“Who is your Lion?” Detroit Lions fans reveal their favorite player
If your favorite Detroit Lions player is quarterback Jared Goff, you’re in good company. Lions fans have revealed “who their Lion is” ahead of the opening game on September 8, 2024.
Free Press sportswriter Dave Birkett hands out game balls for some of the best performances in the Detroit Lions’ 26-20 overtime win over the Rams on Sunday at Ford Field.
David Montgomery
Jared Goff said the Lions’ plan in overtime was simple. “Just give it to D-Mo, man. A battering ram. Just give it to him and he’ll do the rest, and it was fun.”
Montgomery rushed for 91 yards on 17 carries on Sunday and scored the game-winning 1-yard touchdown on his only possession of the game in overtime. He ran the ball five times for 46 yards on the eight-play drive and was the offensive tone-setter on a day when the Lions struggled to find a consistent rhythm.
In an offense with flashier stars, Montgomery is sometimes overlooked, but in his 18 months in Detroit he has been more consistent than anyone else and gives the Lions much-needed flexibility in their running game.
“He’s just reliable,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He runs hard, he’s tough, he’s physical, he’s getting into a rhythm and I think he’s a catalyst for us. He’s starting to wear it and he’s getting better and better and I think the line feeds off him and he feeds off them and we get what we get. This guy is a stud. He’s a stud.”
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Alex Anzalone
Aidan Hutchinson had a great day and Marcus Davenport put in an impressive performance in his debut for the Lions, but Anzalone set the tone for the Lions from the start on defense, much like Montgomery did on offense.
He had tackles for loss on two of the Rams’ first three plays and finished with a game-high 13 tackles (three for loss). Anzalone has some of the best instincts on the team. He made a couple of bone-jarring hits on Sunday and was a big reason the Lions held the capable Rams running back Kyren Williams to 50 yards on 18 carries (2.9 yards per carry).
Matthew Stafford
Stafford was a dynamite player in last year’s playoff game against the Lions and almost single-handedly led the Rams to victory on Sunday, completing 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards and holding up behind a shorthanded offensive line and the loss of his best receiver, Puka Nacua, to injury – 12 quarterback hits.
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Stafford was popular during his 12 seasons in Detroit, but was underrated because he never led the Lions to playoff success. He won a ring in his first year in LA and has continued to improve his game in subsequent seasons.
Stafford threw a bad interception and missed Cooper Kupp on a third-and-ten and ten pass late in the fourth quarter that would have decided the game, but the Rams wouldn’t be a playoff contender if they didn’t have him.
“I thought he played outstandingly and played hard and kept getting up, hit after hit, and making incredible shots,” Campbell said.
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Pre-order now from Reedy Press.
Contact him at [email protected]Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
