Detroit Lions Week 11 game ball: 5 Player of the Game candidate vs. Cowboys

We know the drill by now. The Detroit Lions still aren’t winning. They don’t deserve any participation trophies nor does most of the team deserve any commendation.

But that doesn’t mean we should completely ignore the some of the better performances of the week. The Lions held their own against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, and while that means little in the grand scheme of things, it does mean that some things are going right in Detroit. There are and handful of players that are playing respectably, and our weekly Game Ball article looks to highlight those individuals throughout the season.

Through 10 weeks, here are our Game Ball leaders. (First place in voting gets three points, second place gets two points, third place gets one.)

Matthew Stafford - 14
Marvin Jones Jr. - 8
Kenny Golladay - 7
Justin Coleman - 5
Trey Flowers - 4
T.J. Hockenson - 3
Sam Martin - 3
Matt Prater - 3
Jamal Agnew - 2
Tyrell Crosby - 2
Devon Kennard - 1
Taylor Decker - 1
Kerryon Johnson - 1

Here are this week’s candidates:

Marvin Jones Jr.

Stats: 4 catches, 43 yards, 2 TDs

Jones was a non-factor in the first half, but when the Lions were in danger of getting steam-rolled by the Cowboys, Jones kept them in the game with two big plays. The first, an 11-yard touchdown in which Jones found some extra space after Jeff Driskel escaped the pocket. The second, Jones dodged a couple of defenders for a 25-yard score. Both plays brought the Lions within one possession.

Jeff Driskel

Stats: 15-of-26, 209 yards, 2 TDs, 109.3 passer rating; 8 rushes, 51 yards, 1 TD

For just his second start with the team, Driskel showed impressive command of the Lions offense. He was far from mistake-free football, but he led the Lions on four scoring touchdown drives and was a big reason the Lions scored touchdowns and not field goals against the Cowboys defense.

His mobility not only helped him out in the passing game, but Detroit’s running game saw a bit of a resurgence, in part, due to Driskel’s 51 yards on the ground. Detroit’s 121 total rushing yards is the second highest total of the season.

Jamal Agnew

Stats: 2 punt returns, 35 yards (17.5 avg); 3 kick returns, 78 yards (26.0 avg)

It’s been a quiet year for Jamal Agnew—aside from his kick return touchdown back against the Eagles. However, Sunday got us a bit closer to the Jamal Agnew who was named All Pro in his rookie season.

On cue, as the FOX broadcast noted that Detroit had the lowest punt return average in the league, Agnew broke out a 32-yarder that set the Lions up in Cowboys territory. He also threw in a solid 29-yard kick return, and would’ve had gaudier stats had it not been for some special teams penalties.

Bo Scarbrough

Stats: 14 carries, 55 yards (3.9 YPC), 1 TD

The stats may not look all that impressive, but Bo Scarbrough made quite the NFL debut against the team that drafted him. Scarbrough ran with power and broke tackles like no Lions running back has this entire season. Even with some issues along the offensive line, Scarbrough managed to run for 4 or more yards on nine of his 14 carries. That’s the kind of consistent rushing this team has been missing all year.

Darius Slay

Stats: 3 tackles, 3 pass breakups

It wasn’t a banner day for the Lions’ secondary, and even Slay was beating himself up about letting a potential game-changing interception literally slip through his hands. But on a day in which the defense was burned left and right, Slay stood out as someone who was doing his job most of they day.

He had three of the team’s four pass breakups against the Cowboys. He was also wildly successful in his primary job: shutting down Amari Cooper. Cooper had just three catches for 38 yards on the day, both his lowest totals of the year (other than the Jets game, in which he played just three snaps before leaving with injury).