:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65814126/usa_today_13437983.0.jpg)
Pro Bowl voting has been open for a month, but you probably wouldn’t know it as a Detroit Lions fan. There hasn’t been much of any buzz surrounding any individuals in Detroit, which makes sense considering the team in 3-8-1 and barreling towards a top five pick.
As of November 20, only a single Lions player was in the top 10 in fan votes at their position. According to the Detroit Free Press, punt returner Jamal Agnew was the single Lions player to earn that distinction, and unfortunately for Agnew, he has missed the last two games and hasn’t been able to add to his resume since.
But does anyone else on the roster deserve some love? Is there anyone playing well enough to earn some individual acclaim despite the team’s overwhelming failure?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Does any Lions player deserve to make the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl?
My answer: Yes. You could probably build a case for Matthew Stafford. He’s currently third in the NFC in passer rating (behind Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson) and third in the conference in QBR (Dak Prescott and Wilson). But there’s a pretty good chance Stafford will miss an entire half of a season, and you can’t really justify a Pro Bowl missing eight games.
But I think wide receiver Kenny Golladay is having a Pro Bowl-level season. Golladay is currently t-sixth in the NFL with 950 receiving yards and tied for first with nine receiving touchdowns. The problem here is that Golladay has a ton of competition in the NFC. Michael Thomas (1,290 yards), Chris Godwin (1,121), Mike Evans (1,096), DJ Moore (980), and Amari Cooper (971) all have more receiving yards than Golladay.
The one thing working in Golladay’s favor, however, is his average per catch. Golladay has nearly 20 fewer targets than the players above, and his yards per catch (20.2) ranks second in the NFL—at least 3.0 yards better than anyone in the top 10 in receiving yards. And, remember, Golladay has been doing this with a backup quarterback for the past four games.
Golladay is still probably a long shot to make the all-star game, simply because he plays for an unpopular team that is torpedoing. But he should be getting some more attention than he is right now. And he absolutely deserves Pro Bowl honors this years.
Your turn.