Every week throughout the regular season, Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his X account @ttwentyman in a feature called “10 Questions with Twentyman.”
20man: Currently, the Lions (9-1) are the top seed, with the Eagles (8-2) in second place. The Vikings (8-2) are ranked fifth, with the Packers (7-3) at sixth. The Lions still have games against the Vikings, Packers, Bills (9-2), and 49ers (5-5) remaining on their schedule. Only the San Francisco game is on the road in Week 17. The Eagles still have road games against the Los Angeles Rams (5-5), Baltimore (7-4) and Washington (7-4). They also have a home game against Pittsburgh (8-3) in Week 15. There are some challenging games in there.
The Packers face the 49ers at home this week and still have games in Detroit, Seattle (5-5) and Minnesota. There’s also a home game against a dangerous Miami (4-6) club remaining. The Vikings still need to travel to Detroit and Seattle. They also face Arizona (6-4) in Week 13 at U.S. Bank Stadium, as well as a dangerous Atlanta (6-5) team. There is still a lot of football to play, but I see the Eagles as Detroit’s most serious danger to the No. 1 seed, and I believe it will take at least 14 victories to secure it this season.
20man: It’s a legitimate question because it’s not often that a second-round pick can’t receive more playing time, but it’s a testament to Amik Robertson’s current performance in the spot. Robertson is a skilled veteran who is physical in both the pass and run game and is not hesitant to come up and strike someone. That perfectly fits the Lions’ new-look secondary. He’s only surrendered one touchdown in his coverage area this season, and it was pretty excellent coverage on Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson.
Rakestraw has 46 reps at cornerback and over 100 on special teams. This could be beneficial for him in the long run. He’s having the opportunity to see a veteran play the position at a high level while also learning some. I get the impression it’s driving him want to develop his game and contribute more, which is not a terrible thing for a young player.
20man: That’s a testament to Dan Campbell, Ben Johnson, and Aaron Glenn for their ability to adapt to personnel changes, but I’ve always said this is a player’s league. That is impossible without Lions GM Brad Holmes signing and draughting versatile players who can do a variety of things and play several positions. That is what allows for scheme versatility. The Lions have several diverse players on both sides of the ball, which allows their coordinators to attack teams in a variety of ways.
20man: Ifeatu Melifonwu has had a tough 2024 season thus far. He missed the first nine games of the season due to an ankle injury that lasted longer than the Lions initially anticipated. He was almost getting ready to return to the lineup when he suffered a finger injury in practice last week, forcing the Lions to place him back on injured reserve. He won’t be able to return until at least December 22 against Chicago.
The best-case scenario is that he returns for the final few weeks of the regular season and a playoff run, but that is not guaranteed. It’s really bad; I was looking forward to seeing how Glenn deployed Melifonwu alongside Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch at safety. With all of the ailments on that side of the ball this season, the Lions may likely benefit from his versatility.
20man: Several things. Sam LaPorta experienced a hamstring issue in training camp that lasted into the regular season, with the coaches attempting to limit his reps. He also missed a game and a half due to his current shoulder injury. That’s number one.
No. 2 is the emergence of Jameson Williams. He’s become an important component of this offence, and we knew the targets had to come from someplace. LaPorta had 69 targets and 50 receptions over 10 games last season. This season, that figure has dropped to 32 targets and 25 receptions. We also can’t ignore the focus teams have on LaPorta following a Pro Bowl debut season. LaPorta contributed significantly to the Houston victory. He’s expected to return this week after missing last week’s game with a shoulder injury, and I believe he’ll have an effect against an Indianapolis defence that ranks 27th in fantasy points allowed to tight ends this season.
20man: Za’Darius Smith is not an unfamiliar player, but I believe he will make a significant contribution this week and in the future. Glenn stated that the objective is to increase his reps and deploy him across the defensive front. Smith possesses some of the best hands among edge rushers in the game, making it difficult for defenders to gain a strong grip on him and stay on for long. The more comfortable he becomes with the scheme, the more plays he’ll make. The Colts are 18th in sacks allowed this season.
20man: As of right now, I don’t expect it to have much of an impact. Jack Campbell takes over the green dot, calling the plays and making modifications. He is more than capable. Malcolm Rodriguez will bear a significant portion of the Lions’ productivity deficit while Alex Anzalone is absent. I approached Campbell about that on Wednesday, and this is what he said: “I mean, he kind of becomes the next man up. I mean, he and Jack Campbell. It’s actually Jack and Malcolm. I mean, those two are going to bear the heaviest load in the entire room. So, while he is aware of this, he is prepared.
Malcolm is a football player, man, and he embraces this, as well as some of the other stuff – this week is totally in his wheelhouse; it fits him perfectly, as does Jack. So, he’ll be big for us and for the rest of the season.” The Lions have always considered Rodriguez a starter, and he has seen a lot of action for this football team over the last three years. Losing Anzalone is difficult, but it demonstrates why depth is so important in this league. The Lions are confident Rodriguez will fill the position nicely.
20man: You peaked my attention, so I went to look. They’ve been flagged for one improper formation penalty this season. That is it. That demonstrates the amount of discipline and excellence Johnson expects from his players before the snap. When there is so much continuity on offence with the same coordinator and core players for several years, the outcome is fewer procedural penalties. Johnson dislikes pre-snap penalties more than I believe he enjoys scoring plays. He is a perfectionist, and this carries over to his players.
20man: This week will provide a nice test. The Colts’ wide receivers Alec Pierce, Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and a rising Adonai Mitchell are a strong group. Quarterback Anthony Richardson can throw the ball a long far and is arguably at his best accurate when throwing down the field. Arnold’s technique has improved significantly over the last month, with less clutching and grabbing. He’s an aggressive cornerback, which will result in some penalties, but he’s currently playing some really good football, and Lions fans should be happy about his potential.
20man: I mentioned Smith above. He’s becoming more comfortable and is likely to play more snaps this week in Indianapolis. Martin was selected the Scout Team Player of the Week last week. Glenn stated that the coaches saw some of his reps against Frank Ragnow last week, and it was an easy decision. That is obviously a great sign.
Glenn told me Thursday that they still want to see more consistency in practice and get Martin more reps before he plays in a game. Maybe I’m wrong; it just seemed to be the impression I got, but I believe we’ll see Martin sooner rather than later, and the goal is that he can join that rotation inside and make an effect.