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D.J. Reader on pace to rejoin Detroit Lions ‘winning’ D-line in Week 2 barring a setback

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D.J. Reader on pace to rejoin Detroit Lions ‘winning’ D-line in Week 2 barring a setback


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The Detroit Lions defensive line made a statement Sunday night against a battered Los Angeles Rams offensive line and are in line to add D.J. Reader back into the mix.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Monday the team still wants to get Reader back into the fold this week. This has been the team’s plan for Reader’s recovery from a torn quad muscle since they took him off the physically unable to perform list just before the start of the season.

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“I think the plan was, ultimately, if we couldn’t get D.J. up last week, or just we didn’t feel quite there, that Tampa was always the target,” Campbell said. “So, providing there is no setbacks, we’d like to get him going. This week, he looked pretty good in practice.”

Reader has been out since Week 15 of last year with a torn quad he suffered as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Lions signed him to a two-year, $22 million deal to anchor the defensive line as a hole-stuffing nose tackle to play alongside the Lions’ other young defensive tackles, Alim McNeill and Levi Onwuzurike. McNeill said he is excited to see the space he clears taking on double-teams on the interior.

“He’s going to have to take up some double teams so I can get some one-on-ones,” McNeill said with a smile. “He has to take some double teams on because he destroys centers. That’s just what he does and that’s what he did when he was in Cincy.”

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He will re-join a defensive line that was one of the standout position groups for the Lions in the 26-20 overtime win over the Rams on Sunday. The Lions recorded just two sacks, but constantly lived in the backfield against the Rams’ beat-up offensive line with backups across the board. Matthew Stafford was getting rid of the ball as fast as possible while absorbing hit after hit. He took 12 quarterback hits and only three of his 34 completions traveled more than 10 yards down the field, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

“Just about every one of them had a winning performance up front,” Campbell said. “I thought they played big. I thought they played physical. And we feel like we have a good defensive line.

“And I know that it’s game one but just since the spring and training camp and seeing where we are at, it’s the right mix. It’s the right balance of length, power, size, aggression. And that’s just game one. We got so much room to grow in there too.”

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Aidan Hutchinson led the way as a destructive force, caving in the Rams offensive line wherever he lined up while Marcus Davenport crashed in from the opposite edge in a productive Lions debut. Hutchinson had one sack, five tackles (one for loss) and four hits on Stafford’s drop backs. Davenport linked up with Onwuzurike on the team’s first sack and also chipped in four hits on Stafford.

“I thought Hutch and Davenport on the perimeter, all day long, were a force,” Campbell said.

According to Pro Football Focus’ postgame analysis, Hutchinson graded out as the Lions’ best performer on offense or defense with a score of 94.0 on a 0-100 scale. He caused issues for whoever the Rams had at left tackle, whether it was Joe Noteboom or A.J. Arcuri, with his power moves to the inside or his patented spin move to win with speed.

Onwuzurike played a career-high 50 snaps and had the half-sack, two hits on Stafford and two total tackles. The performance was what his teammates and coaches expected after he had a fully healthy offseason into a strong training camp.

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“That’s the type of player he is,” McNeill said. “He’s worked and got himself back in that position to be Levi again. He’s comfortable. You saw him, he got a sack last night. So, he’s doing great.”

MORE ON LEVI: We asked the Detroit Lions: Which teammate is poised for a breakout 2024 season?

Lions defense steps up in big moments

The Lions came up with two defensive stops to give their offense a chance at a comeback after the Rams took a 20-17 lead with 17 unanswered points.

The Lions gave the ball back to LA with 4:10 left and an opportunity to salt the game away, but the Lions forced a punt to get the ball back with just over two minutes. The offense executed well enough to get the game-tying field goal, then closed regulation with Hutchinson’s sack on what ended up being the defense’s final snap.

The defense’s effort was well-rewarded by the offense’s game-winning touchdown drive in overtime that kept Stafford and the Rams’ offense off the field.

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“Y’all have heard that word 1,000 times but that right there is the definition of grit,” Onwuzurike said.

The Lions also held the Rams to 20 points on six trips inside Detroit’s 25-yard line, including pulling in an interception and forcing a turnover on downs. It was far from a perfect performance, McNeill said, since they still gave up more than zero points, but did what found a way to get stops with their backs against the wall. Onwuzurike said the emphasis on the red zone is a key pillar of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s approach, which proved effective Sunday.

“He talks about how that’s how you win games — in the red zone,” Onwuzurike said. “So, we take that serious. We’ll see guys like Hutch, BB (Brian Branch), Anzo (Alex Anzalone), all these guys, kind of look us in the eye and say ‘we gotta lock in here. This is how we win games.’”



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Detroit, MI

Video recap: Detroit Lions with bounce-back drubbing of Chicago Bears

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Video recap: Detroit Lions with bounce-back drubbing of Chicago Bears


CHICAGO, Ill. — The Detroit Lions smashed the Chicago Bears with a business-like mentality, with a hint of flare on a beautifully designed trick play, in their 34-17 win.

This victory gives the Lions 13 wins on the season, the most in franchise history. They also set a new single-season record for points scored, eclipsing the mark set by the 2011 team led by Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. Not too shabby with two games left on the schedule.

They are undefeated on the road this season, not to mention 5-0 in the division.

Inside the locker room: Lions explain process behind ‘Stumble Bum’ trick play

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Dan Campbell leads Lions to team record 13th win, still ‘not time’ to celebrate

Detroit’s offense was lethal, with a breakout showing in running back Jahmyr Gibbs’ first game in the standalone lead role without David Montgomery. Jared Goff threw for another 336 yards and three scores. And the Lions quarterback got hit clicking with receivers Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Williams hit a career-long 82-yard touchdown catch and finished with a career-high 143 receiving yards. St. Brown caught six of eight targets sent his way for 70 yards and one touchdown.

The Lions and their banged-up defense were hit for a lot of passing yards. But they managed to come up with two takeaways, leading to 10 points, and held the Bears to converting only two third-down tries on 10 attempts in the win.

See below for MLive’s video breakdowns from after this game:

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  • BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.



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Detroit, MI

The Glancy Train set continues to attract thousands at Detroit Historical Museum this holiday season

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The Glancy Train set continues to attract thousands at Detroit Historical Museum this holiday season


MIDTOWN (WXYZ) — At Detroit Historical Museum, 74-year-old Peter Dudley really knows how to keep things on track.

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“Yes, I’ve been a volunteer since 1997, which was the year we built the current exhibit,” says Dudley.

The Glancy Trains exhibit has been a crowd favorite for years. 13 trains moving along 12 electric-powered tracks, all thanks to a team of 3 volunteers.

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“The main thing the volunteers do is to keep the trains running,” said Dudley.

From keeping the tracks clean to repairing the trains, Dudley is always busy in his workshop over the weekends.

They go from zero to 35 mph in a split second, which is another reason we have to make sure they don’t derail, said Dudley.

The collection, which dates back to the mid-1900s, belonged to Alfred Glancy Jr., a real estate financier and former owner of the Empire State Building in New York City. Detroit Historical Society’s Rebecca Salminen-Witt says Glancy enjoyed hosting “train parties” for friends and family each holiday season at his home in Grosse Pointe Shores. After his death in 1973, the Glancy family donated the set.

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“Every kid who comes here wants to see these trains, Mr. Glancy was obviously a train guy himself. His children actually are still involved with the museum. They still love these trains, visit them and support them,” said Salminen-Witt.

Salminen-Witt says that as the exhibit grows, thanks to donations from various sources, it truly highlights Detroit’s rich history.

“Most people are really excited about the renaissance that they are seeing at Michigan Central Station. They were developing that train station right at the cusp between train travel, railroad travel and the beginning of the automotive, well as we know the cars took over,” said Salminen-Witt.

And it turns out a lot of Detroit’s history is baked into the exhibit.

“We’ve got that big tire, people are familiar with on your way to the airport, you pass on I94, on the other end of the exhibit, we have the big stove. So, Detroit was the stove manufacturing capital of the country. And, of course, trains hauled those stoves everywhere,” said Salminen-Witt.

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“I often come out from behind, from the workshop, and I talk to people about local Detroit railroad history,” said Dudley.

“Does this remind you of your childhood?” asked Faraz Javed, 7 News Detroit reporter.

“I received my first train as a christmas present from my grandparents. That particular December we traveled on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad leaving from Michigan Central Station,” said Dudley.

Now, the Glancy Train exhibit runs year-round at the Detroit Historical Museum. And Dudley says they are always in need of volunteers. To find out how you can become one, just head to this website.





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Detroit, MI

Detroit Mercy visits Wisconsin after Winter’s 20-point outing

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Detroit Mercy visits Wisconsin after Winter’s 20-point outing


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Detroit Mercy Titans (5-8, 1-2 Horizon League) at Wisconsin Badgers (9-3, 0-2 Big Ten)

Madison, Wisconsin; Sunday, 2 p.m. EST

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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Badgers -29; over/under is 148.5

BOTTOM LINE: Wisconsin plays Detroit Mercy after Nolan Winter scored 20 points in Wisconsin’s 83-74 victory against the Butler Bulldogs.

The Badgers are 6-1 on their home court. Wisconsin scores 81.9 points and has outscored opponents by 9.5 points per game.

The Titans have gone 2-4 away from home. Detroit Mercy ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 10.7 offensive rebounds per game led by Stephen Okoro averaging 2.0.

Wisconsin’s average of 8.9 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.5 fewer made shots on average than the 9.4 per game Detroit Mercy gives up. Detroit Mercy averages 6.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 fewer made shot on average than the 7.5 per game Wisconsin gives up.

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TOP PERFORMERS: John Tonje is shooting 46.0% and averaging 20.0 points for the Badgers.

Orlando Lovejoy is shooting 41.5% and averaging 13.7 points for the Titans.

LAST 10 GAMES: Badgers: 7-3, averaging 81.9 points, 31.9 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 5.4 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.1 points per game.

Titans: 3-7, averaging 67.3 points, 33.0 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 6.7 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 41.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.8 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.




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