Detroit

Lions

The 30-year-old culture tonesetter has mostly only turned to fantasy relevancy when injuries piled up. The Lions had to use Amon-Ra St. Brown on returns after his injury and will likely seek a new returner off the practice circuit this week.

The Lions’ backup linebacker is expected to miss some time. The Lions will also be without WR Tom Kennedy, who serves as the team’s top returner, for a while. Kennedy suffered a “sprain,” seemingly in his knee, during a return.

Gibbs scored twice today, bringing his career touchdown total up to 57, breaking the NFL record set by former Lions RB Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns scored by a player under 25 years old. The exceptionally talented player gets a boost from his sharp coaching staff, who continue to maximize Gibbs’ strengths. OC Drew Petzing dialed up a trick-play screen pass for Gibbs after the two-minute warning, in which Gibbs took the handoff, pitched it to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who pitched it back to Jared Goff, who then chucked it back to Gibbs with three offensive linemen in front of him on the left side of the field. An 18-yard gain ensued. Gibbs later produced a season-long 22-yard run. Although he scored two touchdowns today, he could have had a third. On the Lions’ ninth drive, Gibbs got two chances from the one-yard line on the ninth drive before the coaching staff greenlit a successful QB sneak for Goff. The Lions are on bye in Week 6, but he returns to the top of the running back ranks against the Packers in Week 7.

LaPorta got involved on the Lions’ third drive, making a clutch 12-yard grab on 4th-and-3 while suffering what the officials deemed an unnecessarily rough hit by LB Mack Wilson at the end of the play. He chipped in two catch-and-run plays on the following drive. The first being an 11-yard play that was controversially ruled down in front of the sticks. Coach Dan Campbell called his number on the next play, resulting in an effortless 38-yard touchdown down the right side of the field. LaPorta tacked on an eight-yard catch and a 19-yard catch in the second half as the Lions cruised to a blowout win. He goes on bye next week but returns to the TE1 ranks in Week 7 against the Packers.

Jared Goff gave TeSlaa two chances to contribute today. The first was a 3rd-and-13 pass on the Lions’ second drive, just beyond the sticks, in which TeSlaa went aerial and fully horizontal, trying to make the diving catch. The pass, unfortunately, fell incomplete. Goff went back to him on the fifth drive, firing a pass — just a touch too high — to the second-year wide receiver who was wide open on a crossing route, racing across the back of the end zone. TeSlaa leapt for it and got a hand on it, but he couldn’t come down with it. TeSlaa takes his goose egg into the Lions’ Week 6 bye. With any luck, it hatches into a FLEX-relevant stat line against the Packers in Week 7, though he remains a boom-bust pass catcher.

The Lions’ speedster only caught two passes today, but he made them count. Williams’ first catch was a nine-yard, fourth-down touchdown on the Lions’ fifth drive. He nearly hauled in a 25-yarder via a play-action target on the sixth drive, but Cardinals CB Max Melton batted it away. He was open for an explosive gain on the next drive, but Jared Goff checked down to Sam LaPorta about 10 yards beneath Williams. A few plays later, Williams dusted his coverage defender for a 39-yard score from bunch formation, hauling in the touchdown pass in stride in the end zone. Goff later gave him another touchdown chance on a downfield throw targeted inside the Cardinals’ five-yard line, but Williams couldn’t secure it. He’ll now take a week off with the Lions’ Week 6 bye, but return as a WR2 against the Packers in Week 7.

Lions coach Dan Campbell tasked St. Brown with punt return duties (2/36) after Tom Kennedy got hurt. While St. Brown looked great weaving through traffic, his first return nearly ended in a lost fumble, but a teammate dove on the loose ball, bailing him out after it was punched out of St. Brown possession. St. Brown nearly had a 43-yard touchdown on a sideline play-action shot on the Lions’ seventh drive, but he couldn’t quite get his hands on it. He almost bagged short scores via out routes on the Lions’ eighth and ninth drives, but his coverage defender effectively challenged the pass on the first and the pass was just out of his reach on the second. He had a nice 36-yard catch-and-run on the eighth drive and nearly nabbed another explosive gain on the sixth drive, but Sam LaPorta accidentally knocked him down 11 yards downfield after St. Brown leapt over a downed Cardinals defender. He had another fumble recovered by a teammate after snagging a pass on a crosser. The Lions’ stud wide receiver will be an elite WR1 against the Packers following the Lions’ Week 6 bye.

Sacks and a few errant throws under pressure derailed the Lions’ first three drives. Goff got things back on track after that, guiding the offense to seven straight scoring drives, including six touchdowns. He even punched in a one-yard rushing touchdown via a quarterback sneak, marking his first rushing score since 2023. Goff could have boosted his passing yards total with a likely explosive gain by targeting an open Jameson Williams on the first drive after halftime, but he instead checked down to Sam LaPorta in the flats for an eight-yard pickup. The Lions are on bye in Week 6, but Goff will be a locked-in QB1 against the Packers in Week 7.

Slowed by a foot injury, Bartch, one of the Lions’ better backup offensive linemen, will be unavailable today. Fortunately, the Lions’ offensive line health is improving and stud C Cade Mays (wrist) could return in a week or two. The Lions will also be without Ya-Sin, one of two starting perimeter cornerbacks and S Brian Branch (Achilles) is not yet ready to resume playing. This should be a high-scoring game environment, though DL Tyleik Williams (foot) is active.l

Mays and S Brian Branch (Achilles) are not yet ready to return from their injuries. Starting CB Rock Ya-Sin (hamstring) has been ruled out as well, and DL Tyleik Williams (foot) is questionable to play.