Detroit Lions Week 15 stock report: Several players on the rise after complete game vs. Cardinals

Raise your hand if you had the Detroit Lions beating the Arizona Cardinals 30-12 on your bingo card.

Seriously, if this applies to you, I have some questions.

The Cardinals came into Detroit needing a conference win to further cement their playoff hopes, and the Lions manhandled them in nearly every facet of the game.

Let’s take a look at how the Lions were able to pull off the upset.

Stock Up: Craig Reynolds and the offensive line

This offensive line got the better of the Arizona front early and often, consistently resetting the line of scrimmage. This gave running back Craig Reynolds room to roam, on his way to 112 yards on 26 carries.

The fact that the Lions offense has been this effective at running the ball, even without star players like All-Pro center Frank Ragnow and running back D’Andre Swift, is a great sign for the future of this team.

It would be downright disrespectful not to mention offensive line coach Hank Fraley. The Lions have had their share of injury issues with Ragnow, Decker, and now second-year guard Jonah Jackson, each missing time. All of these issues and this unit keeps improving on a weekly basis.

Stock Up: Charles Harris

Charles. Harris.

One of general manager Brad Holmes’ first moves this offseason was to bring in the edge rusher out of Missouri, and what a move it has proven to be.

Harris finished with 12 total tackles against the Cardinals, including three tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He was consistently harassing Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray off of the edge.

After his big day against the Cardinals, Harris now has 7.5 sacks on the season.

Whether it’s with the Lions or not, Harris has likely earned himself a nice payday this offseason.

Stock Up: Amon-Ra St. Brown

Admittedly, St. Brown was one of my favorite picks from the 2021 draft, and someone I repeatedly told friends about. So when he started the season slowly, I felt like maybe I jumped the gun a bit.

Turns out, St. Brown just needed some time. Time to adjust as a professional football player, and time to earn the trust of quarterback Jared Goff.

After back-to-back big games against the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos, St. Brown logged another solid performance in the win against the Cardinals.

The rookie receiver out of Southern California had eight catches for 90 yards, and even carried the ball out of the backfield for the first time as a Lion.

Stock Up: Amani Oruwariye

While he hasn’t been perfect this year, Oruwariye has made several game changing-plays for this defense, including this incredible interception, where the third-year player flexed his athletic ability by going full extension to snatch a Murray pass.

Oruwariye now has six interceptions on the year, and has been one of the only steady forces in a secondary that has been decimated by injuries all year.

Going into the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, 2022 will be an important year for the corner out of Penn State.

Stock Up: Jalen Reeves-Maybin

Reeves-Maybin is a holdover from the previous regime who seems to be leaving a good impression on the new staff.

He splits snaps with rookie linebacker Derrick Barnes, but has been the more consistent player down to down. Having more experience in the NFL, he is quick to diagnose and react.

His final stat line doesn’t jump off the page, but each of his five tackles and two pass breakups seemed to come at big times.

You may not have noticed his presence all that much, but head coach Dan Campbell sure did.

“It was good to get 44 back,” Campbell said in his post-game press conference. “It was really good to get him back.”

Stock Down: Tight end position

Throwing this in here for balance.

Without star tight end T.J. Hockenson, this unit looks really shorthanded. Rookie Brock Wright had multiple drive-killing penalties and the unit, as a whole, only had two targets on the day.

It won’t be a high priority going into the 2022 offseason, but the Lions very much need an upgrade at both TE2 and TE3 before next fall rolls around.