Alex Anzalone returns from concussion protocol

The Detroit Lions didn't score as many points in their Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they did in their Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams, but offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said their overall offensive play was better.

“We actually had more individual win marks than we did the week before, so our focus, as coach (Dan Campbell) says, is to get better individually,” Johnson said. “That's definitely happened on offense.”

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) runs for a first down against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

The Lions moved the ball more consistently and avoided the three-and-outs that plagued them against the Rams, but Johnson lamented his team's well-documented struggles in the red zone against Tampa – the Lions converted just one of seven trips inside the 20-yard line into a touchdown – and said his unit needs to play better complementary football.

Johnson admitted he needs a better red zone plan for this week's game against the Arizona Cardinals, but downplayed the urgency of getting tight end Sam LaPorta more involved in the offense.

LaPorta has just six catches for 58 yards in two games after finishing second on his team in receptions (86) and receiving yards (889) last season.

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“Last week it was (Amon-Ra) St. Brown, this week it's LaPorta, next week it's going to be someone else,” Johnson said. “It's just the nature of the game. That's what we have right now. We have a lot of weapons and it's hard to guarantee someone five to eight targets every single game, that's not how it works.”

A case in point, Johnson said, was the Lions forcing Josh Reynolds to get the ball in Week 18 of the regular season last year. The Lions wanted Reynolds to meet his contracted yards and catches, but couldn't get him enough touches to make that happen until the game's final possession.

“It's the same message as always: For everybody that's active on game day, we have plays where they're the primary receivers, for everybody, and when we call that number, it really depends on what defense we're paired up with,” Johnson said. “(Jared Goff) isn't worried about getting the ball to a certain player, he's worried about running that certain play.”

Fipp's Plan

The new NFL kickoff rule has done little to change teams' preference for touchbacks. Through two weeks, NFL teams have scored touchbacks on 67.1% of their kickoffs, according to ESPN, and the Lions have one of the league's highest touchback rates at 90% (and their only kickoff that didn't result in a touchback was a mistake).

While many have suggested moving touchbacks from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line to allow for more returns, Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp made an alternative suggestion on Thursday.

“I hope they motivate the kick coverage team more than they currently do,” he said. “And I think one way to do that is to move the touchback to the 35-yard line. But another way is to push the coverage group forward five yards, and that would motivate them to kick a return ball in the landing zone.”

“Keep the touchback at the 30, move the coverage group up 5 yards, then theoretically their drive start should be 5 yards worse. And then the touchback … would still stay at the 30. The offense wouldn't like that so much, so there's a way to keep (the defense) happy and still get the game going.”

The NFL consulted with special teams coordinators when revising kickoff rules this season and will likely do so again when it revisits the game this winter. The league touted the likelihood of improved drive starts for the offense under the new rule as a way to increase scoring, and Fipp acknowledged they may not want to do anything that could affect that.

“I mean, the truth is they want the ball as far up front as they can get it to start,” he said. “They want teams to try on fourth down, which they tend to do in the middle of the field, they want teams to not punt as much, they want teams to kick long field goals and all that stuff. They want points.”

Dreams of the Super Bowl

This was a somewhat offhand remark in response to a question about whether the Lions need to cover more returns to prepare for bad weather games when kicking is more difficult late in the year, but Fipp provided another example of the Lions pursuing their Super Bowl ambitions this year.

“I think we're playing about 14 games indoors, so we're not going to play much outdoors,” Fipp said. “The Super Bowl is in New Orleans, so that's another indoor game. But I think that's part of it.”

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The Lions have three outdoor games where weather could be a factor: against the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 3, the Chicago Bears on Dec. 22 and the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30.

If they enter the playoffs as the number one seed in the NFC, they can be assured of staying in the league throughout the playoffs.

Anzalone returns to training

Alex Anzalone returned to practice Thursday after suffering a brain injury in a helmet-to-helmet collision with teammate Derrick Barnes against Tampa.

Barring any setbacks, Anzalone is expected to return Sunday, but defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said he has a lot of confidence in second-year linebacker Jack Campbell to take over green-dot duties if Anzalone fails concussion protocol.

“I've said this all along, but I have a lot of confidence in the linebackers,” Glenn said. “Jack has done a good job for us since OTAs and training camp backing up Alex and being able to make all the decisions and be in front of the huddle, so I have no problem with that.”

Glenn also said he was pleased with nose tackle DJ Reader's performance in his 25 snaps last week against the Bucs, his first game back from the torn quadriceps muscle he suffered last season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“When it comes to someone who can pick up blocks, when it comes to someone who can actually get into the pocket, and I'm sure you guys saw it — I mean, he was maybe two times close to a sack in that situation, so his secret athleticism showed,” Glenn said. “Man, when that guy really gets going, I think that's going to have some big things going for him with those guys.”

Alex Anzalone returns from concussion protocol

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