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Lions roar past Cards; end five-game skid

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  • #1

    Lions roar past Cards; end five-game skid

    Lions roar past Cards; end five-game skid

    NFL.com wire reports

    DETROIT (Dec. 5, 2004) -- Kevin Jones played like the running back the Detroit Lions have been searching for since Barry Sanders abruptly retired five years ago.

    Jones ran for 196 yards and a touchdown to lead Detroit over the Arizona Cardinals 26-12, ending the Lions' five-game losing streak and keeping their playoff hopes alive in the muddled and mediocre NFC.

    Arizona (4-8) lost their third straight with their third quarterback in four weeks. Rookie John Navarre, who hadn't taken a snap in the regular season, threw four interceptions and was 18-of-39 for 168 yards with a TD.

    Jason Hanson was 4-for-4 on field goals and Dre' Bly had two interceptions for the Lions (5-7), who took command of the game in the third quarter and coasted in the fourth.

    Since Detroit decided to get Jones the ball more - after having him share carries with two others - he has showed why the Lions traded up into the first round to draft him 30th overall this year.

    With a blend of speed, power and crafty moves, Jones fell 1 yard short of Mel Farr's rookie rushing record for the Lions - set in 1967 - and surpassed Sanders' best day as a rookie in 1989 by 12 yards. Jones' day on the ground was Detroit's best since Sanders' 216-yard rushing game in 1997.

    He got 26 carries against the Cardinals. In the three previous games, Jones had 280 yards rushing on 50 carries after carrying the ball no more than 15 times and running for no more than 65 yards in the first eight games.

    Jones' highlight against Arizona was a 74-yard run, a record for a Detroit rookie and the team's longest since Sanders had an 80-yard run in 1997.

    A rookie also started at running back for the Cardinals.

    Larry Croom played for Emmitt Smith, who was out with a toe injury after starting every other game this season. Croom ran for 49 yards on 18 carries.

    Arizona coach Dennis Green chose to play Navarre instead of healthy quarterbacks Josh McCown and Shaun King and the decision backfired. Navarre helped the Cardinals take a 3-0 lead on their first possession, but they lost the lead late in the first quarter for good and Navarre was unable to avoid mistakes.

    Detroit's Joey Harrington was 15-of-27 for 196 yards with one TD and one interception and Roy Williams caught four passes for 76 yards.

    Jones gave the Lions a 14-6 lead midway through the second quarter on a 2-yard run, two plays after they might have caught a break.

    Green wanted to review Williams' 45-yard catch because it appeared that he fumbled before his knee was down, but the officials told Green he couldn't challenge it because the play was ruled down by contact.

    The Cardinals responded on the ensuing possession with an 80-yard drive capped by Navarre's first NFL TD pass.

    Navarre was hit as he threw a 33-yard pass to Freddie Jones, who broke two tackles on his way to the end zone. Navarre threw an incomplete pass on a 2-point conversion, making the score 14-12.

    Hanson's 45-yard field goal midway through the third quarter gave Detroit a 17-12 lead.

    Navarre threw interceptions on Arizona's next two possessions - both in Cardinals territory - but Detroit only had one field goal to show for it.

    Hanson kicked a field goal late in the third and two more in the fourth.
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  • Nick
    Rams in high gear in 37-13 win over Lions
    by Nick
    Rams in high gear in 37-13 win over Lions

    NFL.com wire reports

    DETROIT (Aug. 29, 2005) -- The St. Louis Rams resembled the team that won the Super Bowl five years ago and the Detroit Lions looked like the NFL's worst team since 2001.

    Marc Bulger accounted for two touchdowns, Isaac Bruce had 85 yards receiving and a score and Steven Jackson ran for 108 yards and a TD to lead St. Louis to a 37-13 exhibition victory over Detroit.

    "Coach (Mike Martz) kind of challenged us this week to come out against Detroit and play well and we did that on both sides of the ball," St. Louis' Torry Holt said.

    "I have been saying all along that as long as our offensive line protects the quarterback and the defensive line plays well, this will be a good football team. I think we displayed that."

    The game was similar to the last one featuring the Lions on national television in prime time, a 35-0 setback against St. Louis on Oct. 8, 2001.

    Detroit has lost an NFL-high 48 games the past four years, while the Rams have been a playoff-caliber team since winning a title.

    With a crisp passing game along with Jackson's speed and power on the ground, the Rams (2-1) led 21-6 at halftime, a score Lions coach Steve Mariucci said would be important entering the game.

    The Rams were so dominant on an 11-play, 90-yard drive in the first quarter they didn't have a third down.

    Bulger was 11-of-14 for 167 yards, threw a TD pass and ran for a 7-yard score, untouched on a sneak. Jackson ran for 64 yards on his first of 14 carries, and scored on a 3-yard run. Bruce caught five passes for 85 yards, including a 31-yard TD catch.

    A pass rush that came from all angles stifled Detroit's first-string offense, which hasn't scored a TD in three preseason losses. When Joey Harrington had time to throw, he either missed receivers or they dropped passes.

    The Lions' starters finally got into the end zone, but two linemen were called for holding, negating the TD. Detroit ended up settling for Jason Hanson's second field goal late in the first half.

    Harrington was 9-of-18 for 106 yards, and Kevin Jones had 38 yards rushing on nine carries.

    "It was just one of those nights where things kind of piled on top of each other," Harrington said. "We missed blitz pickups, we missed throws and we missed routes. When you get into a funk like that, it's tough to break out."

    Jeff Garcia was signed to push Harrington, but he had another lackluster effort, going 2-for-9 for 34 yards with a fumble.

    When both teams put reserves in the game early in the third quarter, St. Louis was still superior. Jamie Martin threw an 11-yard TD pass to Madison Hedgecock to put the Rams ahead 34-6 late in the third quarter when Ford Field was almost...
    -08-29-2005, 09:42 PM
  • RamWraith
    Rams stampede Lions
    by RamWraith
    By Larry Lage
    Associated Press
    08/29/2005

    DETROIT (AP) -- The St. Louis Rams resembled the team that won the Super Bowl five years ago and the Detroit Lions looked like the NFL's worst team since 2001.

    Marc Bulger accounted for two touchdowns, Isaac Bruce had 85 yards receiving and a score and Steven Jackson ran for 108 yards and a TD to lead St. Louis to a 37-13 exhibition victory over Detroit on Monday night.

    "Coach (Mike Martz) kind of challenged us this week to come out against Detroit and play well and we did that on both sides of the ball," St. Louis' Torry Holt said.

    "I have been saying all along that as long as our offensive line protects the quarterback and the defensive line plays well, this will be a good football team. I think we displayed that."


    The game was similar to the last one featuring the Lions on national television in prime time, a 35-0 setback against St. Louis on Oct. 8, 2001.

    Detroit has lost an NFL-high 48 games the past four years, while the Rams have been a playoff-caliber team since winning a title.

    With a crisp passing game along with Jackson's speed and power on the ground, the Rams (2-1) led 21-6 at halftime, a score Lions coach Steve Mariucci said would be important entering the game.

    The Rams were so dominant on an 11-play, 90-yard drive in the first quarter they didn't have a third down.

    Bulger was 11-of-14 for 167 yards, threw a TD pass and ran for a 7-yard score, untouched on a sneak. Jackson ran for 64 yards on his first of 14 carries, and scored on a 3-yard run. Bruce caught five passes for 85 yards, including a 31-yard TD catch.

    A pass rush that came from all angles stifled Detroit's first-string offense, which hasn't scored a TD in three preseason losses. When Joey Harrington had time to throw, he either missed receivers or they dropped passes.

    The Lions' starters finally got into the end zone, but two linemen were called for holding, negating the TD. Detroit ended up settling for Jason Hanson's second field goal late in the first half.

    Harrington was 9-of-18 for 106 yards, and Kevin Jones had 38 yards rushing on nine carries.

    "It was just one of those nights where things kind of piled on top of each other," Harrington said. "We missed blitz pickups, we missed throws and we missed routes. When you get into a funk like that, it's tough to break out."

    Jeff Garcia was signed to push Harrington, but he had another lackluster effort, going 2-for-9 for 34 yards with a fumble.

    When both teams put reserves in the game early in the third quarter, St. Louis was still superior. Jamie Martin threw an 11-yard TD pass to Madison Hedgecock to put the Rams ahead 34-6 late in the third quarter when Ford Field was almost empty.

    ...
    -08-30-2005, 05:04 AM
  • RamsFan4ever
    A Look At The Opponent - Detroit
    by RamsFan4ever
    A Look At The Opponent - Detroit
    Saturday, September 30, 2006

    By Duane Lewis
    stlouisrams.com

    The Detroit Lions were one of 10 teams to make a coaching change in 2006, tapping Rod Marinelli as the man to lead the franchise. Marinelli comes to the Lions from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he spent 10 seasons as defensive line coach, and from 2002-2005 also served as assistant head coach.

    Known for his hard-nosed coaching style, Marinelli looks to turn around a franchise that has not had a winning season since 2000 and has not earned a postseason berth since 1999. The Lions are off to an 0-2 start as they organization learns the Marinelli Way of football.

    Detroit tabbed veteran Jon Kitna as their quarterback. The Lions offense had their best performance last week against Green Bay scoring 24 points, 11 points more than they had scored in the first two games combined.

    Kitna had his best game of the young season last week against Green Bay, completing 25 of 40 passes for 342 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Kitna completed seven passes to WR Roy Williams for a career-best 139 yards and one touchdown. Williams' 16 receptions (for 245 yards) this season ties him for the team lead.

    RB Kevin Jones leads the Lions rushing attack. The third-year back from Virginia Tech rushed for 81 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries last week and was effective in the passing game with five receptions for 44 yards.

    Jones leads the Lions in rushing with 160 yards on 43 carries (3.7 avg) and is tied with Williams for the team lead in receptions with 16 for 127 yards.

    A pair of former Rams are in the Lions' receiving corp. Former receiver/safety Mike Furrey is third on the team with 14 catches for 160 yards. Az Hakim was recently signed by the Lions and made his first receptions of the season last week. TE Dan Campbell is averaging over 21 yards per catch with five receptions for 106 yards. RB Shawn Bryson is a threat in the passing game as he caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Kitna last week.

    A trio of sixth-year players anchor the left and middle of the Detroit's offensive line. Jeff Backus has started every game at left tackle since being drafted by the Lions in the first round of the 2001 draft. Veteran G Ross Verba, in his 10th NFL season and first with the Lions, made his first start of the season last week. Dominic Raiola is in his fifth straight season as the Lions' starting center. He and Backus have combined to start 146 consecutive games.

    The right side of the Lions' O-line is manned by a pair of eighth-year players. Guard Damien Woody has been a starter his entire career. After starting his career in New England, Woody has started every game for the Lions since coming to Detroit in 2004. Rookie T Jonathan Scott made his first start at right tackle last week in place of another...
    -09-30-2006, 02:23 PM
  • Nick
    Lions' Marion, Bryant, Babers injured
    by Nick
    DETROIT (AP) -- Steve Mariucci struggled to get too excited about a preseason victory because a handful of Detroit Lions went down with injuries.

    On the opening drive, the Buffalo Bills got exactly what they wanted, while the Lions couldn't avoid their worst fear in the final exhibition for both teams.

    Drew Bledsoe led Buffalo's first-string offense to its only touchdown of the preseason, three Detroit defensive backs were hurt and the Lions went on to beat the Bills 20-17 Thursday night.

    "It's nice to get out with a win -- I suppose," said Mariucci, in his second season with the Lions. "But that first series was crazy. I didn't know what to do."

    Lions safety Brock Marion (bruised right knee), cornerback Fernando Bryant (neck stinger) and cornerback Rod Babers (shoulder) all left the game with injuries.

    Bryant was hurt on the second play from scrimmage, Marion went down three plays later and Babers was also hurt during the first possession.

    "I said, 'You've got to be kidding me," Lions president and general manager Matt Millen said.

    Marion was later carted away from the sideline with an ice pack strapped to his knee, but X-rays were negative. He was to have a follow-up MRI exam.

    Bryant is a starter, and Babers is competing for a roster spot.

    "I didn't know what was happening at first, because my arm went completely numb," Bryant said. "But after a minute, I knew it was just a stinger. I've had stingers before. It's nothing. It's part of football."

    Starting linebacker Donte Curry (left thigh) also left the game in the first quarter, but said the injury wasn't serious.

    Last year, Detroit lost James Stewart for the season with a shoulder injury in the first quarter of the final preseason game against Buffalo.

    The Lions (2-2) went ahead for good late in the third quarter when Rick Mirer lobbed a 26-yard TD to David Kircus, giving them a 20-17 lead.

    Bledsoe was 4-of-6 for 62 yards on his only possession, a 16-play, 90-yard drive. He threw a perfect 21-yard deep out to Eric Moulds against Dre' Bly to set up a TD.

    "I think we finally finished (a drive)," Bledsoe said. "Prior to that drive, we'd done some good things and moved the ball a little bit. But we always had that one thing that stopped us."

    Willis McGahee, still looking tentative coming off his knee injury, gained just 24 yards on 11 carries, but put Buffalo ahead 7-0 with a 2-yard run. Travis Henry missed the game with bruised ribs, but is expected to start the opener against Jacksonville.

    Most importantly, the Bills (1-3) got out of the game healthy after losing two backup quarterbacks to injury last week.

    "You want to come out of this thing for the real deal," Bills...
    -09-02-2004, 09:50 PM
  • RamWraith
    Bulger, Bruce Lift Rams Over Lions
    by RamWraith
    POSTED: 7:50 pm CDT October 1, 2006
    St. Louis, MO -- (Sports Network) - Marc Bulger's five-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce with 1:56 left gave St. Louis a 41-34 victory over Detroit at Edward Jones Dome.

    Trailing 34-33 with under five minutes to play, Bulger commanded a seven-play, 56-yard game-winning march that ended with a short pass to Bruce in the end zone. Bruce, who finished with 100 yards receiving, also hauled in the two-point conversion to give the Rams a seven-point cushion.

    Detroit had one final chance to tie the game, but failed when Jon Kitna lofted a deep pass intended for Roy Williams out of the end zone.

    Bulger threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-42 passing and Steven Jackson rushed for 81 yards on 22 carries and one TD for the Rams (3-1), who have won two straight.

    Torry Holt had six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

    Kitna completed 29-of-43 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions for the Lions (0-4), who have scored 58 points in their last two games after scoring just 13 points in their first two.

    Williams hauled in nine balls for 139 yards while Kevin Jones carried the ball 19 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Furrey added 82 yards receiving and two scores.

    Down 17-16 early in the third quarter, St. Louis took over on their own 31 after a quick three-and-out by the Lions. The Rams drove 69 yards en route to a 16-yard TD strike from Bulger to a wide-open Holt for a 23-17 lead.

    Detroit came right back, though, and got within three on Hanson's 20-yard chip shot. The drive was almost stalled on 3rd-and-10 when Kitna's pass was short to Az-Zahir Hakim, but St. Louis' Leonard Little was called for roughing the passer and unsportsmanlike conduct, which gave the Lions a first down at the Rams eight.

    Jones' 35-yard TD scamper down the sideline with 4:23 to go in the third gave the lead back to Detroit, 27-23, but the Rams came right back with an 80-yard possession that was capped off when Jackson punched it in from one-yard out. The drive was advanced 40 yards when Detroit's Jamar Fletcher was called for pass interference, which gave the Rams a 1st-and-goal at the five-yard line.

    The Lions regained the lead early in the fourth, 34-30, when Jones stumbled in the end zone from seven-yards out. The big play of the drive came on 3rd-and-8 when Kitna hit Hakim at the St. Louis seven for a nine-yard gain.

    Jeff Wilkins' 47-yard field goal with 6:16 left in the fourth cut the Rams' deficit to one before Bruce capped the scoring with his five-yard TD reception on the final drive.

    Wilkins' 42-yard field goal capped a seven-play, 46-yard drive to give the Rams an early 3-0 lead in the first.

    St. Louis went up 6-0 on Wilkins' 19-yard boot with 3:25 left in the first....
    -10-02-2006, 04:08 AM
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