Three and Out: Cornerback carousel, Murphy's Law no longer applies, and some love for Detroit Lions special teams
Allen Park — Here are three observations after a second viewing and a night to ponder the Detroit Lions’ 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Injury bug comes for Detroit’s corners
We don’t yet know the severity, but DJ Reed’s injury is a gut punch. It’s difficult to capture how much of a stabilizing force the veteran cornerback has been in the back end for Detroit.
With his less-experienced counterpart on the outside, Terrion Arnold, struggling to open the season, the Lions had been asking Reed to travel with the opponent’s best receiver the past couple of weeks. In Baltimore, he erased Zay Flowers from the game plan, helping limit Lamar Jackson’s No. 1 target to two receptions for 13 yards.
Against the Browns on Sunday, Reed drew Jerry Jeudy. And while the defender got beaten for three grabs on three targets that netted 48 yards on the opening drive, those were the last balls Jeudy would catch Sunday, despite six more targets.
Reed was in the game for four of the six and got a hand on three of them, including a picturesque interception. He made the diving grab worthy of his career highlight reel after climbing over a stumbling Jeudy when the receiver slipped at the top of his route.
The Lions paid a lot of money to bring Reed on board this offseason, yet somehow less than they would have needed to pony up to retain Carlton Davis III. Despite not having the latter’s prototypical build for the position, the 190-pound Reed pairs his proficiency in man coverage with an equal ferocity to the man he replaced in run support.
Between his work ethic and playing style, Reed instantly revealed himself as an ideal fit for what general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell have built in Detroit.
On Sunday, Reed exited early in the fourth quarter. In a full sprint while covering Jeudy’s deep over route from a trail position, the corner grabbed the back of his leg and collapsed like he’d been shot from behind. Of course, fitting of his aforementioned football character, Reed reached up with his free hand from the ground, making a last, desperate effort to agitate the receiver, who wasn’t able to hang on to the throw.