Game Ball: 6 candidates from Detroit Lions Week 13 win over Jacksonville Jaguars

The Detroit Lions entered Week 13 the healthiest they have been all season and it showed. They jumped all over the Jacksonville Jaguars and never took their foot off the gas. On the day, the Lions possessed the ball eight times—save the kneel down in victory formation—and never punted, scoring four touchdowns and kicking four field goals, eventually winning the game 40-14.

Total domination from start to finish.

There were plenty of players who stepped up in this win. Let’s take a look at the six in contention for this week’s game ball.

Jared Goff

Stat line: 31 of 41, 340 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 115.9 passer rating

When Goff is operating with confidence, he has the potential to chew up defenses. Against the Jaguars, he had plenty of confidence.

Goff stood in the pocket and calmly held his ground—something he has not always done in the past—and made decisive, smart reads. He rarely pushed the ball into tough windows but didn’t shy away from attacking the Jaguars' secondary. This was top 10 Jared Goff at his finest. This is what general manager Brad Holmes envisioned for the Lions' offense when he traded for him.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Stat line: 11 receptions on 12 targets, 114 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns

At this point, we should be used to the magic that St. Brown brings to the table on a weekly basis, but each week, he continues to surprise with his toughness and ability.

Against the Jaguars, St. Brown converted on third down all four times he was targeted. Per Next Gen Stats, “St. Brown has gained a first down on a league-high 18.2% of his third down routes this season (min. 50 routes).”

His most impressive third down conversion came early in the game where his ability to hyperfocus on the football led to a brilliant catch.

But St. Brown, of course, does more than just catch passes on third down. He found the end zone not once, but twice in this game, his fifth and sixth touchdown receptions on the season.

DJ Chark

Stat line: 5 receptions on 6 targets, 98 receiving yards

Even though he was going up against his former team, we probably shouldn’t classify this as a revenge game for Chark. At the same time, Chark almost doubled his receiving yardage for the entire season, so it’s safe to say he was motivated.

While his stat line was solid, what makes his day really impressive is that Chark drew the Jaguars' No. 1 corner, Tyson Campbell, who has been shutting down wide receivers all season. Campbell entered the game only allowing six receptions in the last five games, and per the NFL stats, Chark had at least three receptions and 69 yards with Campbell in coverage.

Alex Anzalone

Stat line: 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery

Anzalone has drawn his fair share of criticism during his time in Detroit, but he was a difference-maker on defense on Sunday. After DeShon Elliott forced a fumble, Anzalone was quick to jump on the ball, securing his first career fumble recovery.

Anzalone was also a key factor late in the game. On the Jaguars’ second-to-last possession, Anzalone read a swing pass to Travis Etienne and stopped him for a 4-yard loss on third down, forcing Jacksonville to punt. Then on their final possession, he made a stop on first and fourth down to help secure the Lions' win.

John Cominsky

Stat line: 2 tackles, 1 pass deflection

The stats don’t show Cominsky’s true impact, but he was as disruptive a force as he has been during his time in Detroit.

At the end of the first quarter, with the Lions up 14-3, Jacksonville had the ball and was driving, hoping to keep exchanging points. But Cominksy’s third down stop on an Etienne run got the Lions' defense off the field. That led to a Lions field goal and a 17-3 score. On the very next possession, the Jaguars went three and out again behind a third down stop (pass breakup) made by Cominsky. That led to another Lions field goal and a massive swing in confidence.

Michael Badgley

Stat line: 4 field goals on 4 attempts, 4 extra points on 4 attempts, 16 points scored

We’ve come a long way since Week 3 when Campbell didn’t know if he could trust Badgley to kick a 50-yard field goal.

Since then, Badgley has converted 15 of his 16 field goal attempts and has been perfect on all 14 extra points. On Sunday, he was once again perfect on the day, accounting for 16 points—two more than the Jaguars scored in total.

Alright, time to vote: