Lions Dominate Jaguars, 52-6, for Eighth Straight Win

Takeaways from Detroit Lions' victory against Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field.

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) celebrates in the end zone after scoring his second touchdown of the game / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions were seeking to extend their seven-game winning streak against an opponent that arrived to Ford Field with a meager 2-8 record.

Following a comeback victory against the Houston Texans, the Lions set out to exploit the weaknesses of a Jacksonville Jaguars squad dealing with rumors swirling regarding the future of their head coach and general manager.

Detroit has been operating on a different practice schedule each of the last two weeks, utilizing Wednesday as a walkthrough as opposed to a traditional practice. This has been done in an effort to preserve the health and stamina of their veteran players.

"Every team is not the same. Every year is not the same. This is the first time that I've really gone to this, particularly this early in the season," Campbell told the Lions' flagship radio station pregame. "But, I feel like, with where we're at, just knowing the type of shape we're in, which is good. But, we're a little more veteran, and I know what's coming down the wire here. We've got a number of games, after this game, I think we've got four in 18 days. So, it's the right thing to do. But, I know this, they were humming yesterday in practice. That's telling you they've recovered from Houston and they're ready to go."

After 60 minutes of action, the Lions improved their record to 9-1, soundly defeating the Jaguars, 52-6.

Unfortunately, linebacker Alex Anzalone left the game early with what appeared to be a severe forearm injury.

Here are several takeaways from the Lions' Week 11 victory.

David Montgomery running hard early

Detroit won the opening coin toss, and elected to start the game on defense. With the solid play in the second half against the Texans, Detroit's defense earned introductory honors ahead of the start of the Week 11 contest.

After the Lions held the Jaguars to an opening field goal, the offense methodically marched down the field on an opening 70-yard touchdown drive.

David Montgomery capped off Detroit's nine-play drive with a 2-yard rushing scamper. The veteran running back secured four carries for 21 yards on Detroit's opening drive, running hard and breaking multiple tackles of Jaguars' defenders.

Montgomery has now rushed for a touchdown in five consecutive games at Ford Field.

The veteran back recorded another rushing touchdown in the second quarter, to give Detroit a 21-3 lead.

David Montgomery, who was part of Bobblehead giveaway, scores! pic.twitter.com/Z9eXSE8OJm

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) November 17, 2024

Lions take advantage of Jaguars' defense with explosive plays

Detroit scored on its second and third offensive possessions of the first half.

Ben Johnson exploited the Jaguars' defense's propensity to give up explosive plays on the Lions' second offensive possession.

Jameson Williams took a short pass, and helped put Detroit's offense near the red zone with a 24-yard reception.

On the next play, Gibbs scampered 23 yards to the 4-yard line.

Gibbs capped off Detroit's 13-play, 93-yard drive with a 1-yard scamper, that featured a spin move, to extend Detroit's lead to 14-3. The second-year running back would play a big role later in the half, taking a short pass from Goff for a 54-yard gain to set up a 27-yard Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdown grab.

Alex Anzalone Leaves Jaguars Game With Serious Forearm Injury

Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) walks off the field due to an injury during the first half against Jaguars / Junfu Han/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Sonic and Knuckles BOTH scored against Jaguars pic.twitter.com/VxwKEG0hRO

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) November 17, 2024

Defense punishes Jaguars' offense

After scoring a field goal on its first drive, the Jaguars' offense quickly lost its momentum. In part, this happened because of the ferocity of Detroit's defense.

Kerby Joseph attacked early with an open-field tackle, then Alex Anzalone added a tackle-for-loss to force a punt on Jacksonville's second drive. Brian Branch also delivered a pop on tight end Evan Engram.

On Jacksonville's third series, Amik Robertson forced a punt by blowing up a third-down screen pass. With the Lions' secondary set to get reinforcements with the potential returns of Emmanuel Moseley and Ifeatu Melifonwu in the coming weeks, the group has been playing at a high level.

Late in the third quarter, the Lions got their first takeaway of the game, thanks to a Kerby Joseph interception. The pick was Joseph's seventh of the year, which makes him the NFL leader.

Lions lead league in quick strike drives

The Lions' potent offense was on full display. In fact, Detroit's offense has been the league's most explosive group in terms of drives that span four plays or less.

On Sunday, the Lions had consecutive quick strikes. First, the touchdown to St. Brown completed a four-play drive. After halftime, Detroit reached the end zone in four plays, thanks to a 64-yard touchdown catch for Jameson Williams.

For Williams, it was his second 100-yard receiving game this season. It was also the first time that both Williams and St. Brown surpassed 100 receiving yards in the same game.

Detroit started the game scoring touchdowns on its first six offensive possessions.

Lions have most QUICK-STRIKE Touchdown Drives in NFL (12) pic.twitter.com/NZpBrMtQpt

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) November 17, 2024