Unsung Hero of the Week: Marvin Jones Jr. continues to step up

Two weeks ago, I named Marvin Jones Jr. our Unsung Hero of the Week for his eight reception, 116-yard performance against the Chicago Bears. I called it a renaissance, thinking that would be his highlight of the year given how up-and-down Jones has been in the last couple seasons. Jones one-upped himself to everyone’s delight and takes home the title again this week.

Unsung hero of the week: WR Marvin Jones Jr.

Jones outdid himself on Sunday against the Titans, posting 10 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. This was number 11’s first 10-reception performance since Week 6 of 2019, when he went off for four touchdown catches against the Minnesota Vikings. Almost more notably, this is just Jones’ second 10-reception game in almost five years with the Lions. With Jones being much more of a deep threat than a catch-and-run guy, that statistic underlines just how special Sunday was for him.

Jones has now matched his 2019 yardage total with two games to go, and if he continues his strong performances, especially in what will likely be a shootout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Saturday, Jones could make a late push for a 1,000-yard receiving season.

Jones is in the last year of a five-year contract that has aged very well as the wide receiver market gets more expensive. It seems quite clear that the writing is on the wall for Jones in Detroit, and a new regime all but guarantees that we’ll see a new receiving corps next season. Nonetheless, Jones is making some extra dollars for himself in the eleventh hour and making it known across the league that he’s still got gas in a tank for a team that needs weapons in 2021.