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Lions grades: Detroit survives vs. Giants despite offensive miscues, defensive breakdowns

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Lions grades: Detroit survives vs. Giants despite offensive miscues, defensive breakdowns


Detroit — Richard Silva grades the Detroit Lions in their 34-27 win over the New York Giants.

Quarterback

Jared Goff wasn’t done any favors by his teammates. His lone interception was caused by a tipped pass that should’ve been caught — there were other drops, as well — and his mobility was the only reason he wasn’t sacked more than three times. He had a couple of big-time throws, including a rifled ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown that went for 20 yards on third-and-medium. Goff’s final line: 28-of-42 for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Grade: B

Running backs

What more is there to say about Jahmyr Gibbs? One of the best players on the planet dominated for the third week in a row, and this was the best game of his career. He took the first snap of overtime 69 yards to the house. He ripped off a 49-yard rush before catching a touchdown two plays later to cap a pivotal drive in the second quarter. He scored on another 49-yarder later in the game. He’s an incredibly special talent. Grade: A+

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Wide receivers/tight ends

Drops have officially become a problem for St. Brown. The receiver entered Week 12 with five on the season, and he couldn’t corral two balls he should’ve caught, including a costly pass in the third quarter that tipped off his fingers and into the arms of safety Jevon Holland. St. Brown was Detroit’s most productive pass-catcher, snagging nine of his 13 targets for 149 yards and a touchdown. His score was the result of a screen. He showed good initial patience and proceeded to carry a handful of defenders with him into the end zone. Kalif Raymond hauled in a 30-yard reception with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half, putting kicker Jake Bates in position to make a 37-yarder before halftime. Grade: B-

Offensive line

Kayode Awosika struggled in his third game filling in for the injured Christian Mahogany at left guard, allowing two of New York’s three sacks. He was swiftly beaten by Rakeem Nuñez-Roches on the second instance, giving Goff no chance to get through his progressions. The third sack came due to defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence getting initial pressure against Graham Glasgow, which forced Goff to scramble into Darius Alexander, who had two sacks. The rookie previously only had a half-sack on the season. Grade: D

Defensive line

I’m concerned about the pass rush, but Aidan Hutchinson saved the day by sacking Jameis Winston on fourth down to slam the door on the Giants. The grade here also gets a significant boost (it’d be much lower if it only focused on rushing the passer) because of Detroit’s run defense; the Giants averaged 3.1 yards per attempt, and the interior of the line defensive line (notably, Roy Lopez) deserves credit. Grade: D+

Linebackers

Jack Campbell once again paced the Lions in total tackles (11), and he had as much to do with the team’s efforts in stopping the run as anyone, notching at least three run stops. Alex Anzalone had a couple run stops, too, but he was one the wrong end of an impressive 24-yard catch from tight end Theo Johnson, who went up and high-pointed the ball with Anzalone in coverage. Derrick Barnes wasn’t at fault for a deep pass to Winston on a trick play, but he was in the wrong for not being able to get Winston to the ground after the QB caught the pass. Grade: B

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Secondary

Covering Wan’Dale Robinson proved difficult. There were a handful of gains that were the result of well-schemed passes to the nimble receiver out of the slot, but Robinson also flat-out beat Amik Robertson. Robinson (a career-best 156 yards on nine catches) caught a touchdown on New York’s opening drive. It was a double-pass, and Thomas Harper, who later hauled in an interception, was baited out of position. D.J. Reed lost Isaiah Hodgins on a critical third-and-10 with the Giants backed up near their own goal line, and Brian Branch had a pass interference against Johnson later on that same drive. Robertson made up for some of his earlier errors with a crucial pass breakup late in regulation. Grade: D

Special teams

Bates made both of his field-goal attempts, knocking through the aforementioned 34-yarder and an absolutely massive 59-yarder to tie the score with 28 seconds remaining. Jack Fox had perhaps his best game of the season, as he averaged 40 yards across five punts and pinned the Lions inside their own 10-yard line on four occasions. Grade: A+

Coaching

With their backs against the wall, the Lions answered. Was it pretty? No. Were there mistakes? Plenty. But for the first time this season, the Lions rallied from down multiple possessions and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. That’s coaching. Dan Campbell made his errors — wasting his final timeout in regulation after a spiked ball sticks out — but this grade was saved by the culture he’s built. Grade: B

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

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The first Detroit Lions OC candidate has emerged

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The first Detroit Lions OC candidate has emerged


Blough is only two years into his coaching career after retiring from playing after the 2023 season. He has spent the last two seasons as the Washington Commanders’ assistant quarterbacks coach, helping young quarterback Jayden Daniels emerge as a strong franchise player for Washington. Late in the 2025 season, Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard took the Stanford head coaching job, leaving Blough to serve as the interim quarterbacks coach for the rest of the season.

While backing up Jared Goff in Detroit, Blough was often described by the coaching staff as an excellent backup and strong offensive mind.

“I love the kid, if I’m being totally honest with you,” Campbell said back in 2021. “He’s just a little football player. And when I say that, I mean that in the highest regard. Look, he’s smart. He’s extremely smart. He knows where to go with the football, I love his timing. He knows how to command the huddle, he communicates well and on top of that, he’s a hell of a dude, by the way. He just is. So, he has not disappointed. He’s doing a good job. He’s out there competing with the rest of those guys.”

As of now, this is the only known candidate for the Lions’ offensive coordinator position, but it’s still early in the process. When more candidates emerge, we’ll have a tracker so you can see all of the names in one place.

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Popular Detroit sports columnist announces stage 4 cancer diagnosis

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Popular Detroit sports columnist announces stage 4 cancer diagnosis


Longtime Detroit sports radio host and columnist Pat Caputo has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he announced Monday.

Caputo, a host on Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket, last published a column on Nov. 7. On Monday, he explained the reason behind his absence.

“For those wondering where I’ve been: I have been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, commonly referred to as a “death sentence” and had two other serious ailments which put me in ICU for several days,” Caputo wrote in a post to X. “It was sudden. I’ve literally been on my back for weeks. Bless you all.”

Caputo, 66, became a well-known personality in Detroit sports media during his time as an award-winning columnist for The Oakland Press from 1983-2020, according to the Detroit Free Press. He also was previously part of WXYT’s “Evening Sports” broadcast, and is an official voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame and college football’s Heisman Trophy award, according to his X bio.

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Caputo is nicknamed “The Book” for his impressive memory retaining sports stats and information, according to FOX 2 in Detroit, where he has been a regular guest on its “Sports Works” broadcast.

Caputo’s social media announcement regarding his health drew support from fellow sports media professionals, including Brad Galli, sports director at WXYZ Detroit, and ESPN’s Dan Wetzel and Dave Pasch.

“Pat, we’re praying for [you],” Galli wrote. “Awful awful awful to read this, man. God bless you.”

“Legend. Stay strong my friend. So much support out here for you,” Wetzel posted.

“Book, praying for you my friend. So sorry to hear this,” Pasch wrote.

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Murder trial starts this week in death of Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover

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Murder trial starts this week in death of Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover


DETROIT (WXYZ) — Desmond Burks’ murder trial starts this week. On Monday, he attended his pre-trial hearing. Burks faces first-degree murder, felony murder and larceny charges in the death of Dr. Devon Hoover.

The prominent Detroit neurosurgeon was found dead in his attic in April 2023 after Detroit police performed a wellness check. Investigators said he had been shot twice in the head and his body was wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet.

Watch Darren Cunningham’s video report below:

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Trial set to begin in Dr. Devon Hoover murder case

At the pre-trial, Judge Paul Cusick set the tone for how he expects the trial to go. It could last several weeks, according to court administration.

“Obviously, there’s always been respect shown to this court by the defendant and attorneys in this case, and all of the witnesses need to show the respect that is going to be required. There will be no outburst from any witnesses or anyone else during the proceedings,” the judge said.

Cusick discussed scheduling for the trial, starting with jury selection Wednesday and outlined restrictions for news media.

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“Media is prohibited from showing and/or publishing the faces of any civilian witnesses not employed by the government,” he read.

WXYZ

Those same restrictions were in place during the preliminary hearing.

At the prelim, a number of people testified that they were former lovers of Desmond Burks.

Those men and women described Burks as a hustler and said he would send them money from an unknown Cash App and then have them send the money back to his Cash App.

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Watch our coverage of the third day of the preliminary hearing below:

Day 3 concludes in Desmond Burks’ preliminary hearing in murder of Dr. Devon Hoover

Burks is accused of stealing more than $30,000 from Hoover via credit card and fraudulent bank transactions, and Burks allegedly used other people to execute his plan.

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Investigators said text messages revealed Burks had an intimate relationship with Hoover and was sometimes paid for sexual services.

Watch our coverage of the second day of the preliminary hearing below:

Mystery backpack focus of testimony during day 2 of Hoover preliminary hearing

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Testimony from the prelim also revealed that authorities zeroed in on Burks, in part, through cellphone records and surveillance footage involving Hoover’s stolen truck.

During the trial, we may hear from a close relative of Burks who identified him in surveillance footage during the prelim. The footage allegedly shows Burks walking away from Hoover’s stolen vehicle.

Watch our coverage of the first day of the preliminary hearing below:

Preliminary hearing begins for man charged with killing Dr. Devon Hoover

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The jury selection process is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.





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