5 candidates for Detroit Lions Week 9 game ball

The Detroit Lions got to increase the number in their win column on Sunday, taking the Green Bay Packer to the wire and winning the game 15-9. As the score indicates, this was a game where the Lions defense came to play. The Packers were only able to muster nine points, despite six trips into the red zone.

Let’s take a look at some of the top players from this win and award this week’s game ball.

Kerby Joseph

Oh, boy did the rookie show up today. In the first half alone, Joseph picked off Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (his first career interception), recorded seven tackles (his career high was six coming into the game) and had a pass deflection.

On the first drive of the second half, Joseph registered another beautiful pass break up and then followed it up with a second interception of Rodgers. According to the Lions PR department, this was the first time since 1986 that a rookie had two interceptions in a game, and the last time a Lions safety had two interceptions was 2013.

“Kerb a big ass kid,” DeShon Elliott told the media in the locker room. “He’s a big ass athletic freak kid. I think Kerb is gonna be playing in this league for a very long time. I’m so proud of that boy.”

This was the third consecutive game where Joseph was responsible for a turnover—he forced a fumble against the Cowboys and Dolphins—and accounts for four in total.

“The kid (Joseph) made a nice one down the middle,” Rodgers said of his three interception day, “but the other two, probably should’ve just checked out of that play and handed it off or adjusted for the first one. I was a little off balance and threw a bad one to (Packers T David Bakhtiari) Dave in the back.”

Aidan Hutchinson

That third interception was reeled in by Hutchinson when the Packers tried to throw a backside lob on a tackle eligible play. The ball was definitely underthrown but Hutchinson made a beautiful leaping grab for his first career interception.

“It was a cool moment and that’s my first-ever pick in football really,” Hutchinson said. “And I got it against one of the best.”

Derrick Barnes

When Malcolm Rodriguez went down early in the game, the Lions deployed a combination of Chris Board and Barnes to pick up the slack. Barnes was flying all over the field but his best play of the game came on a third-and-short inside the 2-yard line.

During the series, the Packers were driving and Allen Lazard made a nice play down the sideline and Will Harris made a great hustle play to keep him from scoring. The Lions held them up on the next two plays and then came third down.

“They like doing fast to the flat, so I thought they were trying to get me out leveraged,” Barnes said of his read on the play. “But I seen them hand the ball off—and I guess the guard didn’t see me—and I was like, ‘this could be a big stop’ and I made the play.”

After making the stop, Barnes bounded down the field, close to 40 yards before he realized where he was:

“I was very excited about that hit,” Barnes said while laughing.

On the next drive, Barnes made another big play and registered a beautiful sack, working though contact, shedding a block and dipping in to get the free hit on Rodgers.

Jerry Jacobs

Coach Dan Campbell promised to get Jacobs involved more this week and it didn’t take long before he was on the field and making an impact. His best moment came late in the game after he was called for defensive pass interference, when he stepped up on third down to shut down a Packers’ drive in the red zone.

“Man, I knew it was coming,” Jacobs said about the end of game scenario. “I could have played it a little better, but I knew he (Aaron Rodgers) was gonna keep coming my way. So I knew he’s gonna attack me. He did the same thing when I first got in (the game). I just knew it was third down and we’ve gotta get off the field and it was one-on-one backside and I just knew they was coming on a slant, so I just played tight (coverage).”

The more time Jacobs gets on the field, the more he seems to make plays.

James Mitchell

Mitchell entered the game with one career reception, and on Sunday, he doubled that output on two critical plays: scoring the game-winning touchdown (the first of his career) and converting on third-and-1, helping extend the Lions’ final drive.

“I had to maneuver around a couple of guys,” Mitchell told the media, breaking down the play. “There was a guy on the backline that I kinda had to work my way around, and once I cleared him, I knew I had a shot to get it. And JG (Jared Goff) ripped it in there and I pulled it in.”

Mitchell kept his touchdown ball and discussed his plans for it:

“Probably give it to my dad and let him frame it up and put it in the house somewhere.”

Time to vote: