Admin November 18, 2024
Bills hand Chiefs their first loss, Steelers atop the AFC North
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the top storylines from Week 11 in the NFL.
Sports Seriously
Through Week 11 of the 2024 season, the Detroit Lions are tied for the best record in the NFL.
Detroit moved to 9-1 on the year after a 52-6 blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at home. Hours later, the Buffalo Bills handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season, dropping them into a tie with the Lions for the best record in the NFL with seven weeks to play.
With the roster construction by general manager Brad Holmes and under the leadership of head coach Dan Campbell, Detroit appears set for another deep playoff run. One year after a crushing loss in the NFC championship game, the Lions are on track to push for their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
Here’s how the Lions beat the Jaguars on Sunday, by the numbers:
52 points
Detroit’s point total in Week 11 tied the mark for the most scored in a single game in the NFL this season. They’re tied with… themselves. The Lions also scored 52 points the last time they played at home: three weeks ago in a 52-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Lions lead the NFL with their 33.6 points per game. What’s more impressive, though, is that they also lead the league in total points scored (336) despite having played just 10 games. The Ravens, Bills and Commanders are the other top scorers, but they’ve all played 11 games since they haven’t had their bye week yet.
No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3
…is where the Lions rank in biggest margins of victory across all NFL games so far this season. Their latest victory, which was by 46 points, surpassed their last home win, a 38-point win over the Titans in Week 8.
That Week 8 win had matched Detroit’s previous highest margin of victory for the season, which it had accomplished two weeks before that with a 47-9 win over the Cowboys on the road in Week 6.
Part of what’s made the Lions so dominant is the fact that they’re able to shut teams down on defense while running up the score on offense. In addition to scoring the most points in the NFL through 10 games and 11 weeks, Detroit also ranks fifth in points allowed per game, with 17.7.
1
That’s how many drives the Lions had without scoring in Week 11. That single drive was one of two without a Lions touchdown, either.
Here’s a full breakdown of how each drive went for Detroit over the course of their dominant win:
- Nine plays, 70 yards, 4:37, touchdown
- 13 plays, 93 yards, 5:27, touchdown
- Eight plays, 64 yards, 4:12, touchdown
- Four plays, 84 yards, 2:12, touchdown
- Four plays, 80 yards, 2:05, touchdown
- 14 plays, 83 yards, 7:49, touchdown
- Nine plays, 96 yards, 3:55, touchdown
- Five plays, 23 yards, 2:04, 54-yard field goal
- 11 plays, 52 yards, 6:45, end of game
During the win, Detroit became the first team to score a touchdown on its first seven drives of a regular-season game since the 2007 Patriots did it (also in Week 11) against the Bills.
The only two drives in which the Lions didn’t score a touchdown were the drives led by backup quarterback Hendon Hooker. He took over with 10 minutes left in the game, when the score was already 49-6.
100%
Amon-Ra St. Brown’s catch percentage in the game. St. Brown caught all 11 of his targets during the victory, all of which came from starting quarterback Jared Goff. It’s the 10th time in the receiver’s four-year career – and the sixth time this season – that he’s accomplished the feat.
The 11 targets are the most St. Brown has seen in a “perfect game” like Sunday’s. He and Goff had previously connected on eight pass attempts without an incompletion in the Lions’ Week 7 win over the Vikings.
At one point earlier this year, Goff and St. Brown had connected 30 straight times without an incompletion. Until last week, when the receiver caught six of his eight targets, Goff hadn’t thrown a completion when targeting St. Brown since Sept. 22 (Week 3).
After 11 straight connections on Sunday, a new streak could just be getting started.
158.3
The number representing a perfect passer rating, and Goff’s passer rating on Sunday.
A week after an out-of-character, five-interception game with a 50% completion rate, the Lions’ quarterback returned to form in a big way against the Jaguars.
He finished his day early in the fourth quarter having gone 24 of 29 (82.8% completion rate) for 412 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Goff also didn’t take a sack in the game.
Sunday was Goff’s second career game with a perfect passer rating and his first with the Lions. The last time Goff earned the perfect mark was in a 2018 game against the Vikings, in which he finished the game 26-of-33 (78.79%) for 465 yards and five touchdowns.
The Week 11 win over the Jaguars was also Goff’s third game this season with a passer rating over 150, joining the Week 4 victory against the Seahawks (155.8) and Week 5 defeat of the Cowboys (153.7).