6 player of the game candidates for Lions’ win over Jaguars

The Detroit Lions entered Week 13 as the healthiest they’ve been all season and it showed. They jumped over the Jacksonville Jaguars and never took their foot off the gas. On the day, the Lions had possession of the ball eight times—other than kneeling 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 took this win. Let’s take a look at the six competing for this week’s game ball.

Jared Goff

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

If Goff operates with confidence, he has the potential to eat up the defense. He was very confident against the Jaguars.

Goff stood in the sack and kept his cool – something he hasn’t always done in the past – and made decisive, smart readings. He rarely pushed the ball into hard windows, but did not shy away from attacking the Jaguars’ secondary. This was top 10 Jared Goff at his best. Here’s what general manager Brad Holmes envisioned for the Lions’ offense when he traded for him.

Amon-Ra St Brown

Statline: 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 every week, but every week he continues to surprise with his toughness and skill.

Against the Jaguars, St. Brown converted in third place all four times he was targeted. Per Next Gen Stats, “St. Brown has a first down this season at an all-time high of 18.2% from his third down routes (min. 50 routes).

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

But, of course, St. Brown does more than just catch passes in third. He did not find the end zone oncebut twice in this gamehis fifth and sixth touchdown receptions of the season.

DJ Chark

Statline: 5 receptions on 6 targets, 98 receiving yards

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

While his stats were solid, what really makes his day impressive is that Chark signed the Jaguars’ No. 1 corner, Tyson Campbell, who has knocked out wide receivers all season. Coming into the game, Campbell allowed only six receptions in the last five games, and according to NFL stats, Chark had at least three receptions and 69 yards with Campbell in coverage.

Alex Anzalone

Stats: 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble to recover

Anzalone has received quite a bit of criticism during his time in Detroit, but he made a difference on defense on Sunday. After DeShon Elliott forced a fumble, Anzalone quickly jumped onto the ball, securing his first career fumble recovery.

Anzalone was also a key factor late in the game. On the Jaguars’ penultimate possession, Anzalone read a swing pass to Travis Etienne and stopped him for a four-yard loss on third, forcing Jacksonville to punt. As they had their final possession, he retired in first and fourth to secure the Lions’ victory.

John Kominski

Stat line: 2 tackles, 1 pass deflection

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

At the end of the first quarter, with the Lions leading 14–3, Jacksonville had the ball and drove, hoping to continue exchanging points. But Cominksy’s third downstop on an Etienne run took the Lions’ defense off the field. That led to a Lions field goal and a 17-3 score. On the next possession, the Jaguars went three and out again behind a third downstop (pass breakup) made by Cominsky. That led to another Lions field goal and a huge turnaround in confidence.

Michael Badgey

Stats: 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 wasn’t sure 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 again perfect on the day, scoring 16 points – two more than the Jaguars scored on aggregate.

OK, time to vote: