Sure, the Detroit Lions lost to the Philadelphia Eagles during “Sunday Night Football,” and it didn’t really have to go down that way, so the team has plenty of reasons to be distraught this week. But, there are some bright spots in that 16-9 loss to the Eagles, so all is not lost.
Of course, one of the not-so-bright spots was Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s play calling. He took over play calling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton for this game, as he also did for the team’s game against the Washington Commanders on November 9, but unlike the Washington matchup, this one ended in a loss. The Lions were 0-for-5 on fourth down in the loss, and two of those failed fourth down attempts were in field goal range. In addition, two of the other fourth down attempts were in their own territory, and those resulted in field goals for Philly.
But, on a positive note, one Detroit Lions player who nobody expected to see step it up is doing just that. He’s becoming a hero on the field, especially when the Lions need it most.
One-Year Detroit Lions Player is Proving his Worth
The Detroit Lions are dealing with injuries this season, which is nothing new for the team. When it comes to the team’s cornerback unit, injuries to Terrion Arnold and DJ Reed have made Detroit change their lineup and depth at the position.
Enter Rock Ya-Sin. Ya-Sin inked a one-year deal with the Lions before the 2025-26 season started, and people didn’t really expect much from him, but he’s proving them wrong. He’s spent the past two seasons in the NFL with the Ravens and the 49ers, mainly on special teams.
But, with the Lions, he’s thriving. He started against the Eagles on Sunday and played 71 snaps. According to research from Pro Football Focus, the cornerback had his best performance of the season, earning a 73.4 defensive and 78.6 coverage grade. He also holds a 63.2 defensive grade and a 65.7 coverage grade on PFF, outdoing Amik Robertson and Terrion Arnold.
In a Tuesday, November 18 feature for Detroit Jock City, Cem Yolbulan also totes Ya-Sin’s Next Gen Stats. “Perhaps the most impressive stat from Sunday came from Next Gen Stats, which revealed that Ya-Sin spent 19.4 seconds within one yard of AJ Brown against the Eagles,” he notes. “This was the second-most time in tight coverage the star wide receiver faced in a matchup in his career. Ya-Sin ended up holding Brown to four receptions for 39 yards on eight targets.”
Young Cornerback is an ‘Underrated Addition’ for the Detroit Lions
Yolbulan is sold on the cornerback and says that he’s “proving himself to be one of the most underrated additions the Lions made this season.” He adds that Ya-Sin’s presence “gives the team valuable insurance as Arnold and Reed are returning from injuries. Arnold is still in the concussion protocol, and Reed just saw his practice window open last week.”
With the Lions’ defense performing so well, if the offense can just get their act together, they’ll be golden. So, will Campbell keep calling plays? Speaking to the media on Monday, November 17, Campbell admitted that he wishes he could take back some of those calls. But, he didn’t say he would change anything.
“There’s some things I wish I would have done different,” he said. “The bottom line is, if you go totally conservative in the way this game played out, in the way it was, you’ve got a better chance of winning that game than some of those decisions I made.”
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