The Lions got a big bounce-back performance to beat the Cowboys last Thursday night and one of their defensive players has been rewarded for the part he played in it.
Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad has been named NFC defensive player of the week.
Muhammad had 3.0 sacks in the 44-30 victory, which was the most among any individual player in Week 14.
The veteran Muhammad now has a career-high 9.0 sacks this season, also having registered seven tackles for loss and 16 QB hits in his 13 games.
This is the first time Muhammad has won a player of the week award.
The Lions will be on the road to face the Rams in Week 15.
Lions Clips
Cornerback Arthur Maulet is back on the Lions’ roster.
The team announced Maulet’s signing on Tuesday afternoon. Maulet was waived by the team in late November.
Maulet appeared in six games before being let go. He had 14 tackles and an interception in those games. He has also appeared in 85 games for the Ravens, Steelers, Jets, Colts, and Saints.
The veteran’s return adds to the depth in the Lions’ secondary. They lost safety Brian Branch to a torn Achilles last Thursday and are also dealing with injuries to Kerby Joseph and Thomas Harper.
The Lions waived tight end Ross Dwelley in a corresponding move. Dwelley had two catches for 11 yards in 11 games for the Lions this season.
Fresh from a record-setting pair of Thanksgiving games, it seemed possible that Thursday’s high stakes Cowboys-Lions game would set the audience record for streaming.
It didn’t.
The good news is that the 19.39 million average viewership set a record for Thursday night streaming on Prime Video. Still, they’ve got to be disappointed that it didn’t get to 20 million.
The Cowboys are the Cowboys, and the Lions have emerged as a national draw over the past three seasons.
The next opportunity to get to 20 million comes in nine days, when the 10-3 Seahawks host the 10-3 Rams in a game that could determine both the NFC West crown and the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Meanwhile, the streaming record of 24.3 million from Ravens-Texans on Christmas 2024 still stands. Given the two Netflix games set for December 25 this year (Cowboys-Commanders, Lions-Vikings), it’s unlikely that there will be a new high-water mark for streaming in 2025.
And with the Chiefs fading, the Prime Video game on Christmas night between Denver and Kansas City probably won’t get there, either.
The Lions lost Brian Branch for the season when he tore his Achilles in last Thursday’s win over the Cowboys, but head coach Dan Campbell said on Monday that the team feels like they are still well stocked at safety.
Branch’s injury comes at a time when Kerby Joseph is recovering from a knee injury and Thomas Harper is in the concussion protocol, but Campbell said at his press conference that they plan to get Joseph “some reps in practice” this week as he tries to play for the first time since Week 6. Campbell also praised Avonte Maddox’s play at the position and named Daniel Thomas, Erick Hallett, and Damontae Kazee as others who make him feel comfortable about who is available.
“We’re good, man. . . . We got options here, but it’s like anything — you lose a good player, it hurts,” Campbell said. “But it’s not like we’re in dire straits.”
Wednesday’s practice report will bring updates about Joseph and Harper that will give a better idea of what the safety group will look like against the Rams this week.
The Chargers’ win over the Eagles on Monday night kept both the AFC West and the NFC East races competitive for at least another week. We take a look at the playoff picture below, with standings updated through Monday Night Football in Week 14:
AFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION LEADERS
1. Broncos (11-2) If they win out, they’re the No. 1 seed in the AFC, as they own the tiebreaker over the Patriots.
2. Patriots (11-2) Their lead in the AFC East looks safe, but to earn the No. 1 seed they have to hope the Broncos lose a game.
3. Jaguars (9-4) After beating the Colts, they’re the clear favorites in the AFC South.
4. Steelers (7-6) Got their biggest win of the season in Baltimore.
WILD CARDS
5. Chargers (9-4) First in the wild card race thanks to a better AFC record than the Bills.
6. Bills (9-4) Probably won’t catch the Patriots in the AFC East, but in great shape for a wild card.
7. Texans (8-5) Own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Colts.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
8. Colts (8-5) Losing Daniel Jones could be devastating to their playoff chances.
9. Ravens (6-7) Losing at home to the Steelers was costly.
10. Chiefs (6-7) Probably can’t make the playoffs even if they run the table.
11. Dolphins (6-7) Best of the bad teams in the AFC.
12. Bengals (4-9) Clinched a losing record with their loss in Buffalo.
13. Jets (3-10) Mathematically eliminated.
14. Browns (3-10) Mathematically eliminated.
15. Raiders (2-11) Mathematically eliminated.
16. Titans (2-11) Mathematically eliminated.
NFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION LEADERS
1. Rams (10-3) Own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks in the NFC West.
2. Packers (9-3-1) Big win over the Bears.
3. Eagles (8-5) Defending champions are on a three-game losing streak but still have a 1.5-game lead over the Cowboys in the NFC East.
4. Buccaneers (7-6) Still lead the NFC South thanks to the common games tiebreaker with the Panthers.
WILD CARDS
5. Seahawks (10-3) Need to win their rematch with the Rams on December 18.
6. 49ers (9-4) Despite a lot of injuries, they remain in playoff position.
7. Bears (9-4) Big loss to the Packers.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
8. Lions (8-5) Big win over the Cowboys
9. Panthers (7-6) Kept hope alive by beating the Rams.
10. Cowboys (6-6-1) They probably need to run the table, and even then they may not make the playoffs.
11. Vikings (5-8) Last place in the NFC North.
12. Falcons (4-9) Mathematically eliminated.
13. Cardinals (3-10) Mathematically eliminated.
14. Saints (3-10) Mathematically eliminated.
15. Commanders (3-10) Mathematically eliminated.
16. Giants (2-11) Mathematically eliminated.
The injury-plagued Lions are desperate for some healthy bodies in the secondary, and they’ll hope that veteran safety Damontae Kazee can quickly get ready to play.
Kazee is signing with the Lions’ practice squad, according to NFL Network.
The 32-year-old Kazee has a wealth of experience and led the NFL in interceptions in 2018. The Lions will hope he can quickly get up to speed and get elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.
Kazee played four games for the Browns this year before he was released. He has previously played for the Steelers, Cowboys and Falcons.
The fears about Lions safety Brian Branch’s injury have been realized.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that tests show that Branch tore his Achilles when he was injured in Thursday night’s win over the Cowboys. It is a season-ending injury for the third-year player.
Branch had 75 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 12 games this season.
It’s the second season-ending injury in the last two games for a Lions defensive back. Cornerback Terrion Arnold will miss the rest of the year with a shoulder injury and the team has also been without safety Kerby Joseph since Week 6.
Thomas Harper started with Branch against Dallas, but left the game in the first quarter. Daniel Thomas and Avonte Maddox are other safety options in Detroit.
Lions safety Brian Branch left Thursday night’s win over the Cowboys with an injury that may bring his season to an end.
NFL Media reports that Branch is feared to have suffered an Achilles injury. He is having more tests on Friday before a final diagnosis about the extent of the injury will be determined, but a tear would lead to surgery and a long rehab for Branch.
The Lions have been without safety Kerby Joseph for most of the season due to a knee injury and cornerback Terrion Arnold is out for the rest of the year with a shoulder injury, so losing Branch would be another unfortunate development for a team coming off of a big win.
Branch has 75 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 12 games this season.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has tied an accomplishment previously achieved only by another Lions running back, Barry Sanders.
With three touchdowns on Thursday night, Gibbs now has 47 touchdowns in his career. Gibbs is 23 years old, and with 47 touchdowns before turning 24, he has tied Sanders’ record for the most touchdowns ever before a player’s 24th birthday.
Gibbs won’t turn 24 until the offseason and the Lions still have four more games this season, so it’s highly likely that Gibbs will surpass Sanders’ mark and have the record for most touchdowns before age 24 all to himself.
Sanders was one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. Gibbs is not there yet, but in his third NFL season he appears to be well on his way to a great career of his own.
After injuring his ankle on Thanksgiving, Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown woke up Friday unable to walk. But within six days, he was moving so well that he caught six passes for 92 yards in a Thursday night win over the Cowboys.
“After the game, I hurt it Thursday, Friday I couldn’t walk,” St. Brown said after the game. “Saturday I could barely walk. At that point I was like, ‘I can’t play, it hurts too bad.’ Sunday I was able to walk, felt a little better, tried to jog and couldn’t even do a warmup. Kind of down, feeling like I couldn’t play. And then Tuesday came and I felt a lot better, I felt like I had a chance. Wednesday I was like, OK, I feel I can play.”
St. Brown said he and the Lions’ training staff worked hard all week at getting his ankle better.
“I was gonna do everything to be out there, just to be out there for my guys,” St. Brown said. “Availability is the best ability at the end of the day. My job is to go out there, make plays and be on that field. That’s what they pay me to do, so I was going to do whatever it takes to be out there. With the help of our training staff — they did a great job, I think they’re amazing — they got me back.”
In the post-game locker room, St. Brown said his ankle wasn’t hurting too badly. But he expects to be feeling it on Friday morning.
“It feels decent,” St. Brown said. “It doesn’t feel too bad. I took some medication, so that helps — it will probably wear off tomorrow morning. But it doesn’t feel bad now.”
