle ended any hope of a win.

The Detroit Lions' annual Thanksgiving Day game traditionally showcases one of the NFL's most downtrodden franchises.

Dan Campbell knows he can’t afford to be picky.

When the Detroit Lions hired Dan Campbell, everyone expected him to be more of a motivator than a revolutionary football mind.

Football season is underway, so it’s time to play Monday Morning Quarterback, my favorite position!

Dan Campbell wasn’t thinking about moral victories.

DETROIT – The Detroit Lions are now 3-5, and one of the many questions facing the team is the performance of the offense and play of quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford started the game well, but faded in the second half, throwing two interceptions as the Lions tried to come back against the Minnesota Vikings. Stafford -- and the Lions' offense as a whole -- has been inconsistent all year. After the game, Stafford called the interception a bad decision, saying, “I didn’t see (the linebacker), otherwise I wouldn’t have thrown it. Earlier in the game, Stafford had a streak of 16 straight completions.

DETROIT – The Detroit Lions are 3-3 after back-to-back wins following their bye week. If the Lions do want to make a run to the playoffs, they need to let Matthew Stafford loose. Here are reasons the Lions need to let Matthew Stafford carry the offense if they want to make a playoff run. The Lions need Stafford to continue hitting on those deep throws, as their offense has been inconsistent this season. If the Lions are inconsistent in how they want to run, or can’t get much of a run game going, that’s even more reason to let Stafford carry the offense.

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons actually have a shot at a winning streak. “I stopped looking at the standings about three weeks ago,” Falcons running back Todd Gurley said with a chuckle. '”Coming off a bye week, the Lions (2-3) romped to a 34-16 victory at Jacksonville, finally showing they could hold a double-digit lead. The Lions haven't had a winning streak since Weeks 2 and 3 of the 2019 season. Now, they've got to face Gurley, who seems to be getting up to the speed in the Falcons offense.

This was a victory the Detroit Lions probably needed more than they would admit. Detroit (2-3) made this one look easy, somewhat surprising considering the Lions had lost six straight in which they led by double digits. SOCIAL INJUSTICEAs they’ve done all season, players from Detroit and Jacksonville remained in their locker rooms for the national anthem. The Lions had 30 players lined up along the goal line for the anthem, with seven of them — including Stafford — taking a knee. UP NEXTThe Lions play next Sunday at Atlanta, which has won four of the last five meetings.